Common childhood diseases in cold weather

Doctor Truong Van The - Department of Pediatrics, Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, said that in winter, tcheap or expensiverespiratory diseases.In particular, children who already have chronic diseases such as chronic bronchitis, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, chronic malnutrition, congenital cardiovascular diseases... often suffer from more severe respiratory diseases and are susceptible to serious complications compared to other normal children.

The doctor explained that the weather in mid-winter, with low temperatures, is favorable for the development of respiratory pathogens, especially viruses. On the other hand, human resistance, especially the "natural protective barriers" in the respiratory mucosa, is very vulnerable. Due to the cold weather, people often gather in closed rooms, creating favorable conditions for the spread of disease. Rhinitis and pharyngitis are common respiratory diseases in children and adults in cold weather.

In cold and humid weather, children are also susceptible to illness.gastrointestinal diseases, the most common is diarrhea. Diarrhea can be normal diarrhea, children have loose or thick stools 1-2 times compared to normal days, or it can also be acute diarrhea, children have watery stools more than 3 times within 24 hours. Acute diarrhea can be caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites or intestinal viruses, especially rotavirus. This disease has the highest rate of cold-season diarrhea in children.

Doctors say that diarrhea caused by rotavirus can occur all year round, but is most common in winter and spring. The disease often occurs in children under 2 years old, and can easily become an epidemic. If not detected and treated promptly, it can be dangerous for children.

In winter - spring, especially when the traditional New Year is approaching, the situationfood poisoningis also very common in children. Doctors say this is a dangerous disease, mainly caused by unsanitary cooking or improper storage of processed foods, which causes poisoning, especially in children.

In addition, someskin diseasesChildren's diseases are also easy to appear and recur many times such as eczema (also known as Eczema), hives... These are diseases that cause a lot of trouble for children such as itching, children are uncomfortable or cry and scratch the itchy area a lot causing bleeding, very susceptible to skin infections.

Children with fever accompanied by symptoms such as vomiting everything, complaining of severe abdominal pain; children with signs of bleeding such as red spots on the skin, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, vomiting blood, black stools like coffee grounds; or children who are lethargic, pale, have cold hands and feet, have convulsions; children with a bulging anterior fontanel (fontanel); children with signs of a stiff neck... also need to be taken to the doctor immediately.

To ensure a proper diet for children during the cold winter days, to help children increase their resistance, parents should feed their children warm foods to help their bodies maintain a stable temperature. In addition, it is necessary to create a fresh, clean and airy living environment, limit the use of fans, air conditioners, avoid dust, cigarette smoke in the house, and industrial smoke.

Encourage children to practice the habit of washing their hands properly and regularly every day to eliminate dangerous pathogens that spread through the hand-mouth route.

Keep your child's body warm when the weather turns cold, especially children with a history of allergies and asthma, by using very simple measures such as: wearing more warm clothes, socks, woolen hats or wrapping the child in a warm blanket. In particular, it is important to fully vaccinate children according to their age to have the most proactive and effective way to prevent disease.