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Hemoglobin deficiency in young children is a common disorder. More than 70% of babies suffer from anemia to one degree or another. Anemia in children may be asymptomatic or may be expressed by characteristic symptoms. This depends on the degree of hemoglobin deficiency and the stage of the disease. You need to know that anemia is not a primary disease and refers to secondary symptoms of various disorders in the body.

Causes

What is anemia and what causes it? Anemia is a lack of hemoglobin in blood cells. Today there are several types of anemia, the symptoms and treatment of which depend on the causes of the development of the pathology. Iron deficiency anemia is most often diagnosed in younger patients. Basically, anemia in children occurs during the period of active growth. This deviation does not require drug treatment, and iron reserves can only be replenished by adjusting the baby’s diet. The development of anemia in children under 1 year of age is considered dangerous. After 6 months of life, with improper nutrition, the baby’s body runs out of reserves of this element, and if the deviation develops, the baby may suffer from hypoxia. This often affects the physical and mental development of the baby. The consequences of advanced anemia in children can be mental, mental and physical disorders. With normal development in children under 6 years of age, the hemoglobin level should not fall below 115 g/l.

The main category of children with anemia in the first year of life are babies born with low birth weight, children from multiple pregnancies, premature babies and those who gain weight too quickly. However, the health of the mother during pregnancy can also affect the well-being of the child. So, if a mother had moderate to severe anemia while carrying a baby, the child will also be born with this pathology. These are not all the reasons why anemia can develop in children.

Doctors consider the most common reasons:

• Congenital pathology.
• Artificial feeding.
• Overconsumption of iron by the body during growth.
• Premature birth.
• Pathologies in mother during pregnancy.
• Hemolytic disease.
• Frequent blood loss (for example, nosebleeds).
• Gastrointestinal pathologies.
• Impaired absorption and metabolism of iron.
• Pathologies of the liver and kidneys.
• Chronic infectious diseases.
• Lack of vitamins.

In addition, the causes of anemia in children may lie in the fact that the hematopoietic system in children is not yet perfect and any infections, stress and even negative environmental factors can provoke iron deficiency. To prevent the deviation from becoming severe, you need to undergo routine tests and carefully monitor the child’s health. Remember that the development of anemia in children, the reasons for which may lie in hidden pathologies, must be identified in time. The success of treatment depends on timely diagnosis.

Symptoms

Symptoms of anemia in children are quite varied. In the latent form, the disease can be practically asymptomatic, but attentive parents can still notice some points that should be wary.

General symptoms for children with anemia are:

• Paleness of the skin.
• Poor condition of nails and hair.
• Increased fatigue.
• Moodiness.
• Poor appetite.
• Enuresis.
• Frequent colds.
• Dizziness.
• Rapid pulse.

As a result of a general blood test, anemia is detected in a child if hemoglobin levels are below 115 g/l in children under 6 years of age and below 120 g/l in children over 6 years of age. It is important to establish the type of anemia and identify the causes of its development. This is the only way to prescribe adequate treatment that will be effective for each individual child. Manifestations of anemia in children, symptoms of which can be different, should always alert the mother. If your child has at least one of the manifestations of anemia, immediately go to the doctor.

Classification by reasons

When interviewing parents, the doctor can already make a preliminary diagnosis as to why the baby has low hemoglobin in the blood. In modern practice, doctors use a classification system for anemia, which identifies the classic symptoms of a particular type of pathology. Anemia is divided into:

