Teething

Children's disease is an infectious disease with a high infection rate and transmission capacity , which typically leaves behind a lifelong immunity and therefore (if there is no vaccination protection ) predominantly occurs in childhood . However, adults can also develop a childhood disease, provided they have not acquired immunity to it. In addition, not all infectious diseases that typically occur in childhood are referred to as childhood diseases. The term is controversial, since it to life threatening diseases such partially very dangerous trivialized .

Typical teething problems

illness	further designation	Pathogen	Vaccination available
diphtheria	Sore throat	Corynebacterium diphtheriae	Yes
Three-day fever	Exanthema subitum	Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6) Human Herpes Virus 7 (HHV7)	No
whooping cough	Pertussis	Bordetella pertussis	Yes
measles		Measles virus	Yes
mumps	Epidemic parotitis	Mumps virus	Yes
Ringlet rubella	Erythema infectiosum	Parvovirus B19	No
rubella	Rubella	Rubella virus	Yes
Scarlet fever	Scarlatina	β-hemolytic streptococci	No
chickenpox	Pointed leaves	Varicella zoster virus (VZV)	Yes
until 2002 polio	poliomyelitis	Human poliovirus	Yes

Since Europe was declared polio-free by the WHO in 2002, polio is no longer a typical teething problem.

Causes and pathogens

Childhood diseases are infections caused by viruses or bacteria . The pathogens trigger an immune response with a lasting memory, so that when there is renewed contact, the pathogens are fended off by rapidly produced antibodies . As a rule, there is already immunity to the most common germs in adulthood, but a non-immunized adult can also become infected with childhood diseases.

The childhood diseases with rash measles , rubella , ringlet rubella and three-day fever have long been known . The chickenpox form blisters on the skin , mumps caused a swelling of the parotid gland on the cheek .

Scarlet fever or whooping cough are often counted among the childhood diseases. However, since there are different serotypes in scarlet fever and the immunity in whooping cough decreases after about a decade, you can become infected with both several times, which is why, strictly speaking, they do not meet the definition, but are typical diseases in childhood.

Complications

Although the term childhood illness suggests harmlessness, a number of these conditions can have serious complications. Measles can be very difficult for people who have not been vaccinated and can damage various organs. The worst is inflammation of the brain ( encephalitis ) after measles ( frequency 1: 1000), which leads to cognitive impairment or death (20% of measles encephalitis). Complications also pneumonia, otitis media, and infections of the larynx and trachea (measles can Krupp ) occur. Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for infants in the first six months of life, because at this age it is not associated with the typical coughing attacks, but can manifest itself in respiratory arrest, which can take on life-threatening proportions. Mumps can also involve the brain and, in boys after puberty, inflammation of the testicles ( orchitis ) and thus infertility if both sides are affected . Rubella is very dangerous if it occurs during pregnancy , it then regularly leads to rubella embryo fetopathy with damaged brain , eyes and ears .

prophylaxis

As a safe and acceptable protection against these dangerous childhood diseases that applies vaccination . Teething troubles have become relatively rare today because vaccinations are carried out across the board according to a general vaccination calendar . The aim is to eradicate diseases such as measles and mumps in Germany as well. The WHO specifies an incidence of 1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Time and again, however, there are local outbreaks of childhood diseases, including possible complications, especially among those who have not been vaccinated. For more information, see the article on vaccinations.

therapy

Since it is mostly a virus infection, causal therapy is not possible and treatment is limited to measures that alleviate the symptoms (lower fever, painkillers, plenty of fluids, especially in the case of diarrhea, etc.). Inpatient treatment may only be necessary in unusually severe cases in small children . Antivirals are a therapeutic option especially for patients with a weakened immune system.

literature

• Herbert Renz-Polster , Nicole Menche, Arne Schäffler: Health for children: Prevent, recognize, treat teething problems. , Verlag Kösel, 2004, ISBN 3-466-30672-8 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Childhood illness  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• The classic teething problems. In: Deutsche Apothekerzeitung . May 23, 2007, accessed February 4, 2020 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lexicon Diseases AZ. on barmer.de
2. ↑ The classic teething problems. In: Deutsche Apothekerzeitung . May 23, 2007, accessed February 4, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Erhart Kahle: The teething troubles in medieval Arab children's regimina. (= Würzburg medical historical research. Volume 29). Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg (Medical Habilitation Thesis 1982)

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !