Stomatitis in children - The disease is not uncommon. How to recognize child stomatitis externally and compare with the photo on the Internet, which categories of stomatitis are divided, what is herpes stomatitis in a child and aphthous stomatitis and how to treat it, let's find out in this material.
The treatment of stomatitis in a child depends on its form, type and cause, which caused it. The most common cause of stomatitis can be herpes, bacteria, an allergic reaction, a problem with the child’s immunity. In each of the cases listed, a different treatment is prescribed and a different diagnosis is applied. Different types of diseases also look different.
Below are different types. stomatitis in children: photo chronic and acute herpetic form in a child, as well as aphthous stomatitis.
Content
Forms of stomatitis in children
Stomatitis in children is divided into three main types, it is:
- herpes acute;
- chronic herpetic stomatitis recurrent;
- chronic aphthous stomatitis.
There are also a number of less common forms of the disease, in particular:
- erosive;
- ulcer-necrotic bacterial;
- toxic-allergic and others.
The disease must be properly diagnosedFor this purpose, the child should be shown to the doctor at the slightest suspicion. It is also not recommended to prescribe self-medication.
Herpetic stomatitis in a child: acute and chronic form
Herpetic stomatitis in a child has two forms. An acute form of the disease is characteristic of the first disease and for very young children. But the chronic form is a repeated recurrent disease.
Herpes stomatitis in newborns can appear solely because the child was infected at birth or due to infection due to non-compliance with the rules of hygiene by those who have contact with him, this is not only the mother, but also the medical staff and relatives who visit baby in the hospital.
Acute herpetic stomatitis: characteristics and symptoms
The acute form of this disease can develop from six months to three years of age. It is precisely by the age of six months that the child's innate antibodies disappear and he is exposed to infections. In most cases the disease is asymptomatic and only in some cases an acute form of manifestation can be observed. In general, the symptoms will be as follows:
- weakness;
- general malaise;
- headaches and muscle aches;
- temperature from 37 to 41 degrees.
The oral cavity of the child becomes bright red. Small bubbles may appear on the lips, palate and tongue in small groups. First, they are filled with a clear liquid and burst after a few days, and then in their place erosions of red tint appear, which are later covered with a specific yellow bloom.
Sometimes the edge portion of the gums around the teeth starts to turn red, rashes may appear on the red lip rim and the soft side of the skin.
Chronic herpetic stomatitis in a child
In some cases, once transferred, the disease can leave the virus to live in the body for a lifetime and provoke periodic relapses, this is called the chronic form of herpetic stomatitis.Such relapses occur under the influence of such factors as:
- colds;
- allergies and vitamin deficiency;
- stress;
- taking medications that may impair immunity;
- exacerbation of other chronic diseases;
- injury to the mucous membranes;
- the presence of foci of stomatitis infections;
- mouth breathing.
Manifestations of this disease do not despair from the primary acute form, except that symptoms of intoxication practically do not appear with relapse.
Treatment
This form of stomatitis in children is treated with the help of a group of drugs such as:
- antiviral;
- antiseptic;
- symptomatic;
- immunomodulatory.
So, the first group of drugs - antiviral drugs, which are used to treat childhood stomatitis, presented in this case, ointments and creamswhich are applied externally around the lips and skin. In some cases, treatment requires the use of rectal suppositories, tablets and gels for internal use.
Most often, doctors prescribe:
- Viferon in the form of candles, gel or ointment. The dosage depends on the age of the child and is suitable even for newborns. Interferon, which is contained in the drug, has an immunostimulating and antiviral effectand also enriches the child’s body with vitamins;
- Acyclovir - a drug used to treat the herpes virus, can be given to children from two years old according to a regimen acceptable to adults, and up to two years - in a dosage reduced by half;
- Zovirax
This type of drugs in the treatment of stomatitis is best given to the child in the first few days of the disease in the presence of bubbles on the mucous membrane. At the stage when the bubbles have already burst, the drugs will no longer be particularly effective in the treatment.
If we are talking about individual foci of herpes, in which the mucous is not affected, should be prescribed topical preparations in the form of ointment and cream, which are applied during the day to the site of the focus of the virus.
Antiseptic drugs are used in treatment only when they can counteract the same herpes virus. If the antiseptic does not have such an effect, its use in stomatitis will be meaningless. The most effective antiseptics in this case is Miramistin and Viferon in the form of a gel, but chlorhexidine will be inappropriate here.
Miramistin should rinse your mouth several times a day for a minute, and for very young children you should prepare a gauze swab, dip your finger wrapped in a swab and grease the mouth cavity. Viferon in the form of a gel may be suitable for applications after applying the solution.
