Prevention and care of common childhood diseases

More than 90% of common diseases of the respiratory tract and digestive tract can reduce the incidence probability by more than 70% through daily basic protection. After the onset of illness, priority is given to observing mental status and providing symptomatic care. The prognosis is more than 30% better than blind medication and excessive medical treatment, and the child's own immune barrier will not be destroyed.

I have been working as a guidance nurse in the pediatric outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital for 8 years. I have seen too many parents rushing in with their babies in panic. Last month, I had a mother whose baby had a fever of 38.2 degrees. She was given two antipyretics plus cephalosporin at home. When she came to check the blood on her fingertips, it was a common viral cold. She didn’t need to prescribe any additional medicine. She went home and drank plenty of water and rested, and she returned to kindergarten alive and well in three days. Don't think this is an exception. At least 30% of the children who come to the clinic don't actually need to take medicine. They can recover on their own with good care at home.

When it comes to having a fever, many people's first reaction is to "cover the sweat." The experience of the older generation is that covering the baby tightly is enough to break out a sweat. Now evidence-based medicine has repeatedly emphasized that you must not cover it. In fact, there is really no need to argue about right and wrong. If your hands are cold when you touch your baby, and you shrink your neck and shiver, That means the body temperature is still rising. At this time, just cover him with a thin quilt and rub his hands and feet to help warm him up. When the baby is hot all over and his face is as red as a small apple, it means that he has reached the high fever stage and needs to take off his thick clothes to dissipate heat. Covering him again at this time can easily induce febrile convulsions, which is a bad thing. Antipyretics don’t need to stick to the 38.5°C line. If your baby is in good spirits and can run after toys when the fever reaches 39°C, just feed him more warm electrolyte water. ； If the baby has a droopy head and is stuck in the arms without moving, the medicine can be given even if the temperature is 38°C without having to carry it.

Oh, by the way, apart from fever, what parents are most afraid of is diarrhea. Last week, a grandpa brought his grandson. The baby had diarrhea for two days. The grandpa was afraid that the diarrhea would break down and he fed him norfloxacin, which almost caused problems. You must know that children under 18 years old cannot use quinolone antibiotics at all, as they will affect cartilage development. In fact, 90% of cases of diarrhea in children are due to viral infection, cold, or indigestion after eating too much. Don’t rush to give antidiarrheal medicine when defecating. Give oral rehydration salts first to avoid dehydration. If there is pus and blood in the stool, the child points to his stomach and complains of pain, and is accompanied by a high fever, go to the hospital to check the stool routine to see if it is a bacterial infection. It is not too late to use antibiotics at this time.

Many parents ask me how they can prevent their children from getting sick. They say there is really no magic bullet. I have seen families where the floors are wiped with disinfectant every day, the children must wear gloves and masks when going out, and the hands must be disinfected when touching public toys. As a result, the children have a fever of 39 degrees in the first week of kindergarten. On the contrary, those children who usually crawl around the community, squat on the ground and play with mud, and dare to take a bite of everything rarely have problems. The baby's immune system is like a new recruit who has just joined the army. Every time it comes into contact with viruses and bacteria, it is a practice. When you come up, you will directly use "heavy weapons" disinfectant and antibiotics, which will delay the recruit's ability to practice. The next time he encounters a small problem, he will not be able to handle it. Don’t feed your baby too carefully. A baby who eats imported complementary foods without added ingredients may not be in better health than a baby who eats home-cooked meals with adults. I have seen a baby who only ate mushy complementary foods at the age of three, but ended up with diarrhea after eating two bites of stir-fried vegetables from the kindergarten. When it comes to clothes, don’t always dress your baby according to how an old person feels. A baby’s metabolism is much faster than that of an adult. You may want to wear two clothes, but a thin coat is enough for your baby. It’s even easier for your baby to get sweaty when you run, and he or she will catch a cold as soon as you take off your clothes and blow the air. This is a trap that many parents repeatedly fall into.

Also, many babies nowadays suffer from eczema, and parents tend to go to extremes. They may apply thick cream every day after being told to moisturize, which results in more serious ulcers.； Or I heard people tell me to let it dry without touching the water. As a result, the baby was scratched every day and his face was covered with bloodstains. In fact, it really depends on the situation. If it is in the acute stage, with yellow discharge and ulcers, then you must not apply thick moisturizer. You must first apply moisturizer to tighten it. When the scabs enter the chronic stage, which will feel dry and rough like sandpaper, then you need to apply moisturizer thickly, three or four times a day. Don’t be too troublesome. Mild eczema can be cured by moisturizing alone, which is much more effective than applying ointment. Hormone ointments are also controversial. Many parents are scared to death when they hear the word "hormone". In fact, weak hormone ointments such as desonide will not have any side effects if used for three to five days according to the doctor's instructions. On the contrary, if you put off using them, the eczema will grow longer and more, and the baby will be itchy and unable to sleep all night, and will suffer.

As for the so-called "immunity-improving" health products such as probiotics and lactoferrin, which are very popular nowadays, I can only say that people have different opinions. If the baby has just finished antibiotics, or has diarrhea for a long time and the intestinal flora is disordered, taking regular medicinal probiotics for about a week is indeed useful. However, if you want to rely on taking these things daily to prevent colds and improve immunity, you really have to pay an IQ tax. Currently, there is no authoritative evidence-based medical evidence to support this statement.

After working in this business for so long, the biggest feeling is that parents' anxiety is often more troublesome than the child's illness. As long as the child is in good spirits, can eat and sleep, even if he has a fever and a runny nose, there is no need to panic, just take good care of him. If you are really not sure, go to the hospital to see a doctor. Don't blindly search Baidu at home. You can think of the worst results and scare yourself to death. Oh, by the way, remember to get vaccinated on time. Get all the second-category vaccines such as hand, foot and mouth, influenza, and 13-price pneumonia if you can. This is the most cost-effective way to prevent it, and it is more effective than the health care products you buy for thousands of dollars.