Anemia in infants
Anemia is a pathological condition of the body, in which the number of red blood cells and the hemoglobin concentration in the blood are below normal. Anemia in infants is quite common. The cause of this disease, as a rule, is malnutrition.
Anemia in infants in mild form is not manifested. With a severe form of anemia, there is a possibility of a deterioration in the performance of some internal organs. The cause of this development of the disease is the dystrophic consequences that arise due to chronic oxygen deficiency.
Diagnosis of anemia in infants based on a laboratory blood test, in which the number of red blood cells and the concentration of hemoglobin are determined. It is believed that the child may develop anemia if his hemoglobin level drops to 110.
Treatment of anemia.
Treatment of anemia in infants is carried out according to the following basic principles:
- Establishment of proper nutrition and normal mode of the child;
- Identify and eliminate the cause of iron deficiency in the body;
- Application of medicinal preparations of iron;
- Other concomitant therapy.
An obligatory factor in the treatment of anemia in infants is breastfeeding. Breast milk contributes to the easy absorption of iron, increases the absorption of iron and other products used together with iron. But by the age of six months, even in infants who are breastfed, antenatal iron stores may decrease. This is explained by the fact that infants have sufficiently active metabolic processes.
Iron deficiency anemia
Children with iron deficiency anemia are introduced a lure a month earlier than healthy. Meat in the baby's food is introduced from six months. It is necessary to include buckwheat, barley and millet porridge, and to exclude tolon, manna and rice porridge. To effectively treat anemia, the following foods should be included in the diet:
- Beans, nuts;
- Beef and pork liver;
- Buckwheat, oat flakes, wheat bran;Sea cabbage, spinach, peaches.
Treatment of anemia should be in combination with a normal healthy sleep, long walks in the fresh air, a favorable psychological climate. The prevention of acute respiratory infections must be carried out.
Iron deficiency in infants is usually accompanied by a deficiency of other vitamins. Therefore, in the complex treatment of anemia in infants necessarily include multivitamins.
The required level of hemoglobin should be observed after about two months, but even in this case it is impossible to stop treatment. It is necessary to extend the therapy for another two months to make up iron stores. If, during treatment, the hemoglobin level does not change significantly, the cause of the ineffective treatment should be determined.
Prevention of anemia.
Prevention of anemia in infants should begin during pregnancy, and must continue after childbirth during breastfeeding. Basic principles of prevention:
- During pregnancy: adherence to proper diet and daily routine, timely diagnosis and treatment of anemia, prescription of iron-containing preparations for pregnant women prone to developing anemia.
- For infants: hygiene of the child, long enough breastfeeding, timely introduction of complementary foods, prevention of hypotrophy and acute respiratory viral infection.
Anemia in infants is a fairly common disease. Often, anemia accompanies other diseases, so you need to carefully treat its treatment and prevention. Currently, there are a sufficient number of methods for diagnosis and timely treatment of anemia in infants.