Symptomatic drugs in the treatment of herpetic stomatitis in children are not always used. For example, antipyretic drugs should be given to a child only when its temperature is not lower than 38 degrees.
Immunomodulators are more often used for the chronic form of the disease, as well as for the prevention of recurrence of stomatitis and in complex therapy. The most common among them are:
- Immunal;
- Nikleinat;
- Amixin;
- Imudon
The first three drugs are used for prevention and affect the overall immunity as a whole. But Imudon is a specific drug whose action is aimed at strengthening the mucosal immunity.
In addition, to enhance the immune system of the mucous membrane in the mouth of a child, often used special children's pasta based on lactoferrin, lysozyme, glucose and such drugs. You can pay attention to children's pastes of the Russian brand "Splat", which contain in the composition of these components.
Regardless of the form of herpetic stomatitis, the doctor prescribes a child to take certain vitamins, and this may be a diet or a special complex of vitamins. But all sorts of drugs of anti-inflammatory nature or for the treatment of mucous membranes are prescribed for additional diagnosis.Most often against the background of the addition of a bacterial infection or the development of gingivitis against the background of stomatitis.
At the slightest manifestations of herpetic stomatitis should show the child to the doctorto prescribe the necessary treatment. The fact is that it is extremely difficult to distinguish between the forms of stomatitis from each other, but the treatment for different forms should be different.
If, after taking immunomodulating drugs, the child again has a chronic form of the disease, it should be shown to an immunologist for consultation.
Aphthous chronic stomatitis: description and treatment in children
Aphthous stomatitis is manifested in the form of mucosal lesions in the mouth or a red border on the lips. The defeat of the manifestation of single afta and lasts a little more than a week. The reasons for this form of stomatitis may be the following factors:
- all sorts of allergies to drugs, food or germs;
- the appearance of staphylococcus;
- problems with the immune system;
- chronic diseases of the gastric organs.
Signs of this form of stomatitis most often appear in the fall or spring. As a rule, such stomatitis predominantly appears where the mucous membrane is often injured due to the taste or chewing of coarse food. Wherein the disease does not affect the general condition of the childhowever, he may complain of weakness, the temperature may rise slightly, and the lymph nodes increase.
Aphthae, which appear on the mucous membrane, have a rounded shape and reach sizes up to 10 mm, they are surrounded by a red inflamed rim, and they can also be covered with a bloom of gray-white shade. Touching most often causes pain. As a rule, aft appears alone.
The main differences of aphthous stomatitis from herpetic:
- in case of herpetic stomatitis, a large number of small bubbles appear, which then burst, and the appearance of aft character of a large size is characteristic of the aphthous form;
- in the case of herpetic form, the marginal gum around the teeth becomes red and swollen, but in aphthous it is not observed;
- in the aphthous form there are no rash in the form of blisters on the red border of the lips and in the soft zone.
Treatment of aphthous form of stomatitis should be given based on the cause, which caused the disease, since each cause requires different types of treatment.
However, if you don’t yet know the reason, it’s best to eliminate from the child’s diet all potential allergens like honey, chocolate, citrus and other foods, as well as everything hot and spicy.
If the cause of the disease was an allergic reaction to a particular medication, you should consult a doctor to replace the treatment with less allergenic drugs.
In general, the treatment of aphthous stomatitis in children includes the following activities:
- taking antiallergic drugs such as Claritin, Suprastuin and others;
- treatment of aft drugs with local action (for example, gel Holisalas well as rinsing with antiseptic agents like Miramistin;
- after the symptoms disappear and acute pain disappears, it is necessary to treat these sites with epithelial drugs, for example, Solcoseryl, which also has an analgesic effect;
- physiotherapy - prescribed by the attending physician and aimed at eliminating lesions using ultraviolet radiation;
- immunomodulating agents of local action. These primarily include fermenting children's toothpastes, which increase local immunity and make the oral cavity more resistant to viruses and bacteria;
- sanation of the oral cavity - the need to treat defects of the teeth that have appeared due to caries in order to treat staphylococcus, which may be the cause of the disease.
For aphthous stomatitis, as well as for herpetic, relapses are also characteristic.If they become too frequent, then more attention should be paid not to getting rid of the skin from the accent, but to treating the cause of the disease, otherwise it will not be a treatment, but a “healing” of the problem for a while.
To identify the true cause of stomatitis, should be examined by several specialists - an immunologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist and other doctors who will find out the cause of frequent manifestations of stomatitis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
When the cause of the disease is an allergy, you should identify the allergen and exclude it from the diet, stop taking or stop contact.
As you can see, stomatitis in children often occurs, they have different forms and appear due to different factors. therefore should identify the cause of the disease and make every effort to eliminate it.