Concussion in children - symptoms and treatment

So the children are arranged, that mobility is an indispensable condition for them, under which development takes place. Of course, a rare child can avoid falling and striking. Often the consequence of such cases is concussion in children.

Shaking is an easy degree of head injury. The heavier form is a brain contusion with skull fractures.

It's not always possible to say with certainty when a fall was hit by the brain, or not. It often happens that signs of a concussion appear later. Therefore, if there is a suspicion, it is better not to delay the situation and turn to a specialist.

Causes of shocks

Each age has its own causes, leading to traumatic brain injury.

The schoolchildren are most vulnerable to injuries. These can be falls from a height, or impacts, for example, a swing in the playground.

Sometimes a concussion can occur without visible trauma. In medicine, there is a concept - the syndrome of a "shaken child".Such damage occurs when the child at the time of a sudden braking or, on the contrary, starts from a place. Also jumping from a high altitude can cause tremors.

For infants, the main cause of head injury is a drop in negligence. A little older children can fall from the roofs, stairs, windows, etc.

The danger here is that sometimes it is not possible to establish the fact of injury. For example, if the child was with other people, in the garden or with a nanny, can hide. And it turns out, only with the appearance of characteristic symptoms.

Symptoms of concussion in children

The brain of children has its own characteristics. Thanks to them, children rarely have the classic symptoms that the adult has( loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc.).

The younger the age, the less signs of concussion in the child. Children rarely lose consciousness. There is anxiety, poor appetite, regurgitation, skin pale. Often there is drowsiness or, on the contrary, a bad dream.

Children of school age, as a rule, have a short-term loss of consciousness, and subsequent nausea and vomiting. With a concussion, headaches, dizziness, pulse may increase or slow down, sweating, pale skin, instability of blood pressure.

Sometimes, when the occipital region is struck, post traumatic blindness is observed. It may not appear immediately after the impact, but later. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the trauma touches the visual center, which is located in the occipital part. In this case, treatment is not required, all the consequences are themselves.

Another feature of children's injuries is that the symptoms may not immediately manifest. At first the baby feels well, and then the symptomatology begins to increase.

First aid

For any head impact, the child should be shown to the doctor. Even if the symptoms are poorly expressed, and the child does not complain about anything, an additional examination does not hurt.

The main help with trauma from the parents - to ensure peace. In the presence of wounds and abrasions, the primary treatment, if necessary, should be bandaged.
The danger of a concussion is that, in the absence of symptoms, severe brain damage can occur. Especially such a picture is observed when there are hemorrhages.

Impairment may occur in a few days. And of course it should alert the progressing symptoms. In infants, the fontanel can swell.

Diagnostics

To exclude fractures of the skull, be sure to do an X-ray. On the state of the brain allows you to judge the ultrasound examination.

Young children are made neurosonography. The pictures clearly show the brain. If there are violations: swelling, hemorrhages, hematomas, they are easily diagnosed. This method is effective until the age of two.

Later skull bones in children thicken and use another ultrasound method - echo-encephalography. It reveals the displacement of the brain, which indirectly indicates volume formations( hematomas and tumors).This method is simple, but it has low reliability.

The most effective way to detect brain damage is computerized tomography. With such a survey, a complete picture of the condition of the skull and brain is obtained.

Features of treatment

During the treatment it is necessary to organize a child's day so that to exclude moving games. In severe cases, strict bed rest is recommended. Drug treatment is directed to several points.

In the first stage, a therapy is performed that allows to remove symptoms and consequences of trauma: edema, bruises, hemorrhages.

Diuretics are prescribed to relieve cerebral edema, it may be diacarb or furosemide. They are usually applied together with drugs containing potassium( asparkam, panangin).Potassium prevents edema and nourishes the brain. If nausea is expressed, antiemetic drugs( cerucal) are needed.

In addition, a sedative therapy( tincture of valerian, fenozipam) is performed. Sometimes add antihistamines( diazolin, suprastin).

For minor injuries, subsequent treatment is not required. In more severe cases, nootropic drugs may be prescribed. They improve the processes of metabolism in the brain.

You will also need to follow the mode for some time. To reduce motor activity, it is possible to obtain exemption from physical education. Limit the time spent at the computer and television, reading. Such activity leads to excitation of the cortex.

During a period after a concussion, the child may be rocked on the bus. In the future, these symptoms pass.

The condition comes back to normal, somewhere in 3 weeks. As a rule, after the treatment, complications no longer appear.

Timely appeal to specialists will help not only to shorten the rehabilitation period, but to prevent the occurrence of consequences.