The appearance of an unpleasant odor from the mouth, medically called “halitosis,” is a signal of trouble in the growing organism. Kaliningrad residents can notice this symptom when communicating with a child, laughing or kissing.
In most cases, odor occurs due to poor hygiene, which disrupts the balance of microflora in the mouth and increases the number of pathogenic microorganisms. During the decomposition of bacteria, compounds of hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen are formed, which are exhaled along with the air.
In this situation, the problem can be solved with the help of hygiene and does not pose any danger to the child’s health. However, there may be other reasons for the appearance of a specific odor from the mouth. In what cases should parents be wary - we will find out further...
Risk factors affecting fresh breath
Let's start by identifying the reasons that negatively affect healthy breathing. At the same time, we note that microflora imbalance can occur even in healthy children. This happens for a number of reasons:
- failure to comply with hygiene rules, as we have already outlined;
- dry mouth due to insufficient saliva;
- insufficient water and fluid intake;
- breathing through the mouth, out of habit or due to nasal congestion;
- oral infections (untreated caries, gum disease, etc.);
- consumption of foods with a pungent odor (garlic, onions) or those that provoke fermentation (legumes, grapes);
- taking medications;
- hormonal imbalance;
- smoking (relevant for teenagers).
Thus, in most cases, the cause of bad breath is problems in the oral cavity, infections and poor diet.
How to distinguish a normal smell from a problematic one?
If an unpleasant symptom occurs exclusively in the morning and goes away after brushing your teeth, then we are talking about a physiological norm. If bad breath is observed after hygiene procedures and becomes protracted, then this deviation requires the closest attention from parents.
In addition, it is worth noting that the above risk factors can be eliminated. However, if hygiene is maintained, respiratory infections and specific foods are excluded, and the unpleasant symptom persists for a long time, this is a good reason to consult a doctor.
In this case, altered breathing can signal very specific diseases. Let's look at which ones further...
List of diseases that can be detected
Despite the fact that halitosis is not a disease, it is an important diagnostic symptom by which a specialist can assume the presence of a certain disease in the body. Suspected health problems may include:
- diseases of the nose and nasopharynx: sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, adenoiditis;
- food allergies or respiratory rhinitis causing nasal congestion;
- dental diseases of teeth and gums;
- Gastrointestinal diseases: gastritis, increased stomach acidity, intestinal dysbiosis, etc.;
- endocrine disorders: diabetes, thyrotoxicosis, etc.
As can be seen from this impressive list of diseases, solving breathing problems can fall within the competence of a variety of highly specialized specialists: otolaryngologist, dentist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist.
Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract in children
Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract in young and older children is common and can be life-threatening. The nature of the stool can determine the source of bleeding. If it is located in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum and small intestines), then the patient experiences melena (black homogeneous stool due to changes in blood hemoglobin under the influence of gastric juice, enzymes and intestinal flora). This is most often bleeding due to varicose veins of the esophagus, peptic ulcer (duodenal and stomach, acute ulcers of drug origin), hemorrhagic gastritis.
In cases of bleeding from the terminal ileum and colon, the color of the blood in the feces is little changed. The discharge of fresh blood from the anus more often indicates the localization of the source of bleeding in the colon: colon or rectal polyp, fissure of the rectal mucosa, hemorrhoids, Meckel's diverticulum ulcer, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, intestinal hemangioma. Bleeding from the rectum accounts for about 50% of all gastrointestinal bleeding. With anal fissures, the blood is scarlet in color and is usually detected separately from the stool.
What can a smell “tell”?
As we mentioned earlier, unhealthy breath can quite eloquently indicate a certain nature of the disease. For example:
- a sour smell indicates problems with the stomach: high acidity, reflux or dysbacteriosis;
- the smell of a rotten egg - about a stomach ulcer or a violation of bile outflow;
- putrefactive – about diseases of the esophagus and low acidity of the stomach;
- acetone – about problems with blood sugar levels (diabetes) or dehydration;
- ammonia - about kidney disease, liver dysfunction and diffuse toxic goiter;
- boiled cabbage - problems with metabolism, liver and kidney diseases.
As a rule, already at the stage of collecting anamnesis and during the clinical examination, the doctor can make an assumption about the true causes of the problem.
Changes in stool in some diseases in children
Liquid, foul-smelling stool , up to 10 times a day, in the form of pea puree, is observed with typhoid fever, sometimes containing a small amount of mucus. Stool analysis in children - medical.
With dysentery, the stool is light, mixed with mucus, streaks of blood, pus, odorless, like “rectal spitting” against the background of tenesmus. Sometimes there are no fecal masses at all.
Salmonellosis is characterized by an acute onset of the disease with high fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The stool is copious, watery, foul-smelling, with an admixture of greenery, like “swamp mud.” There is a small amount of mucus and, as a rule, there is no blood.
With cholera, the disease begins with moderate pain around the navel and frequent loose stools against a background of normal or low-grade fever. Dehydration develops quickly, accompanied in severe cases by vomiting and fever. The stool is copious, watery, odorless, like “rice water” (whitish liquid with flakes of mucus), and never contains blood.
In diseases caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli , young children experience copious, watery, colorless bowel movements with mucus flakes.
With escherichiosis caused by enteroinvasive E. coli, there is a high temperature with scanty bowel movements mixed with mucus, blood, and abdominal pain.
Diseases caused by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli are observed in children under the age of 1.5-2 years and are characterized by a gradual onset with moderate watery bowel movements, low-grade fever and an undulating course.
