What is the organic lesion of the central nervous system of children. Organic damage to the central nervous system: causes, diagnosis and treatment

The central nervous system is the body's mechanism through which a person interacts with the outside world. In newborns, the central nervous system is not yet fully formed, it takes time and effort. But it happens that this process is disrupted, and the child's nervous system develops incorrectly, which leads to serious consequences, and even disability of the baby.

How is the central nervous system in a child

The central nervous system connects the spinal cord and brain, as well as other human organs. The most important functions are providing reflexes (swallowing, sucking, etc.), regulating their activity, maintaining the interaction of all systems and organs in the body. Damage to the central nervous system in newborns can occur in the womb or some time after birth.

The disturbances occurring in the body will depend on the area of the central nervous system that has been affected by the pathology.

By the end of development in the womb, the child already knows a lot: he swallows, yawns, hiccups, moves his limbs, but he still does not have a single mental function. The postpartum period for a newborn is associated with severe stress: he gets acquainted with the outside world, learns new sensations, breathes and eats in a new way.

Each person is naturally given reflexes, with the help of which adaptation to the surrounding world takes place, and the central nervous system is responsible for all this. The first reflexes of the child: sucking, swallowing, grasping and some others.

In newborns, all reflexes develop due to stimuli, that is, visual activity - due to exposure to light, etc. If these functions are not in demand, then development stops.

The main feature of the CNS in newborns is that its development is not due to an increase in the number of nerve cells (usually this takes place closer to childbirth), but due to the establishment of additional connections between them. The more there are, the more active the nervous system works.

What causes the CNS to malfunction

Most often, CNS damage in children occurs even in the womb. This pathology is called "perinatal". Also, problems with the central nervous system occur in premature babies who were born ahead of schedule. The reason for this is the immaturity of the baby's organs and tissues, and the unpreparedness of the nervous system for independent work.

The main causes of intrauterine pathology can be called:

Fetal hypoxia.
Injury during childbirth.
Oxygen starvation during delivery.
Metabolic disorders in a child before birth.
Infectious diseases in a pregnant woman (ureaplasmosis, HIV, etc.).
Complications during pregnancy.

All these factors that negatively affect the condition of the newborn are called residual organic (according to ICD-10).

Fetal hypoxia

This term implies oxygen starvation inside the womb. This usually happens if the pregnant woman led an unhealthy lifestyle, had bad habits, etc. Previous abortions, impaired uterine blood flow, etc. can also negatively affect.

Injuries during childbirth

Most often, traumatization occurs with an incorrectly selected delivery option or due to errors of an obstetrician-gynecologist. This leads to disruption of the central nervous system in the first hours after the birth of the baby.

Metabolic disorder

Usually this process begins in the first months of embryo formation. This happens due to the negative effects of poisons, toxins or drugs.

Infectious diseases in pregnant women

Any disease during the period of bearing a baby can lead to unpleasant consequences. Therefore, it is very important for a pregnant woman to protect herself from colds, viruses and infections. Of particular danger are diseases such as measles, rubella, chickenpox, etc., especially in the first trimester.

Pathologies during pregnancy

A lot of factors influence the development of the fetus, for example, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, triplets, twins.

genetic predisposition

The central nervous system will be formed defectively if the infant has such diseases as Down syndrome, Evards, etc.

Symptoms

The defeat of the central nervous system of the newborn goes through three periods of development:

Acute, which occurs in the first month after birth.
Early - at 2-3 months of life.
Late - in full-term children at 4-12 months, in premature babies - at the age of 4-24 months.
Outcome of the disease.

The acute period is characterized by cerebral symptoms:

decreased motor activity, impaired muscle tone, weakness of congenital reflexes;
increased nervous excitability;
shuddering of the baby, trembling of the chin;
frequent crying for no reason, poor sleep.

In the early period, there is a pronounced focal damage to the central nervous system. You can observe the following signs:

impaired motor activity, weak muscle tone, paresis, paralysis, spasms;
accumulation of fluid in the brain, increased intracranial pressure. This is noticeable by the protruding fontanel, enlarged head. Such children are very capricious, restless, their eyeballs tremble, and they often burp.
the skin acquires a marble color, the heart and respiratory rhythms are disturbed, and digestive disorders appear.

