The season of increased incidence of ARVI is coming. Many parents are concerned about the question: “Why do young children often get colds? How can I help my child? And can drug allergies be avoided?
These and other questions are answered by the doctor of medical sciences, professor, pediatrician, allergist and immunologist Kosenkova Tamara Vasilievna.
- Why do young children often get ARVI?
- The main causative agents of acute respiratory diseases in children are viruses. More than several hundred such viruses are currently known. The tendency of young children to frequent colds is explained by several factors at once.
First, viruses are transmitted by contact and airborne droplets. Therefore, the likelihood of infection with them is very high. This is especially true for children attending kindergartens and schools.
Secondly, the child's immune system is distinguished by the immaturity of defense mechanisms, including antiviral ones.
Finally, some viruses change and become resistant to a range of drugs.
- If the child is still ill, how should ARVI be properly treated?
- According to modern clinical guidelines in the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections in children, etiopathogenetic (aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease and affecting the mechanism of development of the inflammatory process) and symptomatic (aimed at alleviating symptoms) drugs are used. Among the drugs of the first group, anti-influenza drugs can be separately distinguished, which include Tamiflu, Relenza, Arbidol. These medicines should only be used to treat the flu. In all other situations (even for the prevention of influenza), they are not recommended.
The main place in the treatment of ARVI in children is occupied by interferons, because they have universal properties: they act on all types of viruses that cause ARVI, including influenza, as well as at all stages of viral reproduction on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
Symptomatic drugs include antipyretics, vasoconstrictors, and drugs for washing and irrigating the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and mouth.
- What is interferon?
- Interferons are factors of innate immunity that perform many functions in our body. One of the most important is the protection of the mucous membranes, including the respiratory system, from viruses and bacteria.
- Why are drugs based on interferons used in children with ARVI?
First, not all drugs are approved for use in children, especially young children. In this case, interferons are a happy exception for us, doctors, because they can be used from the first days of a child's life and even in deeply premature patients. I have already mentioned a wide range of interferon activity. This is also an extremely important argument.
In addition, in newborns and premature babies, in often and long-term ill children, in patients who have suffered a severe infection the day before, there may be a decrease in the ability to synthesize their own interferons, which makes them unprotected against viruses. A special group is made up of patients with respiratory allergies (bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, hay fever), which are characterized by low production of interferons in response to the ingress of viral pathogens into the child's body.
Therefore, such patients with ARVI layering especially need interferon replacement therapy in order to avoid the development of complications, protracted course of the disease or exacerbation of allergic pathology.
- What interferon preparations are used in pediatric practice?
- Today in pediatrics, the most studied, clinically investigated and safe drugs are recombinant interferons, the main representative of which is Viferon, produced in the form of suppositories, ointments and gel. It contains type I interferon, vitamins E and C, cocoa butter. Viferon is the only existing recombinant interferon that is approved for use in pregnant women, starting from the 14th week of gestation; in deeply premature (less than 34 weeks of gestation), premature (over 34 weeks of gestation), newborns, as well as children of all ages and adults, both for the treatment of ARVI and prevention. It can be used as an independent remedy for the treatment of a viral infection, and in combination with other medicines.
The basis of the drug is cocoa butter, which provides not only good absorption of interferons in the rectum, but also has an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, cocoa butter and hard fat obtained from palm kernel oil have been proven to be the best suppository bases (rectal or vaginal). Only Viferon has a base that meets the above requirements.
- What is the reason for the recent increase in allergic diseases in children?
- The growing prevalence of allergic diseases, including drug allergies, is associated with many reasons: the impact of adverse environmental factors; changes in the eating behavior of a modern person and his eating habits, because we began to consume a huge amount of new products that our body cannot and cannot process correctly; bad habits of parents, etc.
- Can the health status of a pregnant woman influence the development of allergies in an unborn child?
- Of course, the health of the unborn child and the possibility of allergic diseases depend on how the pregnancy proceeds.
A special place among the factors contributing to the appearance of allergic diseases is occupied by the mother's smoking before and during pregnancy.
An early transfer to mixed or artificial feeding, improper use of infant formula can also cause allergies even in a child who does not have a hereditary burden of allergic diseases.
- How to avoid drug allergies?
- In a child prone to allergies or having some kind of allergic diseases, drug allergies are more common, however, in healthy children, it is sometimes possible to develop an allergic reaction to certain drugs. The presence and nature of an allergic reaction depends on many factors, including the severity of the course of the viral infection in the child, the allergic reactivity of the patient's body, the composition of the drug, the amount of drugs that are used together and others. In this case, an undesirable reaction to a drug can appear on any drug, but it is more often noted if the drug contains various dyes, preservatives, stabilizers, additives or a mixture of herbs. This should always be considered when prescribing treatment for a child.
In order to avoid the development of drug allergies, you should try to use as few drugs as possible in the treatment of one disease, take them not at the same time, but spread the reception in time (interval 30-40 minutes or according to the instructions for the drug). Because sometimes even the combined use of long-known drugs can cause an undesirable reaction. In addition, each new drug should be given to the child (especially children with a history of allergic reactions or illnesses) in the morning, so that parents have time to assess the child's reaction to the drug, and if an allergy develops, provide appropriate assistance. And the most important thing is to use drugs with the least pronounced allergenic effect and proven clinical efficacy. These drugs include Viferon, which I previously cited as an example.
- What to do if an allergy still occurs?
- If, nevertheless, a child has a drug allergy, it is necessary to consult a doctor and carefully, together with a pediatrician, try to analyze, firstly, the child's diet. With a reduced appetite against the background of acute respiratory viral infections, parents begin to give the child products that, when he was healthy, were not previously used in his diet and which can cause allergies. Secondly, it is necessary to analyze the entire list of drugs that the child receives, the correctness of their use and the possibility of combinations.
If the child has a history of drug allergy, then perhaps the pediatrician, in order to prevent unwanted reactions in the next acute respiratory disease, will recommend one of the second generation antihistamines, which is approved for use in children and, which must be in the medicine cabinet of the mother of the patient suffering from allergies.
And most importantly, when a child is ill with ARVI, one should not self-medicate, but always consult a doctor in order to work out with him the tactics of correct therapy for the patient, especially with allergic diseases, in order to avoid the formation of complications and drug allergies.
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Kosenkova Tamara Vasilievna
Pediatrician, allergist and immunologist
