Encopresis in children: the causes of appearance and treatment

Problems such as enuresis and encopresis in children can not occur without a reason and certainly are not the norm. In this article we will talk about the second of these diseases. Consider what is encopresis in children, the causes, treatment and symptoms of the disease.

What is?

Encopresis is a disease during which incontinence is observed.

For babies this process is completely natural, since they are not yet able to control the work of the intestines. But among children older than four years this situation can not be considered the norm, as it can indicate the presence of the baby's problems not only at the physiological, but also the psychological level.

Causes of the disease

Next, let's talk about why encopresis in children may occur. Causes of the disease, as already recalled above, can be on a physical or psychological level. The main of them can be considered:

• the presence of acute inflammatory processes in one or more parts of the intestine;
• chronic constipation;
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• presence of congenital pathologies, the appearance of which was triggered by severe pregnancy or complications during childbirth;
• disorders in psychomotor development;
• transferred operations or injuries;
• early organic lesion of the central nervous system;
• experience the child of frequent stressful situations in the family or team because of the lack of friends, the change of kindergarten or school, the discrepancy between the expectations of peers or relatives, the negative influence of educators and teachers, the absence of a comfortable regime of the day and personal space for games and development, and so on;
• is too persistent or aggressive behavior of parents during the training of the baby to the pot;
• poor material and domestic conditions in the family;
• inability to get timely access to the toilet in the kindergarten, school and so on.

As you can see, the list of possible reasons is not so small. However, encopresis in children in most cases occurs as a result of the impact of external factors, which have a significant impact on the psychological and emotional state of the child.

Features of the disease

Depending on the age, the frequency of emptying in a child may vary. What in some situations is considered the norm, in others indicates a problem. How in this case to determine encopresis in children? The advice of specialists speaks of the following.

1. If the child is less than 6 months old. At this age, the normal number of stool departures is up to 6 times a day. If this process occurs more often, it indicates diarrhea. Encoprase in this case is out of the question, since the baby is not yet able to control the situation.
2. If the child is from 6 months to 1.5 years old. During this period, the muscles of the child begin to strengthen, and emptying occurs already up to twice a day. At the same time, kids at this age do not understand what purity and hygiene are, so they continue to dirty their clothes.
3. If the child is from 1.5 to 4 years old. During this period, the baby's muscles are finally strengthened, and he is able to control the emptying process. Up to 4 years, the child must learn to ask or independently walk on the pot. Despite all this, encopresis in children of this age is still within the normal range and it's too early to beat the alarm. Exceptions are only situations where the kid constantly went to the pot, and after the stress or other factors, suddenly stopped doing it.
4. If the child is from 4 to 8 years old. At this age encopresis in children is no longer the norm. The disease indicates the presence of neuroses or other disorders, as well as problems with physical health. In this situation, it is necessary to conduct a qualified survey and take all the necessary measures.

Symptoms of the disease

The main sign of encopresis in a child is calomization. If there is a problem, this symptom is repeated regularly, but not periodic.

In addition to the main sign of the disease, there are a number of additional ones. They, in turn, can differ from each other, depending on the type of ailment: false or true encopresis. For greater convenience, it is worth considering each of them separately.

False encopresis

Statistics show that this type of disease is diagnosed most often. The main cause of its occurrence is the presence of chronic constipation in the child. Therefore, the symptoms of the disease will be as follows:

1. Kalomazanie. Parents regularly detect a child's feces on his underwear.
2. Difficulty in emptying the intestine.
3. High density of feces or even so-called "sheep feces".
4. There may be a specific odor similar to that observed during diarrhea.
5. Fecal masses accumulate in the large intestine.
6. The stool becomes liquid.

The most common false encopresis is observed in very shy children who deliberately try to contain the act of defecation.

True encopresis

This type of disease is very bright symptomatology, so it can not go unnoticed. The main signs of true encopresis include:

1. Constant calomization and systematic emptying of the intestine into underwear.
2. The appearance of an unpleasant odor from the child, which even the surrounding people notice.
3. Skin in the anal area is strongly irritated, redness appears on it, which is accompanied by itching.
4. The sphincter is in the half-open state.
5. The anal opening is clogged with deadly masses.
6. Concurrent urinary incontinence may occur.

Depending on the degree of neglect, the disease can be accompanied by several as well as all the above symptoms. The reasons for its occurrence are in most cases psychological, and treatment takes a long time.

Treatment of

disease Since the causes of the onset of the disease may be different, each of the cases requires a special treatment approach. At the same time, there are three main directions:

• providing psychological support and rehabilitation after neurosis;
• carrying out of struggle against locks;
• re-training the child with toilet rules.

