Pediatric infections without a rash

Whooping cough. It starts like a common cold. There is a slight cough and runny nose. After a week, the symptoms may subside, but then resume. During the second week, the first suspicion of whooping cough arises. The child has long coughing fits, especially at night. He coughs convulsively 8-10 times in one breath, then follows a short inhalation, accompanied by a characteristic sound reminiscent of a rooster's cry, after which a new series of coughing fits occurs. The child's face turns red, and the tongue curls into a tube. At the end of the coughing fit, the child chokes and vomits. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the symptoms of the disease, as well as with the help of laboratory research methods. If the child coughs heavily in the first week of the disease, then it is not necessarily whooping cough. True whooping cough lasts three to five weeks, and in severe cases two to three months.

Whooping cough can be transmitted to children from adults through toys. Complications include pneumonia and damage to the nervous system. Patients feel better if the room is well ventilated, but the child should not get too cold. The incubation period of whooping cough is 5-14 days. The child is no longer contagious if he coughs less and less over two weeks.

Mumps (epidemic parotitis). This disease, caused by a virus, affects the parotid salivary glands, which are located behind the earlobe. At first, the gland fills the cavity, and then the entire side of the face swells. As a rule, the lesion is bilateral, and the face, or more precisely, the neck of the child, resembles a pig in appearance, hence the name. The swelling is located under the ears. It can be painful, especially when pressing, swallowing and chewing. Malaise may be noted. The temperature rises. Not only the parotid salivary glands become inflamed, but also the submandibular and sublingual glands. In a mild form, the swelling goes away in three to four days, but more often lasts seven to ten days. In boys, inflammation of the testicle (orchitis) may occur as a complication. Immunity after mumps is unstable (reinfection is possible). Bed rest is observed until the swelling subsides. Some patients cannot eat sour or spicy foods (lemons, pickles) because they irritate the inflamed glands. The incubation period is 11-23 days.

Diphtheria. One of the most dangerous infectious diseases, which has already been mentioned above. In any case, when a child has a sore throat, a fever, or when he has symptoms of croup, you should immediately call a doctor.

Poliomyelitis. An extremely dangerous disease, the epidemic of which in the 50s of the last century engulfed all of Europe. The disease affects children mainly in the summer and early autumn. It begins with general malaise, high temperature and headache, there may be vomiting, constipation or, conversely, diarrhea, pain in the legs, head, back. This lasts from one to six days.

Soon after the temperature has normalized, against the background of seemingly complete health, paresis or paralysis are observed in the morning, most often of the lower extremities, without affecting sensitivity. When palpating the leg muscles, sharp pain is noted. If the pathological process affects the intercostal muscles and diaphragm, respiratory failure occurs. With proper and timely treatment, and most importantly prevention, this does not happen.

Poliomyelitis is such a serious and dangerous disease that it should be treated very seriously, and most importantly, its prevention - immunization. It is transmitted from patients with latent forms of the disease or from virus carriers by the fecal-oral route (i.e. through "dirty hands", contaminated water, etc.). The incubation period is from 2 to 35 days, but more often 10-12 days.

Before the creation of artificial lung ventilation devices, many patients died from paralysis of the respiratory muscles. Since there is no specific treatment for polio (a drug that kills viruses), the only protection against it is vaccination. Therefore, when your local pediatrician invites you to get vaccinated against polio, do not refuse under any circumstances and go to the clinic. The only relative contraindication is general malaise of the child with cold symptoms, not to mention more serious diseases.

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