Encopresis in children: the causes of appearance and treatment

Problems such as enuresis and encopresis in children can not occur without a reason and certainly are not the norm. In this article we will talk about the second of these diseases. Consider what is encopresis in children, the causes, treatment and symptoms of the disease.

What?

Encopresis is a disease during which incontinence is observed.

For babies this process is completely natural, since they are not yet able to control the work of the intestines. But among children over the age of four this situation can not be considered the norm, since it can indicate the presence of the baby's problems not only at the physiological, but also at the psychological level.

Causes of the disease

Next, let's talk about why encopresis in children may occur . Causes of the disease, as already recalled above, can be on a physical or psychological level. The main ones are:

• The presence of acute inflammatory processes in one or more parts of the intestine;
• Chronic constipation;
• Presence of congenital pathologies, the appearance of which was triggered by severe pregnancy or complications during childbirth;
• Disorders in psychomotor development;
• Transferred operations or injuries;
• Early organic damage to the central nervous system;
• The child's experience of frequent stressful situations in the family or team due to lack of friends, change of kindergarten or school, inadequate expectations of peers or relatives, the negative influence of teachers and teachers, lack of a comfortable regime for the day and personal space for games and development, and so on;
• Too persistent or aggressive behavior of parents during the training of the baby to the pot;
• Poor material and domestic conditions in the family;
• Impossibility to get timely access to the toilet in the kindergarten, school and so on.

As you can see, the list of possible reasons is not so small. However, encopresis in children in most cases occurs as a result of the influence of external factors, which have a significant impact on the psychological and emotional state of the child.

Features of the disease

Depending on the age, the frequency of emptying in a child may vary. What in some situations is considered the norm, in others indicates a problem. How in this case to determine encopresis in children? The advice of specialists speaks of the following.

1. If the child is less than 6 months old. At this age, the normal number of stool departures is up to 6 times a day. If this process occurs more often, it indicates diarrhea. On encopresis in this case there can be no question, since the baby is not yet able to control the situation.
2. If the child is from 6 months to 1.5 years. During this period, the muscles of the child begin to strengthen, and emptying occurs already up to two times a day. At the same time, kids at this age do not understand what purity and hygiene are, so they continue to dirty their clothes.
3. If the child is from 1.5 to 4 years old. During this period, the baby's muscles are finally strengthened, and he is able to control the emptying process. Up to 4 years, the child must learn to ask or independently walk on the pot. Despite all this, encopresis in children of this age is still within the norm and it's too early to beat the alarm. Exceptions are only situations where the kid constantly went to the pot, and after the endured stress or as a result of the influence of other factors, he suddenly stopped doing it.
4. If the child is from 4 to 8 years old. At this age encopresis in children is no longer the norm. The disease indicates the presence of neuroses or other disorders, as well as problems with physical health. In this situation, it is necessary to conduct a qualified survey and take all the necessary measures.

Symptoms of the disease

The main sign of encopresis in a child is calomization. If there is a problem, this symptom is repeated regularly, but not periodic.

In addition to the main sign of the disease, there are a number of additional ones. They, in turn, can differ from each other, depending on the type of ailment: false or true encopresis. For greater convenience, it is worth considering each of them separately.

False encopresis

As statistics show, this type of disease is diagnosed most often. The main cause of its occurrence is the presence of chronic constipation in the child. Therefore, the symptoms of the disease will be as follows:

1. Kalomazanie. Parents regularly find out that the child has feces on his underwear.
2. There is difficulty in emptying the intestine.
3. A high density of stool or even a so-called "sheep feces."
4. Perhaps the appearance of a specific odor, similar to that observed during diarrhea.
5. Fecal masses accumulate in the large intestine.
6. The chair becomes liquid.

Most often, false encopresis is observed in very shy children, who deliberately try to contain the act of defecation.

True encopresis

This type of disease is very bright symptomatology, so it can not go unnoticed. The main signs of true encopresis include:

1. Constant calming and systematic emptying of the intestine into the underwear.
2. The appearance of an unpleasant smell from the child, which even the surrounding people notice.
3. The skin in the anal area is strongly irritated, redness appears on it, which is accompanied by itching.
4. The sphincter is in a half-open state.
5. The anal opening is clogged with deadly masses.
6. At the same time, urinary incontinence can occur.

Depending on the degree of neglect, the disease can be accompanied by several as well as all the above symptoms. The reasons for its occurrence are in most cases psychological, and treatment takes a long time.

Treatment of the disease

Since the causes of the disease can be different, each of the cases requires a special approach to treatment. At the same time, there are three main directions:

• The provision of psychological support and rehabilitation after neurosis;
• Carrying out of struggle with locks;
• Re-training the child with toilet rules.

