Streptococcal infection in children

Very many people have had to deal with the concept of streptococcal infection, but not everyone knows what it is expressed in, especially in newborns.

In this article, we will examine the causes, symptoms and treatment of streptococcal infection in children of different ages.

What is streptococcal infection?

Streptococcal infection includes all diseases caused by streptococci of different types:

• group A - throat diseases ( scarlet fever , tonsillitis, pharyngitis), skin and soft tissues (mug), pneumonia and postpartum sepsis , complicates rheumatism and acute glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation).
• group B - sepsis and meningitis in newborns, and in adults - urinary tract diseases, diabetic ulcers, pneumonia, endocarditis, septic arthritis, intra-abdominal abscesses and osteomyelitis.

Streptococci are transmitted most often by airborne droplets, less often through dirty hands, lesions on the skin (in newborns - through the umbilical wound).

Symptoms of streptococcal infection in children

Symptoms of diseases caused by streptococci, you should know, because they are found in children most often.

Pharyngitis

• incubation period 1-4 days;
• pain during swallowing, chills, fever, less frequent nausea and abdominal pain;
• an increase in tonsils, the appearance of a purulent deposit on them;
• soreness and enlargement of the cervical lymph nodes.

In the course of improper treatment, complications such as purulent otitis, meningitis, sinusitis, abscess, pneumonia, bacteremia or endocarditis can develop.

Scarlet fever

• copious puncture rash;
• high body temperature;
• intoxication;
• whitening of the nasolabial triangle;
• tonsillitis.

1. The disease begins with chills, headache, general weakness, pain when swallowing, the temperature rises to 38-39 ° C.
2. A few hours later, a rash appears, first on the hands and feet.
3. Maximum shedding on 2-3 days of illness, and pass - at the beginning of the second week.

If the child has immunity against streptococci, then when infected with them, he will not get scarlet fever, but will have a sore throat.

Erys

• headache;
• increase in body temperature to 39-40 ° C;
• chills, weakness, muscle pain;
• inflammation of certain areas of the skin.

Features of the affected skin is:

• swelling;
• bright uniform (red) color;
• clear boundaries;
• at a severe degree, blisters and hemorrhage may appear.

Streptococcal infection in newborns

• the course of the type of acute sepsis;
• manifestation in the first hours of life;
• hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes, blood discharge from the mouth;
• temperature increase;
• there is a stopping of breathing, lung damage, enlargement of the liver and spleen.

How to cure streptococcus a child?

At the first occurrence of the listed symptoms in children of the diseases caused by streptococci, it is necessary to address urgently to the doctor. The main methods of treatment:

1. The use of antibiotics of the penicillin series: ampicillin, benzylpenicillin or bicillin-3. When the allergic reaction to penicillin can be used antibiotics erythromycin series (erythromycin or oleandomycin).
2. After the treatment with antibiotics, you need to drink a course of drugs that normalize the intestinal microflora.
3. During the treatment, the patient must drink plenty of water (3 liters of fluid per day), adhere to an easily digestible diet, but with enough vitamins and take vitamin C.
4. Rinse is not a treatment, but is used for hygiene purposes.
5. In the main treatment you can add drugs from traditional medicine:

• infusions of berries, with a high content of vitamins (dogrose, cranberries, raspberries);
• broths diuretic action (cranberry leaf, bearberry);
• broths with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties (oak bark, chamomile, willow bark and strings).

All these diseases can occur in different degrees of severity, but streptococcal infection should be detected as early as possible and begin treatment in the initial stages. Such infections are dangerous for their complications, so the course of treatment must be carried out to the end, in order to avoid relapse, even if the symptoms are gone.