In the late period, all of the above symptoms gradually fade away. All functions and tone of the limbs return to normal. The time during which the body is fully restored depends on the degree of damage to the nervous system.

The outcome of the disease is different for everyone. Some children have neuropsychiatric problems, while others make a full recovery.

Classification

All pathologies of the central nervous system can be divided into types:

Light - in this case, the child's muscle tone may be slightly increased or decreased, sometimes there is a slight strabismus.
Medium - muscle tone is always lowered, there are practically no reflexes or there are in small quantities. This condition can change to hypertonicity, convulsions, oculomotor disorders.
Severe - in this case, not only the motor system is subject to oppression, but also the internal organs of the child. There may be convulsions, problems with the heart, kidneys, lungs, intestinal paralysis, insufficient production of hormones, etc.

You can classify according to the reasons that caused the pathology:

Hypoxic damage to the central nervous system in newborns is ischemic, hemorrhage inside the skull.
Traumatic - trauma of the skull during childbirth, damage to the spinal system, pathology of peripheral nerves.
Dysmetabolic - excess in the blood of a newborn of calcium, magnesium and other trace elements.
Infectious - the consequences of infections suffered by a pregnant woman.

This anomaly can manifest itself in different ways:

Hypoxic ischemic damage to the central nervous system in newborns (encephalopathy, a mild form of pathology) often leads to cerebral ischemia of the 1st degree, in which all disorders disappear a week after the birth of the baby. At this time, small deviations from the norm of the development of the nervous system can be observed. With ischemia of the second degree, convulsions are added to everything, but they also last no more than a week. But with 3 degrees of damage, all these symptoms last more than 7 days, while intracranial pressure is increased.

With the progression of ischemic damage to the central nervous system in newborns, the child may fall into a coma.

Hemorrhage in the brain. At the first stage of the pathology, there are practically no symptoms, but 2 and 3 lead to severe disorders of the central nervous system (convulsions, the development of a shock state). The most dangerous thing is that the child can fall into a coma, and if blood enters the subarachnoid cavity, overexcitation of the nervous system is possible. There is a possibility of developing acute dropsy of the brain.

Sometimes a cerebral hemorrhage does not have any symptoms, it all depends on the affected area.

In case of injury - this can happen during delivery, when forceps are applied to the baby's head. If something goes wrong, then acute hypoxia and hemorrhage are possible. In this case, the baby will experience minor convulsions, enlarged pupils, increased intracranial pressure, and even hydrocephalus. Most often, the nervous system of such a child is overexcited. Injury can be caused not only to the brain, but also to the spinal cord. The baby may also develop a hemorrhagic stroke, in which convulsions, CNS depression and even a coma are observed.
With dysmetabolism - in most cases, the child's blood pressure rises, convulsions appear, he may lose consciousness.
With hypoxic ischemia, the signs and course of the pathology in this case depend on the location of the hemorrhage and its severity.

The most dangerous consequences of CNS damage are hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Diagnostics

The presence of perinatal pathology of the central nervous system in a child can be judged even during its intrauterine development. In addition to collecting an anamnesis, methods such as neurosornography, X-ray of the skull and spine, CT and MRI are also used.

It is very important to make a correct diagnosis and distinguish CNS damage from malformations, abnormal metabolism, and genetic diseases. It depends on the methods and methods of treatment.

Therapy for CNS damage depends on its stage. In most cases, drugs are used that improve blood flow and blood supply to the brain. Nootropic drugs, vitamins, anticonvulsant drugs are also used.

In each case, a different method of treatment is selected, which is determined by the doctor and depends on the stage, degree and period of the disease. Drug treatment in infants is carried out in a hospital. After the disappearance of the symptoms of pathology, the restoration of the correct functioning of the central nervous system begins. This usually happens at home.

Children who have affected the central nervous system need activities such as:

Massotherapy. It is best if it takes place in the aquatic environment. Such procedures help to completely relax the body of the child and achieve a greater effect.
Electrophoresis.
A set of exercises that allow you to establish the correct connections between reflexes and correct existing violations.
Physiotherapy for stimulation and proper development of the sense organs. It can be music therapy, light therapy and so on.

These procedures are allowed for children from the second month of life and only under the supervision of doctors.

