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Anemia in children of early age is very common. And it affects the further health and development of the baby, a qualified person will tell you hematologist Kyiv.
Function of erythrocytes and hemoglobin.
Erythrocytes carry oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. Every cell needs it. Since the child is constantly growing, the number of cells in it increases every minute. The need for fully functioning red blood cells in babies is very high.
If there are few erythrocytes or they have insufficient hemoglobin, the supply of oxygen to all organs is disturbed. The child's brain, immunity, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, heart are especially affected by anemia, muscle tone decreases, and in some cases previously acquired psychomotor skills are lost.
Symptoms of anemia.
The child becomes lethargic, pale, eats poorly, often gets sick, lags behind in growth and development. The skin is dry, dermatitis appears, brittle nails, dryness and hair loss. Digestion is disturbed, diarrhea or constipation appear.
Diagnostics.
The doctor diagnoses anemia based on clinical symptoms and blood analysis data. A decrease in hemoglobin and erythrocyte indicators compared to the age norm gives reason to think about the cause of this condition.
There are different reasons for the development of anemia in infants.
1) maternal anemia during pregnancy
2) prematurity
3) deficiency of protein, iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid intake from food
4) obvious or hidden blood loss
5) violation of hematopoiesis in the bone marrow
6) hemolytic disease
7) malformations of internal organs
To clarify the diagnosis, an additional examination is carried out: biochemical analysis of blood, serum iron and iron-binding capacity of serum, stool examination for occult blood, ultrasound of the liver, kidneys, heart, bone marrow examination. Sometimes this requires hospitalization of the child in a hospital.
Principles of treatment.
Only after establishing a specific cause does the doctor prescribe treatment.
Most often, babies suffer from iron deficiency anemia. In this case, it is necessary to provide the child with a complete diet with sufficient intake of protein and vitamins and iron preparations prescribed by the doctor.
The course of treatment of iron-deficiency anemia is not less than 2 months in order to increase hemoglobin to the norm. And then iron preparations are taken in a half dose for another 1 month to ensure its reserve in the liver.
Anemia in children of early age is common. Since it is a disease, it should be treated seriously. First of all, it is necessary to identify the cause of anemia and eliminate it. Treatment is carried out under the regular supervision of a pediatrician or a hematologist.
