Conjunctivitis - an unpleasant disease of infants

Children under one year are very susceptible to a variety of infectious diseases, and conjunctivitis is not an exception to this pattern.This ailment, which at first glance looks quite serious, with timely diagnosis and proper care passes quickly without a trace.In order to ensure that these events do not cause trouble for young mothers, we will consider a typical picture of such a disease and find out what conjunctivitis is treated in newborns.

What it is

Conjunctivitis is a lesion of the mucous membrane of the eye, usually accompanied by irritation and swelling.

The disease can be either acute or chronic.There are also purulent and usual conjunctivitis due to the presence of specific grayish or yellowish discharge.

By type of pathogen distinguish these types of conjunctivitis:

1. Viral.Most often accompanied by an increase in body temperature and rhinitis. Pus with this form is not present, but there is an itch and abundant allocation of tears.
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2. Bacterial.As a rule, accompanied by purulent discharge from the eye, as well as pain when a foreign body enters the apple. The most common allocation with this form can be seen on the baby's cilia in the morning. The very conjunctiva and the skin around it is dry.
3. Caused by the ingress of harmful or toxic substances into the eye.In most cases, it is not accompanied by typical symptoms of the disease. Its distinguishing feature is the painfulness of the eye.
4. Allergic.As a rule, accompanied by a minor edema, but very severe itching, which will bother the child around the clock. In most cases, does not give abundant purulent discharge.

All of the above types of diseases cause great discomfort and pose a threat to his vision. That is why when the first signs of ailment appear, one should study the symptoms of the disease and immediately consult a doctor.

Causes

Far from always conjunctivitis in a child occurs due to improper care (although this reason is still the most common).It practically with the same frequency meets both in babies living in ideal sterile conditions, and in those children whose mothers do not betray the order of special significance.

The causes of the disease are very diverse.Among them, doctors say:

• Low immunity of the baby;
• Infection of the child with untreated sexual infections of the mother at the time of passage of the birth canal;
• The ingress of foreign bodies or dust into the eye;
• Infection from other family members who may be carriers of the disease;
• Failure to comply with the hygienic requirements for the care of an infant.

Most often, conjunctivitis in the baby occurs as a result of several factors, for example, contact with a sick person and low immunity.As for the probable carrier, from which he could catch the disease, it is usually adults: parents, grandparents, guests in the house, even a district doctor.Often, babies adopt the disease from older children.

Not always the child becomes infected from a person who has visible manifestations of the disease. Often the virus is transmitted to him by a seemingly perfectly healthy guest. That is why it is so important to monitor your child's health for up to a year and, if possible, To minimize visits to the house by guests, even the closest people, especially the high season of the common cold and other viruses.

Symptoms

Conjunctivitis is a disease with pronounced symptoms, which is fairly easy to identify among other ailments.Recognize his mother's baby can for such symptoms:

• redness of the eye;
• copious lacrimation;
• appearance of a whitish film on the eyes.

Also, with conjunctivitis, the child may have a fever.The disease usually begins with the mucosa of one eyeball, but very quickly passes to the second.

At the child who has picked up a purulent conjunctivitis, the symptoms will be slightly different. It:

• swelling;
• filling the eye with pus;
• clotting of eyelids, especially after sleep (it will be very difficult for a child to open his eyes in the morning);
• damage to the mucosa;
• tear;
• the defeat of only one eyeball (rarely with purulent conjunctivitis in the child both eyes suffer).

The above signs are manifested in both acute and chronic forms, but with less intensity.The appearance of symptoms of both purulent and viral conjunctivitis in children is a weighty indication for a mandatory urgent visit to the ophthalmologist.Ignoring this requirement, you risk getting a long form of ailment and complications, which at this age appear with such a disease quite often.

Diagnostics

If you suspect a conjunctivitis, you should consult an ophthalmologist.He will conduct a visual examination of the child and, if necessary, take a pus test to accurately determine the pathogen.The data for the diagnosis will be enough.

If there is a suspicion of conjunctivitis, as well as the statement of such a diagnosis, it is necessary to apply to professional medical care and strictly follow the doctor's instructions.

Treatment

Depending on the reason that the baby developed this ailment, the correct form of treatment is selected.So, if we are talking about a disease of a viral nature, prescribe a therapy aimed at a general increase immunity, in the same case, if the disease is of a bacterial nature, special antibiotics.Also, without fail, the doctor will prescribe special anti-inflammatory ointments for the eyelid and drops to wash the eyes. Disease with such treatment can be defeated in 10 days completely.

People's methods of fighting this disease for babies are not effective enough. Their use can lead to serious consequences.

Complications

In the absence of timely competent treatment, this disease can give serious complications, especially in the youngest patients. The most common negative consequences of conjunctivitis are:

• Transition of the disease from acute to chronic stage;
• Abscesses and other types of damage to nearby tissues;
• Complete or partial loss of vision.

In some cases, in young children, such complications manifest themselves with weak immunity even after the doctor has prescribed a course of treatment.

That's why, if you find any troubling symptoms in your baby and a lack of positive dynamics of the course of the disease, contact the doctors again.

Prevention

Preventing conjunctivitis in a newborn is much easier than curing.Of course, 100% safe for the child, given a number of reasons leading to this disease, it is impossible. However, in the power of parents to minimize the risk of catching the disease.The main preventive measures, relevant in this case, are:

1. Strict adherence to hygiene rules;
2. Improving the immunity of the child;
3. Limitation of walks with the baby during the flowering of plants, which can cause him allergies, as well as in windy weather, when there is a lot of dust in the air.

It is also very important to monitor the health of the baby and quickly respond to any catarrhal disease, because it is most often transferred to conjunctivitis.In addition, it is worth regularly visiting the pediatrician. He can determine the child's propensity for such a disease and prescribe to him drugs to promote health.

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conclusions

In general, conjunctivitis is very unpleasant for a baby.However, with a timely response to the problem of parents, it is quite successfully treated.The task of fathers and mothers in this case is to find a good specialist who can determine the cause of the disease, and follow his recommendations.And then the disease will quickly recede with minimal damage to the body.