Treatment

Unfortunately, the dead neurons of the brain can no longer be restored, so the treatment is aimed at maintaining the work of those that have survived and will be able to take on the functions of the lost ones. The list of drugs that are used in the treatment of CNS pathologies is as follows:

To improve cerebral circulation, nootropic substances are prescribed (Semax, Piracetam, Noofen, Nootropil, Actovegin).
Cerebrolysin or Cerebrolysate is used to stimulate the brain areas.
To improve microcirculation - Trental, Pentoxifylline.
Anticonvulsants, psychostimulants.

Consequences of pathology and prognosis

If the child was given full and timely assistance, then the forecasts can be very favorable. It is important to use all available methods of treatment at an early stage of manifestation of pathology.

This statement applies only to mild and moderate CNS lesions.

In this case, proper treatment can lead to recovery and restoration of the work of all organs and functions of the body. However, slight developmental deviations, subsequent hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder are possible.

If a child is diagnosed with a severe form of CNS disease, then the prognosis will not be very favorable. It can lead to disability and even death. Most often, such lesions lead to hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Sometimes the pathology can go to the internal organs of the child and cause chronic diseases of the kidneys, lungs or heart.

Preventive measures

Every mother should have favorable conditions in order to give birth to a healthy baby. She must give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs), eat right and rationally and spend more time outdoors.

During pregnancy, it is necessary to undergo screenings that will show possible pathologies and indicate the risks of having a baby with genetic pathologies. Serious diseases of the child are noticeable even during pregnancy, sometimes they can be corrected with the help of medications. This is effective for fetal hypoxia, the threat of miscarriage, impaired blood flow.

After the birth of the baby, it is necessary to regularly visit the pediatrician and specialized doctors. This will help reduce the risks of the subsequent development of the pathological process in the central nervous system. You also need to monitor the health of the baby, avoid injuries to the skull and spine and do all the necessary vaccinations.

If a doctor talks about neuralgia and even VVD, then an ordinary person has at least a rough idea of what it is about. But the diagnosis of “residual organic lesion of the central nervous system”, as a rule, confuses everyone (except physicians). It is clear that this is "something in the head." But what? How dangerous and whether it can be treated - this topic requires a serious approach.

What is hidden behind the complex term?

Before revealing such a medical concept as a residual organic lesion of the central nervous system, it is necessary to understand what is generally understood as an organic disorder. This means that dystrophic changes occur in the brain - cells are destroyed and die, that is, this organ is in an unstable state. The word "residual" indicates that the pathology appeared in a person during the perinatal period (when he was still in the womb) - from 154 days of gestation (in other words, at 22 weeks), when the fetus weighed 500 g, and 7 days after emergence into the world. The disease consists in the fact that the work of the central nervous system organs is disrupted. Thus, a person acquires this pathology as an infant, and it can manifest itself both immediately after birth and in adulthood. The reason for its development in adults is trauma, intoxication (including alcohol, drugs), inflammatory diseases (encephalitis, meningitis).

Why does the brain or spinal cord suffer (it also belongs to the central nervous system)? If we talk about the second, then the reason may be incorrect obstetric care - for example, inaccurate turns of the head when removing the baby. Residual organic brain damage develops due to genetic disorders that are inherited, maternal diseases, abnormal childbirth, stress, malnutrition and behavior of a pregnant woman (in particular, taking dietary supplements, medications that adversely affect the formation of organs of the nervous system), asphyxia during time of childbirth, infectious diseases of a nursing woman and other adverse factors.

Not like everyone else! External signs of a dangerous inheritance

It is quite difficult to detect residual organic CNS damage in children without instrumental methods of examination. Parents may not notice anything unusual in the physical condition and behavior of the baby. But an experienced neurologist is likely to notice alarming symptoms. His attention will be attracted by such characteristic signs of pathology in an infant:

involuntary trembling of the upper limbs and chin;
unmotivated anxiety;
lack of muscle tension (which is typical for newborns);
lagging behind the accepted terms of formation of arbitrary movements.

With gross brain damage, the picture of the disease looks like this:

paralysis of any of the limbs;
blindness;
violation of pupil movements, strabismus;
reflex failure.

