When to take the child to the emergency room for enteroviruses

The enterovirus is a viral disease that usually does not cause too many problems. But sometimes, the symptoms get complicated. At what time should we take the child to the emergency department of a hospital for this disease? 12 symptoms to take the child to the emergency room for enteroviruses The w

The enterovirus is a viral disease that usually does not cause too many problems. But sometimes, the symptoms get complicated.

At what time should we take the child to the emergency department of a hospital for this disease? 12 symptoms to take the child to the emergency room for enteroviruses The warning signs of enteroviruses in children are striking symptoms that usually start relatively acutely in a febrile and sick child:

1.

Instability in walking

(separate legs so as not to fall or go 'on the side', like a drunk person). 2. Tremors

, shaking or strange movements of the extremities. 3.Strabismus

(squint from the inside or from one side to the other) or rapid movements of both eyes, either horizontally or vertically (nystagmus) or any other strange movement of the eyes. the eye muscles (for example, looking up or having a lost look). If the child comments that he sees double it is also a symptom to consult urgently. 4. General decay

and / or excessive sleepiness with difficulty awakening the child in a child who usually does not have a hard time (there are children who really find it hard to 'get out' of a nap; to know our children well ... but before any doubt, consult). 5. More or less sudden difficulty in speaking

or doing it confusingly and locking the tongue (dysarthria) in a child who already spoke well. 6. Difficulty swallowing

with or without exaggerated drooling and irritability. This can happen by affecting the muscles of the pharynx that control 'swallowing', since the signal does not reach them 'well' from an important part of the brain that is affected by the virus. This situation is very different from what happens very commonly in children with 'anginas' in which there is also fever and difficulty swallowing. 7. Lack of strength in the legs

such that the child (who already walked) falls to one side or is unable to walk; The cause would be similar to the one described in the previous point. If the child is small and tired, it may be difficult to assess but then we must assess other symptoms such as fever, general condition, etc., in addition to being able to consult the pediatrician who will surely help you in any case if there are doubts. The lack of strength must also be considered in the arms or in the trunk. 8. Breathing difficulty

established in a relatively abrupt manner (in fact enterovirus D68 is best known for attacking primarily the respiratory system). In some cases, the difficulty in coughing llamar may draw attention. In immunocompromised children, asthmatics or those with heart disease, these types of cases could be more serious, so we must increase the vigilance even more. 9. Alterations of the heart rhythm: striking tachycardia or bradycardia (acceleration or sudden slowing of the heartbeat) in a feverish context (evidently a healthy child jumping is normal to have tachycardia). Tables with arrhythmias have also been described.

10. Severe headache and / or stiff neck(meningism); with or without repeated vomiting and with or without striking rejection of light (photophobia).

11. In children with fever who do not yet walk, an intense and manifest irritability that does not calm in the arms of the mother, could also be a worrisome symptom.

12. Deviation of the mouth to one side and one eye more closed than the other (facial paralysis)

These symptoms are not exclusive of the involvement by enterovirus that affects the nervous system, but can also occur in another type of pathologies (among others, brain tumors or major traumatic brain injuries). Bibliography consulted: Treaty of Pediatrics M Cruz, 2006

Enterovirus Infections of the Central Nervous System in Children (H. Rudolph H. Schroten February 2016)

Enterovirus meningitis. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics in a series of 60 children. (C. Pérez Méndeza)

Departament de Salut Generalitat de Catalunya