All children sooner or later have to donate blood for analysis. And so, my mother gets a form with results, where a bunch of incomprehensible indicators are indicated, and so I can not wait to find out what is good and what is bad.
First of all, what should be paid attention to in the results of a blood test in children is ESR, which is the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation. This index of envy on the condition and size of leukocytes, on the viscosity and blood circulation, and on the composition of the blood as a whole.
ESR rate in children
The normal limits of the level of ESR in the blood of a child depend on the age category:
- newborns - from 2 to 4 mm / h;
- children of the first year of life - from 3 to 10 mm / h;
- children aged 1-5 years - from 5 to 11 mm / h;
- children 6-14 years old - from 4 to 12 mm / h;
- over 14 years - for girls - from 2 to 15 mm / h, and for boys - from 1 to 10 mm / h.
The increased or decreased level of ESR detected in children signals the appearance of abnormalities in the functioning of the circulatory system, which means that the functioning of the child's organism as a whole is disturbed.
Increased ESR in a child - the causes
As a rule, the increased rate of erythrocyte sedimentation occurs in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, parotitis, rubella, whooping cough, scarlet fever, etc. Also, increased ESR in a child can be with angina, anemia, bleeding, allergic reactions, injuries and fractures of bones. With appropriate treatment and after recovery, this indicator comes back to normal. It should be remembered that ESR decreases quite slowly, so its level should be normalized only a month after the disease.
However, not always increased ESR in blood tests in children indicates the presence of any disease. In young children, this may be a result of teething or a lack of vitamins. For children who are breastfeeding, an increase in this indicator may indicate malnutrition of the mother. Also, eating a lot of fatty foods and taking paracetamol can increase the rate of ESR.
Reduced ESR in the child - causes
Reduction in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be due to a significant increase in their quantity in the blood during dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea and viral hepatitis. In children with malformations or with severe dystrophic heart diseases, as a result of chronic circulatory insufficiency, there may also be a decrease in this indicator. Slowed ESR may be the norm option for children of the first two weeks of life.
The rejection of ESR from the norm - what to do?
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the amount of deviation.
If the index of ESR is increased by more than 10 units - this may indicate the presence of inflammatory processes in the child's body or serious infections. An accurate diagnosis can be made based on specific blood test values. Most often, small shifts from the norm indicate diseases that can be cured for one or two
A general blood test is an important indicator of health status. However, it is important not to separate the results of the analysis from the general condition of the child. In case your baby is active enough, he eats well, sleeps and does not act up without reason, but an increased ESR is revealed - it is advisable to conduct an additional examination, since this can be a false alarm. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that ESR is an indicator that has diagnostic value and helps to identify the beginning diseases, as well as determine their dynamics.