All parents need to know about cystitis, the symptoms and treatment of which we will now consider in children. After all, inflammation of the bladder is quite common in pediatric practice. Up to a year, in babies of both sexes, the incidence is approximately the same, but if we are talking about older children, then in girls the disease develops 5 times more often.
Causes of Cystitis
It is very important to know why cystitis appeared. Symptoms and treatment in children are one of the most pressing issues among young parents. In the vast majority of cases, this is due to a bacterial infection (typical pathogens are E. coli, chlamydia, streptococcus, staphylococcus). In addition, vaginitis, pinworms, as well as the use of certain medications (for example, sulfonamides) can be the cause.
As for the factors that can trigger the development of cystitis, the following are especially worth highlighting:
- irregular or improper care of the external genitalia;
- local hypothermia;
- weakened immunity;
- foci of chronic infections (e.g. tonsillitis);
- wearing too tight clothes, tights or underwear for a long period.
Congenital pathologies of the genitourinary system also often contribute to the fact that doctors sooner or later diagnose cystitis in children.
The reasons, as you see, can be very different. However, how to recognize the problem in time?
Symptomatology
Considering the disease itself cystitis, symptoms and treatment in children, as well as other issues related to this, special attention should be paid to those signs that will help you find the problem in time.
Children who are less than a year old become extremely restless during the period of illness, they lose their appetite, and often sleep disorders occur. A baby can often scream and cry for no apparent reason. Urine becomes a darker shade than usual, and the frequency of urination increases (you can notice this by leaving the baby for a while without a diaper).
Other children have other symptoms. With frequent urination, in fact, the amount of urine released decreases sharply. The baby feels pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen, in the perineum or rectum. The process of urination itself becomes very painful, accompanied by sharp pain and burning.
A particularly alarming sign is an increase in temperature, which may indicate the transfer of inflammation to the kidneys.
Cystitis treatment
During the first days of acute cystitis, babies are better off observing bed rest. At the same time, the lower abdomen must always be warmed with dry heat (salt in a cloth bag or a woolen shawl). Preventing the appearance of drafts, you should regularly ventilate the room in which the child is.
It is also important to follow a diet that excludes all foods that irritate the bladder and kidneys (salty, spicy, fried and pickled foods). It is best during this period to feed the baby with lean soups, boiled meat and fish, cereals and vegetables. Dairy products are useful.
To flush the bladder and remove harmful toxins from the body, the baby should drink as much as possible (up to 2 liters of fluid per day). Best clean water without gas, diluted compotes and juices, weak tea. Cranberry juice is extremely effective - it, among other things, helps to quickly remove inflammation.
Of course, hygiene is not the last place. Every day, the child should take a warm shower and change underwear. When there is severe pain that usually accompanies acute cystitis, the symptoms and treatment of which we are now considering in children, you can start using warm (but not hot!) Baths with herbs: calendula, chamomile, or sage. The duration of the procedures is on average 10-15 minutes, and the optimum water temperature is up to 37.5 degrees.
And finally, various medications can help you cope with the disease. Treatment of cystitis in children with antibiotics is very common, and the pediatrician prescribes specific drugs, depending on the pathogen detected. Most often, these are Amoxicillin, Nifuroxazide, Furazolidone, or Ciprofloxacin. In some cases, antispasmodics (No-Shpa, Papaverin, Bentsiklan, Platifillin) and pain medication (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, etc.) are also prescribed. After a course of treatment after 5-10 days, the child's condition returns to normal.