Reactive pancreatitis in a child: signs, treatment and diet

Inflammatory and infectious diseases rarely pass without a trace for the body. After them, doctors often diagnose reactive pancreatitis. In children, the symptoms of this disease testify to the defeat of the main organ of the digestive system - the pancreas. However, discomfort in the abdomen, belching and heartburn does not always indicate an inflammatory process. If the child complains of pain, you should immediately call a doctor. Self-treatment can result in a complication of the pathological process.

What you need to know about the disease?

Pancreatitis is one of the most common pancreatic diseases. It happens in both adults and children. The clinical picture and the nature of the course of the pathological process determine its shape - acute or chronic. This state is very dangerous. If you do not take timely steps to eliminate the cause of the disease, you will have to follow a strict diet throughout life.

Reactive pancreatitis in a child is slightly different from the main form of the disease. Its development begins with inflammation of the pancreas. As a result, the work of the body is disrupted, and the functions assigned to it are not fully implemented. Enzymes that participate in the process of splitting food can not pass through the inflamed ducts. They remain in the pancreas and begin to literally digest it from the inside.

Causes of the inflammatory process

Recently, reactive pancreatitis in children is diagnosed more often. Doctors explain this trend by changing the taste preferences of the population. Today, the child's diet consists mainly of products, which contain a large number of preservatives, dyes and flavors. These substances negatively affect the work of the pancreas. They provoke a spasm of the ducts of the organ, as a result of which enzymes do not enter the digestive tract. Gradually the inflammatory process develops.

Reactive pancreatitis in a child can occur due to recent infectious diseases. For example, ARVI or ARI often act as a triggering mechanism of the pathological process. Another cause of the disease is antibiotic therapy. The use of "Metronidazole" or "Furosemide" in treatment increases the risk of developing the disease.

In rare cases, reactive pancreatitis develops against the background of congenital pancreatic diseases. These include lactase deficiency, cystic fibrosis, an abnormal change in the duodenal passages. Such patients are aware of health problems from an early age, so they follow a special diet and take medication. The probability of inflammation in the pancreas is negligible, but still exists.

The first manifestations of the

malaise The signs of reactive pancreatitis in children do not differ much from the symptoms of the disease in adults. The development of the pathological process is accompanied by severe pain in the epigastric region. The clinical picture is supplemented with nausea, a violation of the stool. Attacks of diarrhea are replaced by constipation. With diarrhea, the stool is thin, and the stools are covered with a bright coating. Children often complain of dry mouth, strong thirst. Appetite worsens, and some babies at all refuse to eat.

The disease is often accompanied by symptoms of general malaise. The child becomes listless and apathetic, loses interest in everything that happens. He constantly wants to sleep, and the heat does not allow him to do the usual things.

The severity of the symptoms of the disease depends on the age of the patient. The older the child, the stronger the symptoms of ailment. In newborns, pain in the abdomen is expressed by capriciousness and increased motor activity. Reactive pancreatitis in young children is also accompanied by severe discomfort in the navel. However, they can not show the exact place of pain localization. Older children usually complain of severe nausea and vomiting. All these symptoms can serve as the basis for immediate contact with a doctor.

First aid for an attack of pancreatitis

If symptoms of reactive pancreatitis appear, a medical team should be called immediately. Before the arrival of care, you need to gently lay the child on a sofa or bed, to ensure his complete peace. On the stomach area you can put a cold water bottle. It is not recommended to give the patient analgesics or other medications, as they can lubricate the overall clinical picture. Reactive pancreatitis in children, the symptoms of which often surprise their parents, is a transient disease. Therefore, its treatment should be treated with all seriousness and responsibility.

Methods of diagnosis

Before starting treatment of the disease, a young patient needs to undergo a full medical examination.

1. A general blood test is required to count leukocytes. The number of these elements increases with pancreatitis.
2. Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity shows seals in the gland, as well as other pathological changes in the organ.
3. Biochemical blood analysis allows you to assess the level of enzymes produced by the pancreas.
4. With the help of a gastroscopy, a doctor can take material for a cytological examination in the laboratory.

If tests confirm reactive pancreatitis in a child, treatment of the disease begins immediately.

Basic principles of therapy

Treatment of inflammation in the pancreas requires an integrated approach. Usually it includes taking medications and adhering to a strict diet. The choice of specific medications for treatment depends on the patient's condition and the characteristics of his body. The patient must be placed in a hospital. During the first few days, he should ensure complete peace. The hospital regime during the period of exacerbation of the disease allows you not to suffer the question of what should be the menu in reactive pancreatitis in children.

Parents should strictly adhere to the recommendations of a doctor, because he wants the child only a speedy recovery. Therefore, all the restrictions in nutrition can not be considered a whim of a doctor, as it may seem to many. If a small patient already had an attack of reactive pancreatitis, his symptoms showed up, adherence to a strict diet is an integral part of therapy. Otherwise, a relapse may occur.