• Posthemorrhagic. This type of pathology occurs from severe blood loss. A child can lose a lot of blood in a short time due to injuries, operations, or intestinal bleeding. The classic symptoms of this type of anemia are shortness of breath, low blood pressure and rapid heartbeat. On examination, pale skin is observed. Therapy in this case begins with stopping the bleeding.
• Hemolytic. Anemia in children of a hemolytic nature develops against the background of increased death of red blood cells. A blood test reveals a large amount of free hemoglobin. External symptoms include jaundice, enlarged spleen, and general weakness. Hemolytic anemia is most often a hereditary defect.
• Hypoplastic. With this pathology, the maturation of blood cells of leukocytes, erythrocytes and platelets is impaired in a child. There is a decreased formation of blood cells. Most often, the pathology develops against the background of intoxication with chemical elements or medications. The causes of this pathology lie in a hereditary defect. The diagnosis is made based on the results of histological analysis of the bone marrow.
• Dyserythropoietic anemia. Pathology develops against the background of an insufficient number of red blood cells. This may be due to both disturbances in the process of destruction and deviations in the process of cell division in the bone marrow. The symptoms of this pathology are very similar to those of hepatitis. The skin is yellow, the liver and spleen are enlarged, and bone deformation occurs.
• Hypochromic. This type of anemia in children is the most common and occurs from a lack of iron in the body. The pathology is characterized by classic symptoms of anemia.
• Megaloblastic. This type of anemia is caused by a lack of vitamin B12 or folic acid. Most often, the pathology is hereditary. The clinical picture is characterized by disorders of the nervous and digestive systems, increased fatigue, enlarged spleen, and jaundice of the skin. The diagnosis is made based on the results of a bone marrow test.

Treatment

Treatment of anemia in children, especially in the first year of life, is a necessity that can prevent the development of dangerous pathologies in the child in the future. Many parents underestimate the danger of anemia, but due to anemia the baby can suffer significantly. Children with prolonged forms of anemia often have mental and mental abnormalities; they are smaller than their peers. Often at school such children study poorly and have problems remembering information.

Behavior also leaves much to be desired; they are hysterical, capricious, and in the future they become uncontrollable.

Most often, anemia in children begins to develop after 6 months. It is at this moment that the mother needs to monitor the baby more carefully. You should not skip routine doctor’s examinations and blood tests. If anemia is not hereditary, it is acquired as a result of poor nutrition or large blood loss. Severe bleeding cannot be ignored, but the lack of nutrients in children’s food is a very common phenomenon. Most often, for anemia in children, treatment includes diet, physical therapy and vitamin supplements.

If anemia is detected in a child, parents must organize special nutrition for the child, normalize the sleep-wake schedule, and also ensure that special medications are taken. When there is already an iron deficiency in the body, it is very difficult to fill it with food alone. Proper nutrition can maintain the level of vitamins in the body, and you will have to replenish their reserves with pharmaceutical products.

Products

The diet for a child with anemia should be prepared by a doctor. It is important for children of the first year of life to introduce complementary foods rich in iron. For children, it is mandatory to consume liver and meat purees, egg yolks, and cereal porridges without milk. If the child is bottle-fed, you need to select special iron-fortified milk formulas. It is advisable to prepare all complementary foods at home from fresh and healthy products.

Older children are recommended to eat a lot of beef, liver, greens, legumes and cereals. You also need to include as many vegetables, fruits, natural juices, dried fruits and seafood in your children's diet as possible. The child should be given iron-containing foods every day, while eliminating milk from the diet. Vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron, so there should also be a lot of it in the child’s diet.

ethnoscience

Traditional medicine also has several effective recipes that can increase iron levels in the blood. For anemia, you can prepare a vitamin mixture that will not only replenish iron reserves, but also boost immunity, strengthen the heart and blood vessels, and also give you energy for the whole day.

You need to take equal portions of dried apricots, white raisins, black raisins, figs, walnuts, lemon and honey. Wash and grind all the ingredients in a meat grinder, pour in melted honey, mix thoroughly. Place the mixture in a glass jar and put it in the refrigerator. Take 1 tablespoon in the morning 30 minutes before meals for adults, 1 teaspoon for children, with a glass of water.

Nettle for anemia. To prepare the infusion, take 2 tablespoons of nettle leaves and pour 1 liter of boiling water over them, cover with a lid. The infusion should cool down. Take 1 glass per day.

You can cook soups based on the infusion.

Dried fruits for anemia. All dried fruits are rich in their vitamin composition. If it is not possible to prepare a vitamin mixture with honey, you can simply give your child various dried fruits throughout the day. Usually children who have not previously been given candy enjoy raisins and dried apricots.

Prevention

Anemia is easier to prevent than to treat. If the pathology is not hereditary, it is very important for the child to eat properly from birth. Studies have shown that children who are breastfed are much less likely to suffer from anemia. Mother's breast milk contains all the necessary nutrients in the required volume.