In no event should you scold the baby for what happened. It is important to explain to him what exactly happens to his body. Special attention should be paid to regular planting on the pot for strengthening reflexes. This should be done every 15 minutes. But here again there is an exception to the rule: in cases where the baby categorically refuses to sit down on the pot, one does not need to force him. Otherwise, it threatens with another stress and a worsening of the overall situation.

In addition, treatment includes taking medications, adherence to a special diet and even the use of folk remedies. Let us dwell on each of them.

Medical therapy

To begin with, consider how to treat encopresis in children with medications.

It is important to note that this kind of therapy is very effective. But it is used in most cases only at the initial stages of the disease. As a rule, pediatricians recommend the use of such drugs as "Bisacodyl" or "Dufalac."They have a very mild effect on the children's body, but at the same time they are quite strong. In this case, parents should listen to the doctor's advice, do not engage in self-medication and do not replace the prescribed drugs. It is important to remember that many drugs are contraindicated for use in childhood or have too aggressive effects on the child's body.

The basic therapy aimed at cleansing the intestine lasts about 1-2 weeks. At the end it is necessary to consolidate the effect achieved. For this purpose, the intestines of the baby should be cleaned regularly for at least 6 months with the help of the preparation "Psilium".A similar effect is possessed by vaseline oil, which improves the emptying process. It should be consumed 2 tablespoons a day.

Diet for encopresis

So, we reviewed information about a disease such as encopresis in children( causes, treatment).Komarovsky( a famous children's doctor) notes that a successful diet requires adherence to a special diet.

The baby's diet should consist of easily digestible food. It can be various porridges, sour-milk products, light soups. All dishes should be steamed or welded in water.

To better assimilate coarse plant foods, it must be served in a crushed form. All kinds of vegetable or fruit purees will be an ideal option.

Sweets are best replaced with prunes, raisins, honey.

It is also necessary to monitor the amount of fluid consumed. It should be enough that the feces can soften and get out of the intestines without problems.

Treatment of encopresis in children at home involves the exclusion from the diet of legumes, fatty fish and meat, baking, sharp and fried dishes, as well as fruit containing gelatin( apples, bananas).It is necessary to limit the use of dairy products.

Encopresis in children: treatment with folk remedies

The key to successfully getting rid of a problem is the combination of several types of therapy at the same time. That is why, together with medicines, you can apply and some folk methods. They will be aimed at eliminating the psychological discomfort of the baby due to the soothing effect on the body of medicinal herbs.

Tea with mint

Quite often encopresis in children is accompanied by insomnia and attacks of irritability. In this situation tea with mint leaves acts as an excellent soothing agent.

In order to prepare a useful and tasty drink, you need to take a tablespoon of the plant and brew in a glass of hot water in a water bath for 15 minutes. Then the tea must be cooled and filtered, then add another glass of water.

The homemade drug should be given to the child at 50 mg three times a day, about 15 minutes before eating.

Herbal tea

This drink has a more effective and versatile action, in comparison with the previous version. He perfectly fights with the symptoms of nervous tension, which in most cases is very necessary.

To prepare the decoction you need to take the root of valerian, hop cones and mint leaves in the proportions of 2: 2: 3.In the same way as in the previous version, the mixture should be poured with a glass of hot water and cooked in a water bath, then cool, strain and dilute with the same amount of water.

Give the resulting broth the child needs three times a day for 100 g. The greatest effect can be achieved by combining this tea with medicines that eliminate neurotic encopresis.

Relaxing baths

Another method that helps to eliminate nervous tension and calm the baby is a warm bath with herbs. It is best in this case, suitable:

• sage;
• sequence;
• lavender;
• calendula;
• mint;
• pharmacy chamomile;
• valerian.

It is important to remember that only systematic therapy can bring positive results. Therefore, a bath should be taken every night. In addition, it is desirable to regularly alternate different collections of herbs, without stopping at any one.

Cleanses

Enema helps not only to empty the intestines, but also to develop correct conditioned reflexes in the child.

To determine the correct time of the procedure, first of all, it is necessary to focus on the characteristics of the child's body. If he has incontinence during the day, you should put an enema in the morning. If the baby spoils the laundry at night, the procedure should be done already before bedtime.

As practice shows, usually less than 25 enemas are enough to get rid of the disease. The main thing in this business is regularity. The procedure must be carried out daily and at the same time so that the child can form reflexes.

Encopresis in children: advice of a psychologist

We examined the medicament and folk methods of therapy. What else will help fight encopresis in children? The advice of a psychologist on this issue is as follows.

First and foremost, parents should provide their child with support and understanding. In no case should you scold and punish him for incontinence. After all, the kid is not guilty of the occurrence of such a situation, and the lack of understanding on the part of the closest people can only exacerbate everything.

Be Healthy!