Pancreatitis attack in children

Children do not suffer from chronic pancreatitis. This form of the disease is observed in pediatric patients in extremely rare cases.

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Reasons

Manifestations of acute pancreatitis occur in children in the case of two reasons - aggravated heredity or injury to the pancreas. Children who suffer from cystic fibrosis - an incurable lung disease can also be subject to inflammatory processes in the pancreas. But in the vast majority of cases, the cause of the unpleasant symptoms cannot be determined.

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Symptoms

Children are characterized by sudden onset of pancreatitis attacks. In rare chronic cases of the disease, exacerbation can be provoked by stress, simple overeating or improper diet, as well as various diseases.

In this difficult situation, the baby's main complaint is severe abdominal pain. Children with different pain thresholds, with different forms of the disease - chronic or acute, differences in age and temperament, experience pain very individually.

The pain may vary in intensity – from moderate to very severe. Such manifestations of pain sensations depend on the stage of activity of the inflammatory process, its prevalence in the pancreas, as well as existing concomitant diseases. It happens that some children experience pain shock during such an attack.

In children, such an acute situation can last for different periods: from a few minutes to a few days. The younger the child, the more difficult it is to diagnose an attack of pancreatitis, since in this case the child cannot clearly explain what is happening to him. And the behavior during abdominal pain is the same as in many other cases of dysfunction of the body with pain syndrome. In this case, children cry, behave restlessly, press their legs to their tummy. This is how the smallest behave, and older children can already say something, but it is difficult for them to explain where the pain is localized. Children three to four years old show that the pain has covered the entire abdomen or the area around the navel, which also does not contribute to the successful diagnosis of the disease.

Children aged seven to eight years and older show adults the navel area or the upper half of the abdomen, where they have painful sensations. In some cases, the pain can radiate to the back or hip area, as well as to the right hypochondrium. The nature of the sensations in this case is quite unpleasant - the child is tormented by aching cramping or constant pain, which can also be encircling. The behavior of children in such cases is very restless: the child tosses and turns on the bed and tries to lie down in a position in which he would not be bothered by heavy sensations. Most often, children take a position on the right side with their legs tucked up to the stomach - in this case, the pain becomes a little less. An attack of pancreatitis in children can also be without pain, but so rare that such cases are not even worth describing.

In childhood, such a peak state of the disease does not cause an increase in body temperature. But in two-three-year-old children, the temperature can rise to 37 or 37.5 degrees. This is due, rather, to their restless behavior and constant crying.

In addition to pain, characteristic symptoms of the pathological condition in children with pancreatitis will be the child's tormenting bouts of nausea and repeated vomiting, which does not alleviate the patient's condition at all. Against this background, the child develops acute intoxication of the body, so the child needs urgent hospitalization.

The stool of babies also undergoes changes - either constipation or diarrhea with a thin consistency and a foul odor appears. Dryness forms in the mouth, as well as a white coating of sufficient thickness. Children in this condition do not want to eat, play, become irritable, lethargic and whiny.

In the acute form of the disease, the onset of an attack is usually sharp and sudden. In the chronic form of the disease, it is wave-like, manifesting itself in periods of rest and well-being and alternating with exacerbation phases. In the rare chronic form of the disease, an attack can occur at any time - parents know this. Therefore, they try to protect their child from problems that are most often provoked by improper nutrition.