How is hypotrophy manifested in children and what is necessary to know about it

Hypotrophy in children occurs, as a rule, in the first years of life, and is characterized by a lag in the growth and weight of the baby. The nature of the occurrence is both congenital and acquired. In the first case, the pregnant woman is responsible for the growth and development of the fetus, and in the second the main reason is the lack of nutrients that enter the child's body.

Causes of hypotrophy in children

When it comes to congenital hypotrophy, they talk about the state of the fetus. If such a form of hypotrophy is diagnosed in time and the treatment of a pregnant woman begins, the child begins to gain weight quickly and signs of hypotrophy go away. It's another matter when it comes to children's hypotrophy, as even children born healthy can suffer from this disease.

The causes that lead to acquired hypotrophy are as follows:

• Insufficient milk production from the mother and a mismatch in milk quality.
• Flat and drawn nipples in the mother( difficulty sucking).
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• Tight and undeveloped mammary gland.
• Premature infants and congenital hypotrophy in children.
• Children born in a state of asphyxia( suffocation).
• Presence of intracranial birth trauma in children.
• Congenital malformations( "hare lip", "wolf mouth", pyloric stenosis).
• Unbalanced nutrition during complementary feeding( in children on artificial feeding).
• Insufficient childcare and poor living conditions.
• Violation of the sanitary and hygienic regime and inaccuracies in nutrition.
• Psychological factors and aggression in the upbringing of children, causing fear and lack of appetite.
• Some medications that cause digestion and lack of appetite.
• Infectious conditions.
• Anomalies in metabolic processes and enzymopathy.

Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms of hypotrophy in a child manifest themselves regardless of the cause that causes them. Outwardly, such a child has the characteristic features - the head is much larger than the body( since the brain continues to develop), fatty tissue is absent, the body is thin, the skin is wrinkled, the line of bones is sharply marked.

The development of clinical symptoms is directly related to the stage of the disease, and the symptoms themselves can smoothly appear and disappear if the child is prescribed therapy and the reasons for this condition are identified. In connection with this, it is possible to distinguish 3 levels of hypotrophy in children:

1. Hypotrophy in children of 1 degree or state of dystrophy. In this case, the fat layer is thinned over the entire surface of the child's body. The child's exhaustion begins with the abdominal area, gradually turning to the handles, legs and face. Weight gain is not observed or is a slow pace. Neuropsychic state of the child is still normal, but without treatment after a while, sleep and appetite disorder begin to occur.
2. Hypotrophy in children of the 2nd degree or condition of atrophy. At the same fatty tissue is absent not only on the stomach, but on the chest and face. Such children usually lag behind in growth, become mentally unstable, behavior becomes sluggish, and appetite decreases or is completely absent. Children have reduced resistance to various infections and there is a violation of thermoregulation. The cause of this condition is progressive avitaminosis and diselementosis, which are difficult to treat and correct.
3. Hypotrophy in children of the 3rd degree or state of decomposition. Such children are more likely to remind prisoners of a concentration camp than normal children, which are now less common, but, nevertheless, such a state can arise. The child does not have fatty tissue on the entire surface of the body. With such a degree of hypotrophy, which is considered severe, the work of all organs and systems is disrupted. The child may have a violation of breathing, heart rhythm, digestion and other symptoms.

In some cases, children are just a little tall and have a light weight. To correctly assess the degree of hypotrophy and the state of growth and development of the child, use the so-called "index of weight loss", which is measured by the ratio of the growth of the child to its weight. At the same time, the weight deficit in relation to growth should not exceed 30-35%, since at 40% weight deficit death of the child from exhaustion can occur.

Treatment and diagnosis of the disease

Before a doctor who treats hypotrophy, problems arise - to establish the cause of this condition, and also to establish as precisely as possible the degree of hypotrophy and severity of the condition. It is very important to know at what point the child stopped adding weight, and what was the reason for this situation.

If the child was born normal, and at some age stopped gaining weight, most likely, it is an infectious disease. If the weight gain is disrupted from the very process of birth, then the child has congenital malformations or defects.

Treatment of hypotrophy in children of severe degree is difficult, as with the increase in the deficit of weight there is a change in the regulation of all metabolic and other processes that support the vital activity of the child. This is why the precinct pediatricians carefully follow the set of weight and height of the first year of life, measuring all parameters every month.

After establishing the cause of the disease and its elimination, resort to measures that will help in a short period of time to gain weight. To do this, the child is shown foods that are high in calories, as well as foods that are low in fat and high in carbohydrates.

Also changes the diet, which involves eating every 2-2.5 hours in small portions. Showing fresh vegetables and fruits with a rich content of vitamins and minerals.

In severe cases, medication is used:

• Apilac( royal jelly) in tablets.
• Transfusion of blood plasma and fresh donor blood.
• Aminostimulin injection.
• Pepsin or resin acid.
• Pancreatin and other enzymes.
• Anabolic steroids.
• Introduction of glucose intravenously( in severe cases).
• Treatment with hormones.

When treating children with hypotrophy, you need to remember that weight gain should not be accelerated, because the metabolism and ability to assimilate food must first change. Protein food should be given with caution, gradually moving from a small amount of protein foods to the normal diet.