The mechanism of the onset of reactive arthritis in children has not yet been fully investigated. Physicians around the world are trying to find the root cause of this ailment. The complexity of the research lies in the fact that small patients can not always tell exactly what and how it hurts, and also indicate the place of maximum pain.
Children's reactive arthritis and its symptoms
Reactive arthritis in children - an ailment that occurs against the background of an infection of the respiratory tract (is caused by chlamydia or mycoplasmas), as well as an intestinal or urogenital infection, which is accompanied by inflammation of one or more joints. Studies have shown a possible association of reactive arthritis with some parasitic diseases.
Symptoms of reactive arthritis in children can be not only pain in the joints, but also reddening of the mucous membrane of the eyes, headache, vomiting, intestinal frustration.
Signs of urogenital and intestinal infection
Depending on the main cause of the disease, the symptoms are:
- conjunctivitis ;
- temperature increase;
- defeat of the iris (rarely);
- development of phimosis (in boys);
- pain in the joints, shin.
The combination of such pain sensations has the name - Reiter's syndrome.
When the cause of the disease is E. coli, the child may have the following symptoms:
- intoxication;
- increased body temperature;
- dizziness;
- acute pain in the joints;
- edema of the joints and redness of the skin.
At the same time the child is capricious, complains of pains in the abdomen, hands and feet, periodically rubbing his eyes.
Diagnosis of the disease
Diagnosis for such a disease as reactive arthritis in children is very difficult, because they point to a number of "standard" diseases, such as: acute respiratory viral infection, acute respiratory infections, intestinal poisoning, conjunctivitis.
An immune test includes:
- urine and feces;
- serological studies;
- a study of blood for antibodies.
How to treat reactive arthritis?
Having discovered reactive arthritis in children, treatment is prescribed in several different directions. Initially, the efforts of physicians are aimed at destroying the causative agent of this serious disease. For treatment, special drugs are used that destroy harmful microbes that are the cause of the disease. The duration of treatment is up to 10 years. Patients in adolescence are allowed to prescribe drugs containing tetracycline. To combat intestinal bacteria, intramuscular injections are used for seven days.
If the treatment process is delayed, and simple methods of treatment do not yield results, then a pathogenetic method is used, which consists in the use of immunomodulators. Such drugs are prescribed in combination with antibiotics. The course of therapy is aimed at reducing such signs of reactive arthritis as severe pain in the joints.
Reactive arthritis in children and its consequences
With the timely establishment of a diagnosis and the successful completion of the course of treatment, there comes a complete recovery, without side effects
Many parents often engage in self-medication and when the doctor prescribes clinical analyzes, do not consider it necessary to follow the recommendations of doctors, as a result, the prolonged form of the disease gives an undesirable result with severe consequences. In addition, throughout the rehabilitation course requires a strict diet and compliance with all the recommendations of physicians. To prevent a child's illness, one must adhere to personal hygiene, and parents should seek medical help in a timely manner, especially if any symptoms of the disease are identified.