Dermatitis in infants: causes and treatments

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Allergic dermatitis in infants, which is also called atopic, is a disease that is quite common among babies. It turns out that it can appear in the first year of life and stay forever.

This disease is characterized by several characteristic features: rash, itching of the skin, peeling and specific pigmentation. As a rule, dermatitis in infants is allergic in nature.

There are certain reasons that can cause the development of the disease. As a rule, these include food allergens: cow's milk protein, as well as eggs, vegetables and fruits. As the child gets older, they begin to develop sensitivity to pollen or household allergies.

As a rule, if an allergic dermatitis develops in a baby, the concentration of potassium and sodium chlorides can increase in the blood. The fundamental factor in this is heredity.

In the case of the development of this disease, the permeability of the skin vessels begins to increase sharply in the baby, resulting in frequent swelling, itching and rashes of various nature. Initially, at about the age of 2-4 months, dermatitis may appear on the face of the baby, which is differentredness and swelling of the cheeks and forehead.

The manifestations of the disease include urticaria, eczema and neurodermatitis:

1. In the case of eczema, the baby's skin becomes dry, redness and peeling appear. Nails break, become more brittle.
2. If neurodermatitis appears, the skin pattern changes, and severe itching also worries.
3. Hives are blisters that look like nettle burns.

How to treat dermatitis in infants and should it be done at all? It should be noted that any medication or the passage of any procedures is carried out exclusively under the supervision of a pediatrician or an allergist. If the disease is caused by a food allergen, it should be categorically excluded from the diet. As for irritants of non-food origin, they should be eliminated. As a drug treatment, medications such as Claritin, Suprastin, Diazolin, Tavegil and others are prescribed.

If dermatitis in infants is manifested by severe itching, the best way to help in this case is Atarax or Zirtek. Most often, dysbacteriosis begins to develop, therefore it is necessary to prescribe a course of taking drugs that normalize bowel function. Also, the doctor must check that the child's liver and pancreas work normally, because thanks to the functioning of these organs, the allergen is completelyexcreted from the body.

As for all kinds of products for external use, they are chosen based on the stage of development of the disease. With the help of an ointment or cream, skin inflammation is suppressed, and the degree of itching or swelling is reduced, and the risk of developing a secondary infection is reduced.

Few people know, but the occurrence of a disease in a child can be avoided if all the rules of rational nutrition are observed throughout the entire period of pregnancy. Therefore, every mother should monitor the he alth of her baby already when he is in the womb.