Urticaria in infants: photos, symptoms and treatment

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

Recently, patients with symptoms of urticaria have become increasingly common in pediatric wards. This disease does not bypass even newborn children. Their delicate skin, which has not yet had time to get used to the effects of the external environment, is a real target for the pathological process. From this article you will learn what baby urticaria looks like (photo). Symptoms and treatment in infants of this disease require special attention. Therefore, will also be discussed below.

Brief description of pathology

Hives are a common skin disease. It usually has an allergic nature. The penetration of the allergen into the body causes an increased production of histamine. This hormone, getting into the blood, leads to an increase in the permeability of the walls of blood vessels. Thus, the baby's body tries to get rid of the accumulated allergen on its own. Affected areas of the skin acquire a reddish tint, against this background, watery bubbles become clearly visible.

Confuse similar rashes with manifestations of othersdisease is impossible. Therefore, each mother can easily answer what urticaria looks like in a baby. The photos presented in the article clearly demonstrate the main symptoms of the disease.

What factors provoke the disease?

The main cause of any allergy, including hives, is an inadequate immune response. In the situation with infants, it is usually about the immaturity of the protective system. As a result, the body becomes very vulnerable to various stimuli.

If the baby is breastfed, the cause of hives should be sought in the mother's diet. Often women allow themselves errors in the diet and include especially allergenic foods in the diet. These include citrus fruits, chocolate, strawberries. Older children who are already receiving complementary foods are also prone to skin diseases. In this case, the irritant of the immune system must be sought among food products. It can be packaged juices, fruit puree, chicken or fish.

Sources of allergic reactions in infants are often:

• synthetic or woolen fabrics;
• pollen, plant sap;
• physical stimuli (sunlight, frost, dry air, sweat);
• stress (for example, the absence of mom for several hours);
• tobacco smoke;
• drugs (NSAIDs, antibiotics, vitamins);
• wool, animal drool.

It is worth noting that urticaria in infants is most often caused by food allergies. Intestinesthe newborn is very different from the main organ of the adult digestive system. Within a few months after the birth of the crumbs, it remains physiologically undeveloped. Over time, when the child's body and all its systems begin to fully function, the allergy disappears. Along with it, the signs of hives also disappear.

First manifestations and symptoms

In children under one year old, the disease can manifest itself in two forms - acute and chronic. In the first case, the symptoms of urticaria are detected within a few hours after contact with the irritant. The chronic form in newborns is extremely rare. It is possible to completely get rid of its manifestations only in half of the cases.

What are the symptoms of urticaria in infants? The main manifestation of the disease is reddening of the skin, which over time is replaced by blisters. Rashes can appear on any part of the body. The favorite places for localization of blisters are considered to be the chin and cheeks, the buttocks area, as well as the back.

The child may be disturbed by pain in the abdomen, so he becomes excessively capricious and restless. Gastrointestinal mucosal edema is often accompanied by stool disorder, vomiting or nausea.

Diagnostic Methods

When the first signs of the disease appear, you need to contact your pediatrician. And he will tell you what the urticaria looks like in a baby, photo. Symptoms of an allergic reaction allow the doctor to easily make the correct diagnosis. However, before prescribing treatment, a smallthe patient must undergo a comprehensive examination.

It begins with the collection of anamnesis and a survey of the mother. It is important for the doctor to know when the first signs of the disorder appeared, what medications the child takes, what he eats. Then they move on to specific diagnostic methods. These include allergy and immunological tests, blood and urine tests, and ultrasound.

Urticaria should be differentiated from other pathological processes with a similar clinical picture. Based on the results of the examination, the pediatrician prescribes treatment and gives recommendations for caring for the baby.

Basic Principles of Therapy

Urticaria in infants is a complex disease that requires an integrated approach to treatment.

First you need to exclude contact with the allergen. For this, it is necessary to review the diet of the newborn. You may need to change brands of diapers and limit contact with pets.

The next stage of therapy is the cleansing of the body. To do this, the baby can make an enema. The recommendations presented usually help to alleviate the condition of a child diagnosed with urticaria.

In infants, medication treatment is not always accompanied by positive dynamics. Drugs are used in extreme cases, when rashes on the body do not go away for a long time. Usually, small patients are prescribed antihistamines (Fenistil, Avil). They eliminate itching and rashes. For colon cleansing pediatricsrecommend "Enterosgel" or "Smecta". The action of these drugs is aimed at the absorption of toxic substances in the body.

It is worth noting that only a doctor can prescribe medication. Any drugs greatly inhibit the baby's immune system, so they resort to their help in exceptional cases. The above remedies are not able to eliminate the cause of the disorder. They are purely symptomatic help.

Diet food

Proper nutrition of the baby is the key to a quick recovery. Medicines help reduce the number of rashes and relieve swelling. However, no medicines will allow you to achieve a positive result when allergen substances constantly enter the body.

If your baby's hives are caused by food, you will have to follow a strict diet for 2-4 weeks. Usually in such cases, a dairy-vegetarian diet is prescribed. The diet is allowed to include cottage cheese and kefir, steamed vegetables, rice porridge on the water and turkey meat. Such nutritional recommendations are valid for both the baby and his mother during lactation.

Urgent Urticaria Help

Urticaria in infants is accompanied by slight swelling of the skin and characteristic rashes. As a rule, these manifestations of the disease do not pose a threat to the life of the child. The most dangerous condition, which in rare cases is observed in allergicreaction is Quincke's edema.

It is characterized by the appearance of paroxysmal cough, blue nasolabial triangle. At this moment, the child begins to panic. If timely help is not provided to him, a harmless ailment can be fatal.

What should parents do in such a situation? The medical team must be called immediately. If the family has a car, and it takes a long time to wait for doctors, you can take the child to the hospital on your own. The main thing is not to leave the baby unattended.

Prevention Methods

Urticaria is a rather unpleasant disease that causes discomfort to the newborn. Can its development be prevented?

1. As a preventive measure for the disease, doctors recommend from the first days of a baby's life to strengthen his immunity. What procedures are suitable for this, the local pediatrician should tell.
2. If the baby is breastfed, the mother should adhere to the principles of proper nutrition. Her diet should consist only of lean foods. Citrus fruits, sweets and pastries are banned.
3. Introducing new foods into complementary foods should also be done with caution and gradually.
4. Minimize newborn contact with pets.

Now you know what the symptoms of hives in infants are. Treatment of this disorder should be started only after consultation with a pediatrician. At the initial stage, the disease responds well to therapy.