Knowledge on preventing common diseases in children

Clinical data shows that more than 90% of common respiratory, digestive tract, and allergic diseases in children can be prevented in advance through scientific daily care, standardized vaccination, and active avoidance of high-risk factors. There is no need to wait for frequent medical treatment after onset.

Last week, I was attending a consultation at a community child care clinic and met a mother who was holding a 3-year-old baby for cold medicine. She said that it was only half a month into autumn and the baby had already had a fever above 38 degrees for the third time. When I asked, I found out that the elderly at home were afraid that the baby would catch cold, so they kept the windows closed during the day. The baby had to wear a cotton coat and vest when going out. His back was covered with sweat after running for two steps, and his nose immediately started to run when the wind blew. The proportion of illnesses caused by misunderstandings in nursing care can reach more than 60% in outpatient clinics.

When it comes to wearing clothes, many parents have heard the saying "spring covers with autumn frost". In fact, there are differences between the suggestions of traditional Chinese and Western medicine: Traditional Chinese Medicine Pediatrics advocates that moderate autumn frost can help children adapt to temperature changes, exercise cold tolerance, and reduce the probability of colds in winter.； Pediatrics in Western medicine recommends using the temperature at the back of the child's neck as the criterion for judgment. There is no need to deliberately freeze the child. As long as the back of the neck is warm and the hands and feet are slightly cool, it is just right. Being cold can easily induce a cold. Last spring, I met a mother who put her baby in a velvet sweater on a 25-degree day. As a result, the baby broke out in a heat rash. She sweated and took off her clothes and immediately caught a cold. She struggled with it for half a month. It was completely unnecessary.

Many parents have stepped into the trap of wearing clothes, and there are even more misunderstandings about eating. The older generation always say, "If you want your children to be safe, you have to balance hunger and cold." However, many parents think that children can grow stronger by eating more, and it is too common for children to chase after meals and eat every meal. The consensus between the nutrition department and the pediatric department here is that the child's food intake should match his growth curve, rather than feeding according to adult standards: if the child's growth curve is within the normal range for three consecutive months, even if he only eats less than half a bowl per meal, there is no problem. If the child is stuffed, it is easy to accumulate food, which can cause bad breath and constipation in mild cases, and can cause fever and diarrhea in severe cases. I once met a 1-year-old baby whose grandma fed him two large bowls of white porridge every meal, saying it would nourish his stomach. As a result, the baby had diarrhea for a week, and his growth curve dropped by two percentile. The porridge occupied the stomach and was not nutritious. If the child ate too much, there would be no room for milk and complementary foods, and the baby would not grow well.

With proper care, the most worry-free line of defense is the vaccine. Many parents think that Category 1 vaccines must be administered, and it does not matter whether Category 2 vaccines are administered. In fact, different doctors have different recommendations: Doctors in the public health field will give priority to recommending children in high-incidence areas to receive Category 2 vaccines, such as hand, foot and mouth in the south, and Noro vaccine in the rainy season. Ordinary families can also choose according to their economic situation. ； Most pediatricians on the frontline of clinical practice will recommend that as long as children have no contraindications to vaccination, priority should be given to vaccinations against influenza, hand, foot and mouth, rotunda, and pneumococcal vaccines, which can significantly reduce the risk of severe illness. Last winter, our department admitted two children with influenza A. One of them did not get the flu vaccine and was hospitalized for a week with pneumonia, which cost nearly 10,000 yuan. ； The other one received the vaccine on time and only had a low fever for two days. He just took some antipyretics and was fine. The difference was particularly obvious.

To be honest, I was anxious when my own child first entered kindergarten. I was nervous when a child caught a cold in the class. Later, I developed a little habit: wash my hands with running water as soon as I pick him up from school every day, change the outer coat, and then rinse his mouth with warm salt water. After half a semester, half of the children in the class have asked for leave, and he has almost never missed a class. It works. Of course, this does not mean that children should be completely free-range. For example, during the flu season, do not take your children to crowded closed places, such as closed playgrounds and shopping malls. If you go, wear a mask to avoid a lot of cross-infection.

Another thing that is becoming more and more common nowadays is allergic diseases. The number of children with eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma is more than three times that of ten years ago. Many parents ask for a full set of allergen tests for their children. In fact, there are different opinions in the industry: If you only have eczema or sneezing occasionally, there is no need to check. Just stay in the sun more often and be less exposed to pollen and dust mites. ； If the allergy occurs repeatedly for more than 3 months, or if you cough or wheeze whenever you come into contact with something, it is still recommended to check it out, identify the allergen and avoid it in time, so that you can avoid a lot of trouble.

In fact, the prevention of common childhood diseases is really not that flashy. You don’t need to buy those health care products that cost hundreds of dollars to improve immunity, and you don’t need to provide special care for your baby. Just remember a few key points: don’t wear more clothes than adults, don’t force yourself to eat, get vaccinated on time, ensure two hours of outdoor activities every day, and sleep well, which is better than anything else. After all, a baby's immunity is slowly built up through the process of dealing with germs. If it is too precise, it may cause problems.