Diphtheria is a disease that affects mostly children. It can be dangerous due to the rapid course and complications. So, kidneys, lungs, liver, heart and other important organs can suffer. That is why you need to identify the symptoms of diphtheria in children as soon as possible and show the child to the doctor.
What is this disease?
The causative agent of the disease is diphtheria bacillus. It is quite resistant to the influence of negative factors, so the risk of infection is great. The main transmission routes are airborne, oral and household.
Diphtheria in children, the symptoms of which are diverse, has several forms: localized, widespread and severe toxic. At the first mild stage, only the lesion site suffers. It can be a nose, mouth, larynx, eyes. Less commonly, genitals or damaged skin are exposed to sticks. The common form is characterized by the penetration of infection into other organs. In severe diphtheria, the whole organism will suffer from intoxication.
Manifestations of the disease
What are the symptoms of diphtheria in children? The duration of the incubation period can vary from two to 10-11 days, that is, that is how much time will pass from the moment an infection enters the body until the first signs appear. The disease can begin as a common cold. There will be weakness, the condition will worsen, the child will become moody. But there will be no runny nose, cough and other characteristic signs.
How externally manifests diphtheria in children? Symptoms, photos will help her recognize. So, at the point of contact of the stick, a special film is formed, which can have a grayish, white or yellowish tint. If you try to remove it, a wound surface is formed. With a common form, the film will cover not only the tonsils (as with localized), but also the pharynx, nasopharynx and mucous membranes. Lymph nodes in most cases increase, swallowing becomes painful. Sometimes pus is secreted from the nose, in rare cases, there may be impurities of the blood. Symptoms of diphtheria in children with a common form are not so dangerous, although fever, fever, and weakness can occur.
The most severe and dangerous is the toxic form. In this case, there is a rapid increase in body temperature (sometimes up to 40 ° C), weakness, pallor of the skin , blueness of the lips, complete loss of appetite, blurred consciousness and other serious manifestations. Sometimes vomiting and nausea, severe headache. A danger to life is the swelling of the pharynx - croup, as there is a possibility of suffocation.
If untreated, the child may fall into a coma or die. Do not forget about the complications: problems may begin with the kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, and other organs and systems.
What to do?
If the smallest and most minor symptoms of diphtheria in children are found, it is imperative to immediately call the ambulance doctors, as the disease can develop at lightning speed.
A special serum is used to treat this disease. An injection should be given in the first hours after the early manifestations. If there is no effect, the drug is administered again, and the dose is increased.
May all children be healthy!