Complications of ARVI in children

Everyone knows the tips Dr. Komarovskythat colds in children do not need to be treated with any special medicines and require doctors to prescribe for them. A warm drink is enough, antipyretic if necessary - and the correct temperature and humidity in the room.

But if we are talking about a small child who still cannot independently describe where exactly and what he has hurts that he feels, then parents may be afraid whether they adequately assess the condition baby.

Also, grandmothers often make a commotion and constantly repeat about the risk of complications without "normal treatment".

What complications can there be, who should be afraid of them and what to do with them?

1. The younger the child, the higher the risk of complications.

They are manifested by the fact that a secondary bacterial is added to the viral infection: bronchitis, meningitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis, etc.

In young children, such diseases develop faster, and they are usually detected later than in older children.

But there is no need to panic with every cold: not everyone has complications.

2. Risk group for complications of ARVI - who is in it?

Children under 3 years of age are most susceptible to complications (features of anatomy that quickly pass the infection); children with autoimmune or any chronic diseases; the so-called "frequently ill children".

When visiting a pediatrician, it is imperative to report on parallel or chronic diseases of the child, on any alarming signs of the course of the disease.

3. A visit to a pediatrician is a must to prevent complications.

If a child has a runny nose and / or cough that lasts less than a week and without fever, does not torment the child, does not cause pain, then you can not rush to the pediatrician and show up on occasion.

But if the disease is accompanied by fever, pain of any nature, "green" snot, dry suffocating cough, then you must definitely visit a doctor.

Usually, with ARVI, the child's temperature drops on the 3rd day: the state of health improves, and you can go to the doctor if there is no way to invite him to your home.

If on the 4th the temperature rises again, you need to urgently go to any nearest pediatrician, listen to the baby's breathing, and make an examination.

Do not risk your child's health by self-medication if there is no improvement on the 4th day of illness.

4. Prevention of complications with antibiotics or antiviral drugs is not possible.

In many ways, complications are a matter of chance. SARS and influenza in particular kill the local immunity in the respiratory system - and because of this, it is easy for bacteria to get inside and cause pneumonia and other diseases.

But this may not happen. But if you give your child medications and even more antibiotics unnecessarily, then his body will stop responding to them.

Viral infections (ARVI) are generally not treated with antibiotics, only bacterial ones (those same complications). And in the case of uncontrolled intake of drugs, they will be useless if the body undergoes a real bacterial infection.

5. The best prevention of complications is vaccination.

At the moment, the most reliable way to avoid the flu and reduce the risk of complications from it or SARS is to vaccinate the child on time.

The seasonal flu shot is given once a year. It is believed that it can not only protect against complications, but in general make colds more rare and "mild". This is very important for children who go to kindergarten or school.

You also need to be vaccinated against pneumococcal infection. Unfortunately, it, like the flu vaccine, is not included in the national immunization schedule, so you will have to pay for it. But it protects the child from a number of diseases, including meningitis, pneumonia and otitis media.

6. Tracking the dynamics of the disease.

Make it a rule to keep short notes about the condition of the sick child. This can be done simply in a notebook or smartphone. Write down the date, temperature, symptoms, state of health, how you were treated.

Notes help to track the dynamics, to see how much the child is already sick, whether there are any improvements and which ones. If suddenly the condition worsens, you can tell the doctor exactly when it happened, what preceded it, how the temperature changed, the state of health, complaints, etc.

Sometimes it is important for the doctor to have this background, which is forgotten by the parents under stress. And then, at the reception, painful memories begin that it seems that the baby has been coughing for a long time, but no one remembers for a week or two, and there was still a temperature, but when they forgot.

Write down, for example:! February 22, 37.6, at night the nose was stuffy, vasoconstrictor drops were applied, the appetite is normal, but the stool is upset, the child is active, does not complain. "

This will take a couple of minutes a day, but can be very rewarding as a result.

7. It is always better to "overlook".

It is absolutely always the best idea to go to the pediatrician, hear that the child's lungs are clean, and involuntarily regret the time spent, rather than self-medicate and face complications.

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• 5 mistakes in treating colds in children
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