In no case can not scold the baby for what happened. It is important to explain to him what exactly happens to his body. Special attention should be paid to regular planting on the pot for strengthening the reflexes. This should be done every 15 minutes. But here again there is an exception to the rule: in cases where the baby categorically refuses to sit down on the pot, one does not need to force him. Otherwise, it threatens with another stress and a worsening of the overall situation.

In addition, treatment includes taking medications, adherence to a special diet and even the use of folk remedies. Let us dwell on each of them.

Medication Therapy

First, let's look at how to treat encopresis in children with medications.

It is important to note that this type of therapy is very effective. But it is used in most cases only at the initial stages of the disease. As a rule, pediatricians recommend the use of such drugs as "Bisacodyl" or "Dufalac." They have a very mild effect on the children's body, but at the same time they are quite strong. In this case, parents should listen to the doctor's advice, do not engage in self-medication and do not replace the prescribed drugs. It is important to remember that many drugs are contraindicated for use in childhood or have too aggressive effects on the child's body.

The main therapy aimed at cleansing the bowel, lasts about 1-2 weeks. At the end it is necessary to consolidate the achieved effect. For this purpose, the intestines of the baby should be cleaned regularly for a minimum of 6 months with the help of the preparation "Psilium". A similar effect has a vaseline oil, which improves the emptying process. It should be consumed 2 tablespoons per day.

Diet with encopresis

So, we looked at information about a disease such as encopresis in children (causes, treatment). Komarovsky (a famous children's doctor) notes that a successful diet requires adherence to a special diet.

The baby's diet should consist of easily digestible food. It can be various porridges, sour-milk products, light soups. All dishes should be steamed or welded in water.

To better assimilate coarse plant foods, it must be served in crushed form. The ideal option will be all sorts of vegetable or fruit purees.

Sweets are best replaced with prunes, raisins, honey.

In addition, it is necessary to monitor the amount of liquid consumed. It should be enough that the feces can soften and get out of the intestines without problems.

Treatment of encopresis in children at home involves the exclusion of legumes, fatty fish and meat, baking, sharp and fried foods, as well as fruit containing gelatin (apples, bananas) from the diet. It is necessary to limit the use of dairy products.

Encopresis in children: treatment with folk remedies

The key to successfully getting rid of the problem is a combination in the treatment of several types of therapy. That is why, together with medicines, you can apply and some folk methods. They will be aimed at eliminating the psychological discomfort of the baby due to the soothing effect on the body of medicinal herbs.

Tea with mint

Quite often encopresis in children is accompanied by insomnia and attacks of irritability. In such a situation tea with mint leaves acts as an excellent soothing agent.

In order to prepare a useful and tasty drink, you need to take a tablespoon of the plant and brew in a glass of hot water in a water bath for 15 minutes. Then the tea must be cooled and filtered, then add another glass of water.

The homemade medicine should be given to the child 50 mg three times a day, about 15 minutes before eating.

Herb tea

This drink has a more effective and versatile action, in comparison with the previous version. He perfectly fights with the symptoms of nervous tension, which in most cases is very necessary.

To prepare the broth you need to take the root of valerian, hop cones and mint leaves in the proportions of 2: 2: 3. In the same way as in the previous version, the mixture should be poured with a glass of hot water and cooked in a water bath, after which it should be cooled, filtered and diluted with the same amount of water.

Give the resulting broth the child needs three times a day for 100 g. The greatest effect can be achieved by combining this tea with medications that eliminate neurotic encopresis.

Relaxing baths

Another method that helps to eliminate nervous tension and calm the baby is a warm bath with herbs. Best in this case, they will do:

• sage;
• Succession;
• lavender;
• calendula;
• mint;
• Chemist's chamomile;
• valerian.

It is important to remember that only systematic therapy can bring positive results. Therefore, a bath should be taken every evening. In addition, it is desirable to alternately alternate different collections of herbs, without stopping at any one.

Enemas

The enema helps not only to empty the intestines, but also to develop correct conditioned reflexes in the child.

To determine the correct time of the procedure, first of all, it is necessary to focus on the characteristics of the child's body. If he has incontinence during the day, you should put an enema in the morning. If the baby spoils laundry at night, the procedure should be done already before bedtime.

As practice shows, usually less than 25 enemas are enough to get rid of the disease. The main thing in this business is regularity. The procedure should be carried out daily and at the same time so that the child can form reflexes.

Encopresis in children: advice of a psychologist

We examined the medication and folk methods of therapy. What else will help to overcome encopresis in children? The advice of a psychologist on this matter is as follows.

First of all, parents should provide their child with support and understanding. In no case should you scold and punish him for incontinence. After all, the kid is not guilty of the occurrence of such a situation, and the lack of understanding on the part of the closest people can only exacerbate everything.

Be healthy!