If you are breastfeeding, do not forget that you should eat healthy and varied.

After 6 months, as a preventative measure, you need to give your baby vitamin supplements. Despite the fact that there are a lot of different baby purees and juices on the market today, it is better to prepare them at home from fresh ingredients. Be sure to include meat in your baby’s diet. It is meat that has the highest iron content and is absorbed better than from plant foods. In this case, the meat must be chosen correctly. The richest varieties in iron are rabbit and veal.

It should be remembered that there are different types of childhood anemia. For this reason, self-medication of this disease can lead to unpleasant consequences. All vitamin complexes and iron-containing preparations, as well as their form and dosage schedule, should be selected by a doctor. If your child shows signs of anemia, go to the clinic. There, the baby will have a blood test, the cause will be identified, and the doctor will tell you how to treat anemia in your specific case.

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A child's illness is always a difficult test, especially if it is anemia in one-year-old children. Anemia is a large group of diseases that are characterized by a sharp and significant decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin per unit volume of blood.

Causes of anemia in infants

Infants often develop deficiency anemia - iron and folate deficiency. At birth, the child’s body has a certain supply of these substances, which are actively involved in the process of hematopoiesis, the formation of hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen to the tissues. This supply of substances is enough for approximately the first six months of a child’s life, but there are exceptions.

In the future, the main source of these substances is the child’s nutrition, and just at this moment, the risk of developing anemia increases many times, especially in premature babies who have a small supply of substances at birth. In this case, anemia is registered in the child starting from the age of three months.

In children under one year of age, the reasons for the development of anemia are completely different, ranging from factors affecting during intrauterine development to reasons affecting after birth:

• iron or folic acid deficiency in the mother;
• bleeding during childbirth;
• pathologies of the placenta;
• birth injuries;
• artificial feeding;
• intestinal pathologies: bleeding, malabsorption of substances;
• frequent infections.

Signs of anemia in infants

In the first degree, symptoms of anemia in infants may not appear and the diagnosis of the pathology is random, based on a monthly preventive blood test.

All symptoms of anemia can be general - characteristic of all types of the disease: pallor of the skin, mucous membranes, negative changes in the skin, hair, nails, in advanced cases - a lag in the development of the child, physical and psychological.

There are also specific signs of anemia associated with a specific type of deficiency. For example, with iron deficiency anemia, a 3-month-old child experiences problems with the digestive tract - frequent regurgitation, even vomiting. In the oral cavity, persistent inflammation and seizures in the corners of the lips are recorded.

In the second half of the year, with anemia in a 9-month-old child, the symptoms will be more varied and associated with strange food addictions: the desire to lick whitewash, eat chalk, raw minced meat, potatoes, pasta.

Treatment of anemia in infants

In case of first degree anemia, when the hemoglobin level drops to at least 90 g/l, and under the condition of breastfeeding, the disease can only be treated by correcting the mother’s diet and possible additional intake of iron supplements for the nursing mother. Formula-fed children should receive only adapted formulas additionally fortified with iron.

The diet of a nursing mother should contain more vegetables and herbs enriched with this microelement - green onions, leafy vegetables, lettuce, parsley. There is a particularly high concentration of iron in meat (beef, pork), and animal liver. It is important to introduce complementary foods on time - starting with vegetables, and meat from 8 months.

Treatment of anemia in children under one year of age of the second and third degrees cannot be carried out without additional medications. The medicine itself, its dosage, and duration of administration are determined individually by the attending physician. With a combination of proper and balanced nutrition and medication, healing occurs much faster with virtually no consequences for the baby.

Consequences of anemia in infants

Despite the fact that with timely treatment of anemia, in most cases it is possible to avoid serious consequences, parents should remember what exactly anemia threatens a child of 1 year of age. A particularly high risk of developing consequences occurs with anemia in infants, because just at this time, intensive growth and development of all organ systems occurs. Due to the low hemoglobin content, body tissues do not receive proper nutrition and therefore cannot fully develop.