Diet for inflammation of the pancreas

What needs to be changed in the diet with the diagnosis of "reactive pancreatitis"?A child's diet should not be embarrassed. He should consider it part of the usual way of life, because the main restrictions apply only to harmful products. This list includes fatty and spicy dishes, smoked products and fast food. It is also recommended to exclude chocolate, cocoa and concentrated juices. The remaining rules of dietary nutrition are listed below.

1. Functional rest should be provided to the pancreas. From the diet of a small patient, all stimuli must first be eliminated. Products cooked or steamed should be served in a chopped room temperature.
2. It is important to take care of the energy and nutritional value of the diet. There is no need to feed your baby with protein food alone. The diet should be as varied as possible and also include carbohydrate foods.
3. You should eat in small portions, but often. It is recommended to recall the principles of fractional nutrition. The interval between meals should not exceed four hours.

To prevent new outbreaks of the disease, you need to constantly monitor the diet. Any experiment with food can lead to a new attack and the need to take medicine.

What should nutrition be for reactive pancreatitis?

Children with signs of inflammation in the first place put on a hunger diet. Within two days, patients are allowed to drink only ordinary mineral water. From the third day of treatment, the ration is supplemented with homemade croutons and tea without sugar, oatmeal on the water. Then you can include jelly, dairy products, stale white bread. On the fifth day of therapy, uncomplicated vegetable broths or purees are allowed. In another five days, under the condition of positive dynamics, patients can eat lean meat, steam cutlets. Fresh vegetables and fruits should be introduced into the diet gradually, better the latest. A full list of approved meals at each stage of the diet should be determined by the attending physician.

Treatment of reactive pancreatitis with medicines

The use of drugs in this disease can stop its progression and stop the symptoms. All medications included in the standard course of therapy can be divided into two conditional groups:

1. Spasmolytic. This group includes "clean" medications( "No-shpa") and drugs that have analgesic ingredients( "Analgin", "Paracetamol").
2. Enzyme means. Their action is aimed at improving the digestive process. In this group of drugs are divided into two categories: those with enzymes( Mezim, Pancreatin) and containing bile( Festal, Ferestal).It is not necessary to abuse drugs, because the body can get used to such artificial help. Preparations from the second group give a good therapeutic effect, but their use is contraindicated in cholelithiasis and exacerbation of gastritis.

To increase the therapeutic effect of medications, doctors recommend taking antacids in addition. They help to reduce the acidity of the stomach, thereby increasing the beneficial effect of drugs.

Treatment with folk remedies

Reactive pancreatitis in a child can not be cured without the use of medications. However, for relief of symptoms you can resort to the help of prescriptions of folk healers. Before starting a course of therapy, you should consult your doctor.

One of the popular products in the treatment of pancreatitis is royal jelly. It can be used only if the child does not have allergies to honey. The duration of therapy is 2-3 months. Then you need to take a short break for a few days. It is recommended to take royal jelly on a teaspoon three times a day. It is better to slowly dissolve the sweet delicacy, and not swallow it whole.

You can also make homemade kvass from celandine. To make it, you need 3 liters of milk whey. If you can not find it, you can replace it with plain water. The liquid must be poured into a vessel, add a teaspoon of sour cream and sugar. In the gauze pouch should be poured half a glass of celandine grass, put in a jar with water or milk whey. For two weeks you need to stir the kvass daily. If you follow the instructions clearly, the drink should begin to foam on the 10th day. Take kvass for a week on a tablespoon three times a day.

Prevention measures

Not always parents can protect their child from factors contributing to the emergence of reactive pancreatitis. That is why they must explain to the child the seriousness of the disease, tell about the need to follow a special diet.

Many children are sweet. It is cakes and pastries that cause the most severe blow to the pancreas. One of the measures to prevent the disease is to limit the consumption of sweets. The role of their substitute can be the most common honey. However, with this delicacy it is important not to overdo it. The baby needs two tablespoons of this product, provided there is no allergy. Another important rule is not to overeat. The child should get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger.

Another way to prevent disease is the timely treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies, gastrointestinal diseases. Very often, against the background of such problems, reactive pancreatitis develops in the child. Only thanks to competent therapy it is possible to avoid self-destruction of the pancreas. It should be noted that any medication for treatment should be prescribed by a doctor. Self-selection of medicines is strictly prohibited.

Summing up

Reactive pancreatitis in children whose symptoms and treatment are described in this article is considered a dangerous condition. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is urgent to seek medical help. Ignoring the pathology can lead to unpleasant consequences. Among them, the most disturbing is the self-destruction of the pancreas. Due to late treatment to the doctor in the future, a child may develop diabetes mellitus.