With adenoviral and enteroviral diarrhea , other clinical signs of these diseases are observed, the stool is fecal in nature, 3-5 times a day, and dehydration does not develop.
With rotavirus gastroenteritis (for 30-40% of all patients), an acute onset of the disease is observed with fever, vomiting (gastroenteritis variant) and (or) copious watery stools (enterocolitic variant), sometimes with an admixture of mucus, against a background of scanty respiratory symptoms (moderate hyperemia , granularity of the soft palate and arches, nasal congestion) with rumbling along the large intestine. The disease has a strict seasonality (October-March). Young children get sick.
Staphylococcal enterocolitis is more common in children under one year of age, in the presence of a characteristic epidemic history (purulent foci in the child, unfavorable premorbid background, mastitis in the mother, long-term treatment with antibiotics, etc.). There is a gradual development of intestinal dysfunction against the background of low-grade fever and moderate intoxication. The stool is liquid, fecal, mixed with mucus and sometimes streaked with blood.
For staphylococcal food toxicoinfection, a typical indication is the consumption of infected food (cakes, creams, pastries, salads with mayonnaise); The disease most often has a group nature. Characterized by rapid development of the disease with persistent, debilitating vomiting against a background of high fever and rapid normalization of the condition within 2-3 days. The stool is liquid, watery, sometimes fecal, without pathological impurities.
Campylobacteriosis is characterized by an acute onset of the disease with pain in the abdominal area, mainly around the navel, previous intestinal dysfunction, enlarged liver and involvement of the pancreas in the process, copious, “foamy”, foul-smelling stools mixed with blood.
Yersiniosis is characterized by the presence of multiple organ symptoms (skin rash, joint pain, enlarged liver and spleen) . In the intestinal form, pain is observed in the abdominal area, mainly in the right iliac region. Stool 3-6 times a day, liquid, fetid, fecal, mixed with mucus.
With amoebiasis, stools are frequent, in the form of “raspberry jelly” (mucus gives the stool a glassy, shiny surface). With giardiasis, stool 3-4 times a day, yellow-green in color, soft consistency. With massive infestation, stools become more frequent up to 20 times a day and become mucous and bloody.
With mycotic enterocolonopathies (candidiasis), there is an increase in bowel movements, abundant, liquid or pasty feces, usually without a large admixture of mucus (blood, as a rule, is absent).
With viral hepatitis, the stool is acholic - gray-clay color, without pathological impurities. Vaccination of a child against hepatitis at the Markushka children's clinic.
Diagnosis and treatment
To diagnose ENT diseases, an otolaryngologist uses hardware and laboratory tests. These include:
- rhinoscopy – to examine the nasal cavity;
- radiography and computed tomography - to assess the condition of the sinuses;
- examination of nasal secretions to determine the causative agent of inflammation;
- Blood and urine tests will complement the clinical picture.
In the process of collecting anamnesis, the doctor is interested in the following questions:
- How long has the child been complaining of discomfort?
- What time of day does the smell appear and how long does it last?
- What foods did the child eat?
- how much water does he drink?
- Does the smell go away after brushing your teeth?
- What chronic diseases does he have?
- what medications does he take?
Treatment does not imply the elimination of the symptom itself, as such, but the therapy of the specific disease that provoked its appearance. If, as a result of examination and diagnostic measures, pathologies of the nose or nasopharynx were identified, the doctor will prescribe adequate drug treatment, which may include:
- antibacterial therapy (taking antibiotics);
- vasoconstrictors and antihistamines;
- special medical procedures;
- physiotherapy: inhalations, UV and UHF therapy;
If necessary, the otolaryngologist can refer a small patient to specialized specialists if the solution to this problem falls within their competence (dentist, gastroenterologist, etc.).
Preventive recommendations
In conclusion of our review, I would like to draw the attention of parents to adjusting their children's diet. Our nutritional recommendations are as follows:
- Let us remember that “bad” bacteria love a sweet environment, so it makes sense to limit the consumption of industrially produced sweets and sugar.
- As a dessert, you can offer your child natural sweets made from dried fruits and nuts, as well as fresh fruit.
- Replace carbonated drinks with pure water or herbal tea made from chamomile and mint.
- To create beneficial microflora in the intestines, a child should consume more “live” fermented milk products: cottage cheese, kefir, yoghurts.
Parents need to understand that this delicate problem requires a qualified approach, since over time it can lead not only to problems at the physiological level, but also cause social isolation of the child.
Kaliningrad residents can make an appointment with a pediatric otolaryngologist by filling out an online form on our website or by calling: +7 (4012) 357-773 or +7 (4012) 973-100.
Diarrhea in children, child
Diarrhea (diarrhea) is frequent bowel movements with the release of thin and, in some cases, copious feces. The reason in any case is the disruption of the processes of digestion, absorption and transport of essential nutrients in the intestines. It is customary to distinguish four types of diarrhea: osmotic, secretory, motor and exudative.
The osmotic type of diarrhea is characterized by an increase in osmotic pressure in the intestinal cavity. It is observed when the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates is impaired.
Exudative diarrhea is characteristic of inflammatory diseases of the colon, diverticulosis, invasive infections (dysentery, salmonellosis, etc.), exudative enteropathy (intestinal lymphangiectasia).
The motor component of diarrhea is present in almost all cases of malabsorption syndrome and is caused by increased intestinal peristalsis due to distension of the intestine and osmo- and baroreceptors by a large volume of contents and the synthesis of hormonally active substances that enhance motility.
Secretory diarrhea occurs under the influence of bacterial toxins.