As a result of this hypoxia, first of all, the brain and heart suffer, which can cause disturbances in their work, up to the formation of failure. What else is dangerous about anemia in young children? Frequent colds, and a decrease in the body’s overall resistance to negative environmental influences. In severe anemia, when the hemoglobin level drops below 70 g/l, peeling and microcracks form on the skin, to which secondary microflora attach, followed by inflammation.

Anemia (anemia) in a child is a group of clinical and hematological syndromes, the common symptom of which is a decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. A decrease in hemoglobin most often occurs with a simultaneous decrease in the number of red blood cells (or the total volume of red blood cells).

Anemia is not considered a separate disease; it is a temporary health condition of the baby. But you need to treat it very carefully. Failures by parents and pediatricians to adjust hemoglobin levels lead to delays in the child’s development, dysfunction of internal organs, and decreased activity.

What is anemia (anemia)?

Anemia is an unnatural health condition that is characterized by a lack of hemoglobin and red cells - red blood cells - in the blood. Sometimes there is a deficiency of only one of the above components.

Red blood cells- these are blood cells that are responsible for the delivery of oxygen, hemoglobin, and nutrition of tissues. They participate in the synthesis of new cells and help blood clotting. The level of hemoglobin decreases if red blood cells cannot cope with its transportation.

During the period of natural feeding, children most often receive the required amount of iron through mother's milk. After stopping breastfeeding, parents can create an unbalanced menu for feeding the baby. Then the child’s body suffers from a lack of red blood cells, and hemoglobin is delivered to the tissues in smaller quantities. This is how anemia (anemia) develops.

In babies from 1 to 1, iron deficiency anemia is most often diagnosed, but there are several other types of the disease. This hemolytic form- lack of red blood cell production by the body; posthemorrhagic- occurs after large blood loss; megaloblastic- characterized by a lack of folic acid and cyanocobalamin.

There are some separately genetic forms of anemia: sickle cell anemia, microspherocytosis and others. Hereditary forms are related to gene mutations and changes in the shape of red cells.

Video anemia in children

Causes of anemia (anemia) in children

Anemia is diagnosed in children under 3 years of age very often - in 40 children out of 100. The causes of the pathological condition may be the following factors:

• Unfavorable intrauterine period of fetal development.

An unborn child does not accumulate the required amount of hemoglobin due to its deficiency in the mother’s blood, infections she has suffered, and placental abruption.

• Prematurity.
• Blood diseases.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Insufficient consumption of iron-containing foods.

The child does not like to eat or does not have meat, eggs, fish, spinach, legumes, pomegranates, plums, apples, cereals, or bran in the required quantity in his diet.

Norm of iron intake for children from 1 year to - 10 mg per day.

• Regular blood loss.

These are nosebleeds, postoperative period, hemophilia.

• Iron metabolism disorders.

Occurs in celiac disease and cystic fibrosis.

• Chronic diseases, previous infections.

Mycosis, tuberculosis, pyelonephritis and others.

• Food, diathesis.

Iron loss occurs through the epidermis.

• Negative environmental influences.
• Increased body weight.

Symptoms of anemia (anemia) in children

Signs of anemia in children can be divided into several groups. If you observe at least 3-4 of them in your baby, be sure to consult a doctor and take a full blood test to check the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

Treatment of anemia (anemia) in children

For the treatment of childhood anemia for parents and pediatricians You need to pay attention to the baby’s nutrition and daily routine. Drawing up a balanced menu for your baby helps solve the problem of hemoglobin deficiency in 80% of cases without drug treatment. Add buckwheat porridge, fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat dishes, and seafood to the children's menu. Monitor the level of caloric content of food, feed your baby at least five times a day.

Important! If fish and meat are consumed together with vegetables, then iron is absorbed better. S works the same way.

If possible, do not take your child to. Anemic children get tired quickly and cannot play or run much. They need extra rest, sleep, walks.

Taking medications is necessary for moderate and severe forms of anemia. Pediatricians prescribe multivitamins and ferrous sulfate. The medications should be given after meals, washed down with juices and water. The effect of therapy may not occur quickly. Normalization of UAC values ​​occurs 2-3 months after the start of treatment.

Children enjoy drinking syrups, for example, Ferum Lek. Iron-containing medications are available in the form of tablets and dragees. This is Ferroplex. In the form of drops - “Hemofer”.

