Knowing the common signs of such violations is useful for parents to be able to compare their observations, talk with a doctor during consultations, take preventive measures. What neurological diseases and disorders occur in children, find out in the article on "Symptoms of neurological diseases in children."
Headaches in children with neurological disorders
Headaches are a chronic malaise, occupying second place in children in terms of prevalence after obesity. But the headache should not be considered simply a symptom, as its causes can be different - from eye diseases, for example, not revealed nearsightedness, to dangerous brain tumors. Migraines deserve special attention, they are very frequent in children and adolescents.
Types of headaches
1. Primary headaches: usually caused by muscle tension, the expansion of blood vessels, etc. Such headaches include: - Migraines. They can occur in children 5-8 years, usually in families where there are already children with migraines. Some girls have migraines associated with the menstrual cycle. Despite the fact that the symptoms of migraines in all children are different, the most common can be considered:
- Pain on one or both sides of the head. In young children, the whole head usually hurts. The pain can be pulsating or continuous (although younger children can rarely explain how their head hurts).
- Painful sensitivity to light and sounds.
- Nausea, vomiting, or both.
- Abdominal pain.
- Sweating.
- Before a migraine attack, some children experience impaired perception: before their eyes appear glowing spots, the field of vision changes, unusual smells are felt.
- Headaches caused by stress and neurologic disorders are the most common type of headaches. Symptoms in children differ, the most common of them are as follows:
- Pain slowly but steadily intensifies.
- The pain is usually localized on both sides of the head.
- The pain is dull, as if a tight hula hoop was put on your head, or concentrated in the neck or neck.
- Pain from mild to moderate, but not severe.
- Violation of sleep.
- Absence of nausea, vomiting and painful sensitivity to light.
- Cyclic headaches: usually observed in children older than 10 years, especially in adolescent boys. Such pain can be resumed for weeks or even months, the cycles are repeated after 1 -2 years. The most common symptoms are:
- Severe pain on one side of the head, usually around the eye. The eyelid can descend, even blush and become inflamed, the pupils dilated.
- Stuffy nose or discharge from the nose.
- Swollen forehead.
2. Secondary headaches: this is the least common type, usually having an organic cerebral cause, associated with structural or functional disorders that need to be identified. Recognition of such pain is especially important because the treatment is directed not only to the pain itself, but also to the cause that caused it, which can be life threatening.
Meningitis with neurological disorders
The organs of the nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, are covered with soft membranes. These shells not only fulfill their functions, but also serve as a barrier against the intrusion of toxins and microorganisms. If pests overcome this barrier, meningitis develops - this term refers to all inflammatory diseases affecting the membranes, regardless of the cause, although they are usually called acute infectious, or bacterial, meningitis. The most common cause is infection with Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) or Neisseria meningitidis (groups A, B, C, Y, W-135). Meningitis of a viral origin (aseptic) is often observed in children and is considered less dangerous than bacterial. Common viruses enter the body through the mouth, multiply in the body and are excreted along with feces. If the hands are dirty, the virus spreads (this process is called a fecal-oral transmission mechanism). Thus, the virus can continue to spread throughout the weeks after the infection is healed.
The most typical symptoms of meningitis:
- Heat.
- Headache.
- Stiff neck.
- Nasal congestion.
- Vomiting.
- Painful sensitivity to light.
Symptoms that indicate a dangerous development of the disease:
- Drowsiness and severe fatigue.
- Skin rash.
- Convulsions.
- General muscular pain.
- Episodic diarrhea.
- Rapid breathing.
Preventive measures. Use handkerchiefs to not carry the infection, close when the sneezes or coughs of a patient with meningitis. Everyone who cares for a patient should consult a doctor about the preventive treatment with antibiotics. Vaccinations. Children with immunodepression or with an epidemic (more than 10 cases per 100 thousand people) can be vaccinated against the causative agent Neisseria meningitidis (groups A, B, C, Y, W-135). There are also vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae and other bacteria that cause meningitis. Treatment depends on what kind of microorganisms caused by meningitis, but always conducted permanently. Specialized therapy for viral meningitis does not exist, but usually the prognosis is favorable. The doctor will take into account the cause of the disease and prescribe the most suitable antibiotics, as well as recommend general restorative measures.
Reye's syndrome
Reye's syndrome is an inflammation of the brain (encephalopathy) and the liver, accompanied by intense heat and caused by a viral infection or chicken pox in children receiving acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). Reye's syndrome is not observed in all children with this treatment, but with it the probability of occurrence of Reye's syndrome increases by 30 times. In children of any age, Reye's syndrome usually manifests itself one week after the flu, chicken pox, or upper respiratory tract infection. It can be accompanied by vomiting, behavior changes, intense excitement, delirium, drowsiness, loss of muscle tension and consciousness, quickly leads to convulsions and coma, and sometimes to death. Treatment is carried out extremely intensively, under steady-state conditions. It consists in the appointment of serum with salts and glucose, as well as cortisone in order to mitigate cerebral inflammation. Despite this, one usually has to closely monitor breathing: in some cases, children need an artificial respiration apparatus. 80% of children recover easily from the syndrome, but for others the forecast is extremely unfavorable.
Polio
This disease causes a virus (poliovirus type I, II and III) that affects the anterior horns of the spinal cord, the initial points of the motor nerves responsible for transferring the cerebral impulse to the muscles, thus provoking their reaction. If these motor impulses are blocked, the motor apparatus does not receive stimulation, does not work, it atrophies and collapses. Now we know what are the symptoms of neurological diseases in children.