In an older child and an adult, pathology can manifest itself with the following symptoms:

fatigue, unstable mood, inability to adapt to physical and mental stress, increased irritability, capriciousness;
tic, fears, nocturnal enuresis;
mental anxiety, distraction;
poor memory, lag in intellectual and speech development, low learning ability, impaired perception;
aggression, agitation, tantrums and, lack of self-criticism;
inability to make independent decisions, suppression, dependence;
motor hyperactivity;
diffuse headache (especially in the morning);
progressive loss of vision;
sometimes vomiting without nausea;
convulsions.

Important! At the first, even minor, signs of organic brain damage, it is recommended to immediately contact a highly qualified specialist, since a timely diagnosis significantly reduces the risk of developing dangerous and irreversible consequences.

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What diagnostic procedures will confirm the diagnosis?

Today, the following methods are used to diagnose this pathology:

MRI of the brain;
electroencephalography;
raoencephalography.

The patient must be examined by several specialists: a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a defectologist, a speech therapist.

Can the brain be healed?

It must be understood that the term "unspecified residual organic lesion of the central nervous system" (ICB code 10 - G96.9) means several pathologies. Therefore, the choice of therapeutic methods of exposure depends on the prevalence, location, degree of necrosis of the nervous tissue and the patient's condition. The medicinal component of treatment usually includes sedatives, nootropics, tranquilizers, hypnotics, antipsychotics, psychostimulants, drugs that improve cerebral circulation, vitamin complexes. Good results are given by physiotherapy, acupuncture, bioacoustic correction of GM, massage sessions. A child with such a diagnosis needs psychotherapeutic intervention, neuropsychological rehabilitation, and the help of a speech therapist.

Although it is believed that organic lesions of the nervous system are persistent and lifelong, with mild disorders and an integrated approach to therapy, it is still possible to achieve a complete recovery. In severe lesions, brain edema, spasm of the respiratory muscles, and a malfunction of the center that controls the work of the cardiovascular system are possible. Therefore, constant medical monitoring of the patient's condition is indicated. The consequence of this pathology can be epilepsy, mental retardation. In the worst case, when the scale of damage is too great, it can lead to the death of the newborn or fetus.

This diagnosis is currently one of the most common. An organic lesion of the central nervous system (central nervous system) in its classical content is a neurological diagnosis, i.e. is in the competence of the neuropathologist. But the symptoms and syndromes accompanying this diagnosis can refer to any other medical specialty.

This diagnosis means that the human brain is defective to a certain extent. But, if a mild degree (5-20%) of "organics" (organic damage to the central nervous system) is inherent in almost all people (98-99%) and does not require any special medical interventions, then the average degree (20-50%) of organics is not just a quantitatively different condition, but a qualitatively different (fundamentally more severe) type of disturbance in the activity of the nervous system.

The causes of organic lesions are divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital cases include cases when, during pregnancy, the mother of the unborn child suffered any infection (ARI, flu, tonsillitis, etc.), took certain medications, alcohol, and smoked. A unified blood supply system will bring stress hormones into the body of the fetus during periods of psychological stress of the mother. In addition, sudden changes in temperature and pressure, exposure to radioactive substances and X-rays, toxic substances dissolved in water, contained in the air, in food, etc. also affect.

There are several especially critical periods when even a slight external impact on the mother's body can lead to the death of the fetus or cause such significant changes in the structure of the body (including the brain) of the future person that, firstly, no medical intervention correct, and secondly, these changes can lead to early death of a child before 5-15 years of age (and usually mothers report this) or cause disability from a very early age. And in the best case, they lead to the appearance of a pronounced inferiority of the brain, when even at maximum voltage the brain is able to work only at 20-40 percent of its potential capacity. Almost always, these disorders are accompanied by varying degrees of disharmony of mental activity, when, with a reduced mental potential, far from always positive qualities of character are sharpened.

This can also be facilitated by taking certain medications, physical and emotional overload, asphyxia during childbirth (oxygen starvation of the fetus), protracted labor, early placental abruption, uterine atony, etc. After childbirth, severe infections (with severe symptoms of intoxication, high fever, etc. .) up to 3 years are able to generate acquired organic changes in the brain. Brain injury with or without loss of consciousness, prolonged or short general anesthesia, drug use, alcohol abuse, long-term (several months) self-administration (without the prescription and constant supervision of an experienced psychiatrist or psychotherapist) use of some psychotropic drugs can lead to some reversible or irreversible changes in the functioning of the brain.