Children with intestinal and gastrointestinal diseases are prescribed intravenous injections. They are well absorbed, give a faster positive effect than tablets and syrups, but, naturally, are poorly tolerated by children psychologically.

It is important for parents to understand that to stop taking medications immediately after normalization of the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood -it is forbidden! The child needs to “store” them. Continue to give medications for at least 1 month after a positive blood test, otherwise the iron level will again drop to critical levels.

Massages and exercise therapy are used as a method of improving the overall physical health of a child with any degree of anemia.

Blood transfusions are used in extreme cases. Indications for its implementation include high blood loss, sepsis, and a threat to the baby’s life. Before blood transfusion, it is necessary to conduct a compatibility test between the little patient and the donor, determine the group and Rh factor of the child’s blood.

Therapy for anemia must be carried out comprehensively and under the supervision of a doctor. The OAC must be taken regularly, at least 2 times a month.

Prevention of anemia (anemia) in children

Regular medical examinations and examinations by a pediatrician help avoid advanced forms of anemia in children. Parents of children with a genetic predisposition to anemia need to be especially careful.

Nursing mothers need to carefully plan their diet and feeding their baby. Eat buckwheat, meat, legumes, if the child does not have; greens, bran, fish, radishes, cabbage, spinach, beets.

Afterwards, analyze the baby's menu. Teach him to eat properly - food rich in iron.

Hours of walks and regular exercise (at least 15 minutes a day) prevent anemic syndrome from childhood.

Compliance with preventive measures helps reduce the risk of severe anemia in children to a minimum. Do not ignore even the slightest deviation from the norm in blood test results, take action without delay, but always after consulting a doctor.

Attention! The use of any medications and dietary supplements, as well as the use of any therapeutic methods, is possible only with the permission of a doctor.

Anemia in infants is a disease that is often diagnosed in children in the first year of life. It is accompanied by a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood, iron, and red blood cells. The most common type of disease in children is iron deficiency anemia. It is characterized not just by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, but also by a change in their appearance: the shape of the cells changes from round to oval, the membrane becomes pink. Anemia in a child can only be reliably diagnosed in a laboratory setting.

Causes of anemia in newborns

In a young child (up to three months), the reasons for the development of anemia may be the following.

Poor nutrition during pregnancy

Unbalanced nutrition of the mother during pregnancy, iron deficiency in her diet. In the last stages of pregnancy, many women's hemoglobin levels drop sharply, so it is necessary to pay attention to this in time and include iron-containing foods and appropriate medications in the diet. Do not forget, a low level of hemoglobin in the mother can cause intrauterine oxygen starvation in the baby.

Infection

Infectious diseases suffered by the child's mother during pregnancy. Infections block the normal supply of iron to the fetus and cause iron deficiency.

Prematurity

Prematurity. About 90% of premature babies have a history of anemia. It occurs because the weakened body of a newborn, born prematurely, cannot independently produce the required number of viable red blood cells.

Poor nutrition during breastfeeding

In older children (up to one year), the above reasons are added to the reasons associated with poor nutrition of the mother and the child during breastfeeding. Iron deficiency anemia often occurs in children who are fed adapted formulas. Full breastfeeding of a child up to one year can avoid this problem. Anemia can occur in breastfed children if the mother does not receive a complete balanced diet, her diet is limited in foods rich in iron, or she abuses alcohol or tobacco. For young children diagnosed with anemia, there are special milk formulas with an increased dose of iron.

Rhesus conflict

A serious reason for the occurrence of this disease in young children is the Rh conflict between mother and child. In this case, hemolytic anemia develops. After the birth of a baby in such situations, the membrane membrane of red blood cells is disrupted and hemoglobin begins to quickly deteriorate. Hemolytic anemia can also be caused by intrauterine infection of an infant with herpes viruses, rubella, and toxoplasmosis. A woman at risk should be under special supervision in the antenatal clinic throughout her pregnancy.

Blood loss

The causes of anemia in infants of the first year of life can also be associated with serious blood loss of the mother during pregnancy and childbirth, untimely ligation of the umbilical cord, and abnormalities in the structure of the umbilical cord or placenta. Hemolytic anemia can be inherited. In this case, the culprit is a special gene that provokes a change in the shape of red blood cells. This form of the disease can be externally manifested by a deformation of the shape of the child’s skull, a high position of the palate, or a special shape of the nose.

