Pain has always accompanied people and the first indicates a serious deviation from health. It is often the first visible alarm signal that makes us react quickly. It may be caused by injury, burns, injury, stroke, fracture, infection, poisoning, inflammation of the organ, etc.
Pain is easy and difficult to locate
Sometimes the child's pain is easy to locate and assess whether the doctor's intervention is necessary or if self-help is enough. The procedure is definitely more difficult if the causes of pain are not visible. Half of poverty when a child can speak ...
How to recognize the pain in an infant?
The baby screams differently when he is hungry, he is wet, he gets angry (yes, babies can do it too), and differently if he hurts something. Sometimes hair is raised on the head (so-called tongue). You should also take into account the fact that some babies do not react to crying for pain, then the observation of facial expressions is extremely important.
An older child can tell and show where he hurts
Most often - apart from certain injuries - they complain that their head or stomach hurts. If a child says that his stomach hurts, it is difficult to locate where in addition to vomiting, but does not feel a headache - it is likely
Acute appendicitis
Then it is best to give him nothing to drink, or any painkillers, blurring the symptoms, but go to the doctor as soon as possible. It is only after careful examination of the child that one can say whether or not an operation is needed.
Food poisoning in a child?
However, if the abdominal pain and vomiting are accompanied by a headache, then you may suspect food poisoning or other disease that does not usually require a surgeon's intervention.
When a child hurts a lot
Do not give anything to eat or drink - in case of: injury and when there is a probability of surgery or other procedure requiring general anesthesia. Why? Because anesthetics can be given only after 6 hours from the last meal. Previously, you may experience the contents of the stomach, get into the bronchial tree and complications.
Pain is given to small children?
For example, if a child is among other crying, he also wants to cry and scream. Too much comforted by the overprotective mother, who is sorry for him, he suffers excessively, he becomes self-conscious; but it is less painful, but at the same time encouraged to be brave.
Pain itself affects children too?
Sometimes we observe in children - similarly to adults - intrinsic pain - psychogenic origin. It may also be the migraine pain caused by this background, etc. Such pain may be caused by, for example, problems at school (unjust teachers, fear of aggressive colleagues), at home (parents' quarrels, their divorce, nagging siblings). In such cases, it is necessary to carefully assess the situation that led to pain and try to change it. In no case may you yell at a child, accuse him of pretending illness, because it only deepens ailments.
Do newborns feel pain?
Until recently, there was a mistaken view that small newborns do not feel pain and, for example, painful teething were not treated. Older children were not always given painkillers when they complained of migraine. Meanwhile, the pain - after making an accurate diagnosis, learning its cause - should be eliminated, because it can be the cause of many complications.It is known that painful metabolic and hormonal reactions interfere with the action of drugs, and acute, long-lasting pain adversely affects the immune system.
Paracetamol painkiller recommended for children
Currently, the commonly recommended painkiller for children is paracetamol (Acetaminophen) orally or in suppositories. It is given to infants 15 mg / kg body weight every 6 hours, but not more than 60 mg / kg / day. Older children can be given 20-25 mg / kg body weight. Paracetamol, used since 1893, is a metabolite of phenacetin. It inhibits arachidonic acid cyclooxygenase, which causes synthesis of prostaglandins (hormonal substances that act, inter alia, dilatating blood vessels, and thus lowering blood pressure). It reduces the sensitivity to mediators such as serotonin and kinin. This increases the threshold of pain perception and decreases its severity. The reduction in prostaglandin levels is antipyretic. Paracetamol, however, has no anti-inflammatory effect. Pain in any child should not be underestimated, because it is a symptom of many diseases.
