Enterovirus infections are more common in children.They are a group of diseases caused by several varieties of viruses. Having overcome one of them, you can not get sick again - a lifetime permanent immunity is produced for a person, however, it only forms to a certain serological type of the virus and does not protect from others. Therefore, the enterovirus infection in the child can take place repeatedly.
The virus enters the environment from the patientor from a virus carrier - a child or an adult, whose diseases do not manifest, but in the intestine there are infectious agents that, together with the feces, are released into the external environment. Viruses are people who have already recovered from enterovirus infection and recovered, or those who have got the virus into the body, but could not cause the disease due to strong immunity. This condition can persist for five months. Viruses, hitting the external environment, can remain for a rather long time, they persistently suffer all sorts of adverse effects. Infectious agents are transmitted with the patient's saliva during sneezing and coughing, as well as by the fecal-oral method, which occurs when hygiene rules are not observed. In addition, the child's enterovirus infection can appear as a result of drinking contaminated raw water and taking toys into the mouth, on the surface of which there are viruses. Most often, infants are infected by infection at the age of three to ten years.
When infectious agents enter the body,they immediately move to the lymph nodes, where they begin to multiply actively. Often the disease has an acute onset. The first sign is a sudden increase in temperature to a mark of 38-39 degrees. Such indicators remain for 3-5 days, then they are normalized. In most cases, this symptom manifests itself spasmodically: the elevated temperature lasts for 2-3 days, then decreases by a day 2-3, then again grows and again normalizes. In addition to this phenomenon, the enteroviral infection in the child is manifested by drowsiness, a state of weakness, and nausea. As already mentioned, viruses in the lymph nodes multiply, so you can see their increase under the jaw and on the neck.
Enteroviruses are capable of attacking various organs:nervous system (central and peripheral), mucous membranes of the eyes, oropharynx, intestines, skin, heart, muscles, liver, in boys - testicles. If the mucous membrane of the oropharynx is affected, enteroviral angina develops. A characteristic sign of how such an enterovirus infection manifests itself in children is a rash in the form of fluid-filled vesicles on the tonsils. Over time, the vesicles burst, and in their place are formed sores. As they recover, they disappear. If the virus affects the eyes, conjunctivitis develops, manifested by swelling and reddening of the eyes, lacrimation, photophobia. If the muscles are affected, myositis occurs, characterized by muscle pain in the legs, arms, chest. When infected with infectious agents of the intestinal mucosa, a liquid stool is observed. If enteroviruses attacked the heart, depending on the site of the lesion, myocarditis, endocarditis, or pericarditis may develop. The defeat of the nervous system manifests itself in meningitis or encephalitis, and the liver with acute hepatitis. When exposed to the virus, exanthema may appear on the skin, and in testicles the boys develop orchitis.
Treatment
Specific methods of treatment there.Therapy is usually carried out at home, hospitalization is only necessary if the heart, nervous system, and fever are affected. While the fever keeps, the child should be in bed and drink plenty of fluids. Depending on the form of infection, symptomatic treatment is prescribed.