Signs of anemia

What symptoms will reliably confirm the presence of this disease in a child of the first year of life? Anemia can only be diagnosed by a complete blood test. Primary signs of the disease in young children:

• poor weight gain, dystrophy
• low blood pressure
• frequent respiratory infections
• child's drowsiness and lethargy
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract
• poor appetite
• pale skin tone
• fatigue, prolonged sleep
• stomatitis, cracks in the corners of the lips
• dry skin, causeless peeling of the skin
• pallor and unnatural appearance of the eye shells

These symptoms in infants should alert parents. If anemia is suspected, the pediatrician will prescribe a referral for a finger prick blood test. As a result of this study, the level of hemoglobin will be determined, which in newborn babies is about 200 units, up to 6 months in a healthy child - 100 g/l, in children under one year and older - it should be 140 g/l.

Degree of disease complexity

Anemia in a newborn and a child under one year old can be diagnosed according to the following scheme:

1. first degree disease – hemoglobin level above 90 g/l
2. second degree - indicator in the range from 70 to 90 units
3. third degree – hemoglobin at a level of up to 70 g/l

Identifying the degree of anemia largely determines the subsequent treatment plan for young children.

Treatment

Treatment of anemia in newborns can be carried out at home (if the first or second degree of the disease is diagnosed) or in a hospital (third degree).

A mild form of anemia is not dangerous for a newborn. It can be effectively treated with foods rich in iron. For this diagnosis, infants are offered special adapted formulas; mothers of fully breastfed babies need to enrich their diet with buckwheat porridge, beef liver, pomegranate juice (if the baby is not allergic), and green apples.

Treatment of the second stage of anemia involves the use of medications to raise hemoglobin levels. Such syrups must be given between feedings, since milk blocks the body's absorption of iron.

Treatment of complex forms of anemia in newborns is carried out in a hospital. In this case, formulations with iron are administered to the child intravenously, the dosage is determined based on the patient’s condition.

Iron deficiency anemia can cause oxygen starvation, exhaustion, and dystrophy in the baby. The disease can cause delays in physical and mental development, so it is important to start proper treatment on time.

Hemolytic anemia is much more difficult to treat. With this diagnosis, blood transfusion and removal of the spleen are possible. Hemolytic anemia requires special monitoring of the patient in a hospital setting and an individual complex for his recovery.

Disease prevention

Treatment of anemia also includes preventive measures. These include:

• varied and healthy diet (vegetables, meat, chicken egg yolk, fish, seasonal berries, rose hip decoction)
• good sleep
• walks in the open air
• absence of smokers around the child
• Regular examination by a doctor with a blood test for hemoglobin levels

For the maturation of red blood cells in the body, folic acid is especially necessary. It is found in spinach, asparagus, beans, liver, egg yolk, and cheese. If folic acid is deficient, it can also be supplied to the body in the form of tablets. A deficiency of this substance in children manifests itself in the form of poor weight gain, poor development of reflexes, and developmental delays.

Folic acid is prescribed to pregnant women in the early stages so that the neural tube of the fetus develops normally. If there are symptoms of anemia in children, folic acid is prescribed from an early age along with iron supplements.

Komarovsky about anemia

Komarovsky claims that iron deficiency anemia in infants can be effectively treated with physical activity. The more the child moves, the more often he goes for walks in the fresh air, the higher his hemoglobin will be.

Meat products, which must be present on the menu of all family members, can also raise its level. Mom should try to maintain breastfeeding, because... Breast milk is the most balanced and healthy food for a baby up to one year old.

Komarovsky warns that any iron-containing infant syrups can cause constipation in infants, so it is necessary to strictly adhere to the dosage and monitor the frequency of bowel movements in the baby.

Anemia is a disease that can develop in mild cases without symptoms, so it is important to diagnose it at an early stage. It threatens the child with developmental delays and reduced immunity. With a competent approach to treatment, adherence to a special diet, and regular exposure of the baby to the air, the disease will not progress to a complex stage.