Neurological problems in newborns are observed in almost 80% of cases. This is a very high rate. Poor ecology, poor nutrition, constant worries and psycho-emotional stress during pregnancy often negatively affect the health of the unborn baby.
Neurology in newborns
This concept characterizes the pathology of the nervous system associated with any violations in the central nervous system. Despite the fact that science does not deal with such problems, they are still referred to this medical field. Conditions associated with the work of the nervous system should not go unnoticed by a doctor. This is especially true for children under one year old. CNS diseases often lead to serious consequences. And the delay in speech development or the psychomotor apparatus refers to an optimistic diagnosis compared to many others. Often there is hyperactivity, attention deficit and inappropriate behavior of children. All this relates to the consequences. Therefore, it is very important not to ignore the problem, but to deal with it as soon as possible.
When does pathology occur?
What is neurology in newborns, we examined. There are problems in the central nervous system from the 28th week of pregnancy in the womb, as well as in the first days after the birth of the baby. You can often hear that neurological pathology is called perinatal damage to the central nervous system.
Main reasons
The causes of the appearance of CNS pathologies are many. The most common among them are considered:
- Injuries received during labor.
- Hemolytic disease of the child.
- Improper development of the spinal cord or brain.
- Fetal hypoxia during pregnancy.
- Lack of oxygen due to entanglement of the fetal neck with an umbilical cord.
- Intrauterine infections.
- Heredity.
- Severe toxicosis during pregnancy.
Signs of neurology in newborns
The development of a newborn is one of the main indicators of its health status. When the child is at an early age, it is easy to determine where developmental disorders have occurred. If changes occur in the speech, motor or mental development of the baby - this is the first signal. Symptoms may include the following functional changes:
- Increased irritability, which is often caused by tremors of the chin and limbs.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Movement apparatus disorders.
- Frequent and profuse regurgitation.
- Hypertonicity and muscle hypotension.
- Increased intracranial pressure.
With neurology in newborns, the symptoms of the disease can manifest as follows:
- Marble shade of the skin.
- Occasional cramps.
- Hypersensitivity to climate change.
- Toes in the standing position.
- Constantly cold and wet limbs.
Parents need to know that if one or more symptoms or signs appear, they should consult a doctor immediately.
CNS Disorder Syndrome
What is a probe in neurology of the newborn? Perinatal encephalopathy is associated with vulnerability and weakness of the nervous system. PEP can manifest itself in different ways. Its signs are found in 8–9 children out of 10 at birth. Most often, the cause of the occurrence is associated with adverse effects on the nervous system during gestation, childbirth and in the first few days after the baby is born. Sometimes the diagnosis is associated with hyper-excitability, when the child is very irritable and has a poor appetite, and also often spits up and refuses to breast. In addition, these children have disturbed sleep patterns, it is more difficult for them to fall asleep, they sleep less. A rare but severe manifestation of perinatal encephalopathy is considered to be a depression syndrome of the central nervous system. Children with this diagnosis look tired, shout quietly and very weakly. They tend to get tired during feeding. In the most complicated conditions, the sucking reflex is often disturbed. Signs of PEP are not very pronounced, but babies who have suffered this condition require increased attention and observation, and in some cases, possibly therapy.
PEP treatment methods
If perinatal encephalopathy is detected on time, and all measures will be taken to eliminate the problem, then the chance of recovery is quite high. PEP is usually treated with medication, massage, and physiotherapy. With the right treatment regimen, perinatal encephalopathy disappears by 4–6 months, and a maximum may take a year. With a simple form of the disease, there are no consequences in later life. In more serious or untreated forms, neurological problems often turn into minimal cerebral dysfunction after a year.
In the first month of life of the newborn, and then another 3 times during the first year of life, it is necessary to show the baby to a neurologist. If your clinic does not have such a specialist, then ask your pediatrician to give you a referral to a consultation and diagnostic center. And remember that it is always better to prevent a problem than to solve it later.
Intracranial pressure
A special cerebrospinal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, circulates through the membranes of the brain. It performs the following functions:
- nerve cell nutrition;
- shock absorption during shock or shock;
- elimination of end products of exchange.
If for some reason this fluid is produced more than is necessary for outflow, or serious pressure is exerted on the baby's head, as during labor, then the ICP increases to a critical point. And since our brain consists of many pain receptors, the baby would suffer from a severe headache, if not for the presence of sutures and fontanels, which allow the bones of the skull to diverge and at the same time equalize the pressure.
Most often, this diagnosis is made when the child is accompanied by frequent crying and regurgitation. Neurology and the newborn are closely related, therefore, a doctor’s consultation is required in any case.
Signs of ICP
If any specialist suggests measuring your child’s intracranial pressure with a special device, don’t agree. The fact is that medicine knows only two methods for measuring ICP, and both of them are associated with opening the cranium.
There are several signs that can confirm increased ICP in a newborn. The main ones are:
- Bulging fontanel.
- Skull bone discrepancy.
- Excess of head circumference.
ICP treatment methods
When your child is given an imaginary diagnosis, namely because of one tantrum, then no medicine is needed. Some time will pass, and the pressure will normalize by itself. But if the increase in ICP is a serious concern for your child, the doctor may prescribe drugs that remove excess fluid from the body.
If the diagnosis is correctly identified, that is, it was made according to the results of the course of such dangerous diseases as neuroinfection, serious head injury or congenital hydrocephalus, then no medications will help to reduce intracranial pressure. To solve such a serious problem, the direct participation of a neurosurgeon, traumatologist and resuscitator in the treatment process is necessary.
Hypertonicity and hypotension
Violation of muscle tone in the newborn in one or the other direction requires mandatory correction. If this problem is ignored, it can adversely affect the intensity of development of the child.
Muscle strain called hypertonicity or excessive weakness called hypotonicity cannot be attributed to disease. This is a condition! Moreover, hypertonicity may exist for a certain time in the life of the crumbs and be a physiological norm. But the line between these indicators is very thin.
Hypotension refers to a condition that needs to be adjusted. Moreover, there are cases when lethargy and muscle weakness is a symptom of a serious illness. Then recovery may require serious medical support.
Symptoms of Hypertonicity
Parents should be wary if, after three months, the child also continues to squeeze the handles into fists and bend the limbs. Pathological hypertonicity can manifest itself in different ways, and the signs depend on the stress of different muscle groups.
With the revealed problems of neurology in newborns, the symptoms of hypertension will be as follows:
- Restless and very sensitive dream.
- Chin tremor.
- Poor appetite.
- Strong stiffness in movements.
- The ability to hold your head from birth.
- Unreasonable and prolonged crying.
The causes of hypertension in a baby can be:
- Infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy.
- Hypoxia of the newborn.
- Rapid labor.
- Rhesus conflict between mom and baby.
- Intrauterine intoxication of the fetus.
Hypertension Treatment Methods
If the hypertonicity of newborns does not pass on its own, then a neurologist should prescribe treatment. Most often, complex treatment includes:
- Therapeutic gymnastics.
- Relaxing baths.
- Electrophoresis
- Paraffin therapy.
- Massage.
If the problem is interconnected with metabolic processes in the brain, then medications are additionally prescribed.
Signs of Hypotension
Hypotonus also refers to neurology in newborns. What to look for in this case? The kid usually lies in a crib with spread fingers, it is not typical for him to squeeze his hands into fists. If you put the crumbs on the back, then the legs open in the hip joints very easily. In addition, babies in this state weakly suckle their breasts, and also often fall asleep during feeding. Especially should alert the kids, who practically do not cry, but only eat and sleep.
Hypotension Treatment
Medicines in this case are not prescribed. With hypotension, regular medical gymnastics and a massage course are sufficient. In addition, complex treatment may include acupuncture and special procedures in the physiotherapist’s office.
We examined the 3 most common conditions related to neurology of the newborn. For a more detailed study of this topic, you can read the available literature. Some experts recommend reading the publication by A. Yu. Ratner “Neurology of the newborn”, which addresses the problems of children in their first month of life, arising in the case of pathological and physiological births.
Remember that showing the baby to a neurologist is necessary. Very often, doctors who deal with development problems have to see the desperate parents of schoolchildren at their appointments. Most of these children were not diagnosed with a birth injury, and sometimes mom and baby were not sent to a specialist on time. As a result, the children went to school, and there they encountered the first difficulties associated with the fact that training is very difficult.