Anemia - This is a disease that is accompanied by a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood and a decrease in the number of red blood cells. In the people it is often called "anemia". This disease can be caused by various reasons, but in children it most often occurs due to eating disorders and transmitted infectious diseases.
What is anemia? The fact is that oxygen is transferred from the lungs to the tissues of the body through red blood cells - red blood cells. If the concentration of hemoglobin in them is reduced, then they talk about the development of anemia in the child. In the synthesis of hemoglobin in the formation of young red blood cells, simple protein structures and iron are involved. With a lack of protein and certain trace elements in food, for example, such as iron, copper, manganese, etc., or with a deficiency of certain vitamins, the blood formation process becomes more difficult, which leads to the development of the disease. Most often, iron deficiency anemia occurs in children, since hemoglobin synthesis is impossible without iron.
Anemia in children - symptoms
One of the problems of timely diagnosis of the disease is the lack of pronounced symptoms. The main reason to suspect anemia in a child is his pallor, and it affects not only the skin, but also the mucous membranes. Dryness of the baby’s skin, frequent stomatitis, and cracks that form in the corners of the mouth can also signal the disease. In addition, in this case, digestive processes are often disturbed, there are constipation, and less commonly, diarrhea. The baby often cries, very prone to fatigue. But only a blood test will help accurately diagnose anemia.
Anemia in children - treatment
First of all, when confirming the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes iron supplements and vitamins for the child. If he is breastfeeding, then his mother should eat more foods rich in iron. It should strive to maintain lactation longer, since iron is better absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in the body of lactating women. In general, it is generally recognized that children who are breast-fed are more likely to be affected by this disease than babies who are breast-fed. This is because the proteins of human milk are perfectly absorbed by the child's body and are more effective in the formation of hemoglobin. Breast milk is much superior to cow in terms of both iron and copper and vitamin content, because cow's milk is pasteurized, which destroys most vitamins. Therefore, breastfeeding should be considered as an essential treatment for anemia in young children.
If the child who has the disease is still breast-fed, then he should be fed adapted milk formulas specifically designed for children with anemia (enriched with iron). For the recovery of the child, the timely and rational use of complementary foods is of particular importance, so that the food provides him with all the necessary proteins, trace elements and vitamins.
As a rule, all children are strongly advised to give mashed vegetables as a first meal. For children with anemia, this should not be considered as a recommendation, but as a strict rule. Moreover, they should be fed vegetable puree 2-3 weeks earlier than healthy ones (from the age of one month), eventually starting to use a diverse set of vegetables to ensure maximum nutritional value of dishes. Most iron is found in white and cauliflower, carrots, radishes, radishes, beets, tomatoes, green peas.
It should be remembered that it is necessary to introduce new products into the baby’s diet gradually and carefully, observing the behavior of the child, the condition of his skin integument and the nature of the stool.
