Dr. Komarovsky about neurological problems in children
The doctor, whose visit instills fear in most Russian parents, is a neurologist. Moms and dads are afraid that this particular specialist will definitely find some neurological abnormality in their beloved offspring. And these fears are not so groundless - according to statistics, 90% of babies in our country have one or another neurological diagnosis. Whether this diagnosis is always reliable and whether neurological problems are true in fact, the well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky tells the parents.
Features of the children's nervous system
The nervous system of the newborn undergoes the most significant changes in the growth process. Children are born with an immature nervous system, and she has yet to form, grow stronger. The most intensive changes occur in the neonatal period and the first year of life, and therefore it is easy for any neurologist to find one or another neurological symptoms in a baby at 2 months or 6 months.
In the period of formation of the functions of the nervous system, not everything goes smoothly, says Yevgeny Komarovsky, hence the incomprehensible cry for unclear reasons, spasms and tics, hiccups and regurgitationthat bring so many experiences to parents and rich food for the activities of doctors.
If the mothers understand the seriousness of the processes occurring with the child, the questions, fears and doubts will become much less.
The brain of the newborn compared to the body is quite large, as the child grows, the proportions change, the structure of the brain becomes more complex, additional grooves appear.
The most active changes occur in the period from birth to 5 months.
The spinal cord and spine of the crumbs grow unevenly, and their growth is equalized in its rate only to 5-6 years. The speed of transmission of nerve impulses in the nervous system of a child is different than that of an adult, and in accordance with mom and dad's, it will only come to 6-8 years.
Some of the reflexes that the newborn has, go away with time and by the year they have no trace left, they are replaced by permanent reflexes. The sense organs in newborns function from the first minutes after birth, but not in the same way as in adults. For example, the baby begins to see clearly at about 1.5-2 months, and he can hear well on the third day after birth.
Neurological problems
When mothers complain about a quivering chin, shaking hands or regular hiccups come to the doctor, he is well aware that in 99% of cases such symptoms are a normal variant, given the intensive process of improving the nervous system. The doctor knows that these little “troubles” are likely to go away on their own, and perhaps very soon. But, according to Komarovsky, he does not want to take responsibility for your child, and therefore it is easier for him to say that a shaking chin is a neurological symptom, and to prescribe a specific treatment from which there will be no harm (massageswimming in the rubber ring, vitamins).
Real neurological problems, of course, exist, and they are all, without exception, very serious, Komarovsky says, but they are found in only 4% of children.
Therefore, most of the neurological diagnoses made by the neurologists in the clinic at the next routine examination, have little in common with these diseases.
Worst of all, if the doctor prescribes medication for the child to eliminate the neurological symptoms, which by and large exist only on paper.
Real situations when such tablets are needed - no more than 2-3% of all established diagnoses. But take them all to whom they are registered.
Komarovsky considers drug treatment effective only for children of the first month of life if they really have serious disorders in the process of giving birth. Then even they are shown only massage and physiotherapy.
When does the problem really exist?
Intracranial pressure - a diagnosis that children like to give children in Russian clinics. When it really is, the child needs urgent hospitalization, and not home treatment with pills, Komarovsky says. If a child is cheerful, vigorous, active, sociable, there is no need to treat him with intracranial pressure, since he is most likely not at all.
The most frequent complaint with which parents refer to a pediatric neurologist is the child's op.
With this, in most cases, the search begins for the disease, which, most likely, will be found.
Komarovsky urges moms to stop looking for illnesses in their children and simply understand that for a cry a child has a lot of other reasons - hunger, heat, a desire to communicate, a desire to draw attention to oneself, uncomfortable diaper and so on. All these reasons have nothing to do with neurological diseases.
Very active children are considered to be sick, they are immediately diagnosed “hyperactivity”, Calm and slow children are considered unhealthy, they are labeled as“ lethargy ”, they try to explain poor sleep and appetite with neurological problems. Do not do this, says Yevgeny Komarovsky, since real neurological diseases are rare, and they sound ominous, probiotics and gymnastics do not cure them.
These include epilepsy, cerebral palsy, neuroses of varying severity, Parkinson's disease, encephalopathy, pathological involuntary nervous tics and other conditions, many of which are congenital.
Tips of Dr. Komarovsky
No need to compare your child with other children and existing in the theory of the development standards of kids. Your child is a personality that develops in accordance with its internal “settings”, they are purely individual.
The best prevention, as well as the treatment of supposedly “neurological problems” that exist only on a doctor’s paper and in the minds of restless mothers and grandmothers, is the right way of life for a child.
Long and regular walks, bathing, hardening, sensible nutrition (without overfeeding), convenient for mother and child daily routine, which is strictly observed, firming massage every day, will help to cope with hyperactivity, and trembling chin, and sleep disorders in the child.
Do not overdose calcium and vitamin dBecause such states can actually cause certain problems with the nervous system. This should be discussed in more detail with the attending pediatrician, who will determine the necessary dosages for your particular child, given the age, weight and health of the baby.
You will learn more about the opinion of Dr. Komarovsky about neurological problems in children in the following video.