Diagnosis of organics is quite simple. A professional psychiatrist can already determine the presence or absence of organics by the face of a child. And, in some cases, even the degree of its severity. Another question is that there are hundreds of types of disorders in the functioning of the brain, and in each specific case they are in a very special combination and connection with each other.

Laboratory diagnostics is based on a series of procedures that are quite harmless to the body and informative for the doctor: EEG - electroencephalograms, REG - rheoencephalograms (study of cerebral vessels), UZDG (M-echoEG) - ultrasound diagnostics of the brain. These three examinations are similar in form to an electrocardiogram, only they are taken from a person’s head. Computed tomography, with its very impressive and expressive name, is actually capable of revealing a very small number of types of brain pathology - a tumor, a volumetric process, aneurysm (pathological expansion of a brain vessel), expansion of the main brain cisterns (with increased intracranial pressure). The most informative study is the EEG.

It should be noted that practically no disorders of the central nervous system disappear by themselves, and with age not only do not decrease, but increase both quantitatively and qualitatively. The mental development of a child directly depends on the state of the brain. If the brain has at least some defectiveness, then this will certainly reduce the intensity of the child's mental development in the future (difficulty in the processes of thinking, memorization and recall, impoverishment of imagination and fantasy). In addition, the character of a person is formed distorted, with varying degrees of severity of a certain type of psychopathization. The presence of even small, but numerous changes in the psychology and psyche of the child leads to a significant decrease in the organization of his external and internal phenomena and actions. There is an impoverishment of emotions and their flattening, which is directly and indirectly reflected in the facial expressions and gestures of the child.

The central nervous system regulates the work of all internal organs. And if it works defectively, then the rest of the organs, with the most careful care of each of them separately, will not be able to work normally in principle if they are poorly regulated by the brain. One of the most common diseases of our time - vegetative-vascular dystonia against the background of organic matter acquires a more severe, peculiar and atypical course. And thus, it not only causes more trouble, but these "troubles" themselves are of a more malignant nature. The physical development of the body goes with any disturbances - there may be a violation of the figure, a decrease in muscle tone, a decrease in their resistance to physical exertion, even of a moderate magnitude. The likelihood of increased intracranial pressure increases by 2-6 times. This can lead to frequent headaches and various kinds of unpleasant sensations in the head area, which reduce the productivity of mental and physical labor by 2-4 times. Also, the likelihood of endocrine disorders increases by 3-4 times, which leads, with minor additional stress factors, to diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, imbalance of sex hormones, followed by a violation of the sexual development of the body as a whole (an increase in the amount of male sex hormones in girls and female hormones - in boys), the risk of developing a brain tumor, convulsive syndrome (local or general convulsions with loss of consciousness), epilepsy (group 2 disability), cerebrovascular accident in adulthood in the presence of even moderate hypertension (stroke), diencephalic syndrome (attacks of unreasonable fear, various pronounced unpleasant sensations in any part of the body, lasting from several minutes to several hours). Hearing and vision may decrease over time, coordination of movements of a sports, household, aesthetic and technical nature is disturbed, making it difficult for social and professional adaptation.

Organic treatment is a long process. It is necessary to take vascular preparations twice a year for 1-2 months. Concomitant neuropsychiatric disorders also require their own separate and special correction, which must be carried out by a psychiatrist. To control the degree of effectiveness of the treatment of organics and the nature and magnitude of the resulting changes in the state of the brain, the control of the doctor himself at the reception and EEG, REG, and ultrasound is used.

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The central nervous system is precisely the mechanism that helps a person grow and navigate in this world. But sometimes this mechanism fails, "breaks". It is especially scary if this happens in the first minutes and days of the child's independent life or even before he is born. About why the child is affected by the central nervous system and how to help the baby, we will tell in this article.

What it is

The central nervous system is a close "bundle" of the two most important links - the brain and spinal cord. The main function that nature assigned to the central nervous system is to provide reflexes, both simple (swallowing, sucking, breathing) and complex ones. CNS, or rather, its middle and lower sections, regulate the activity of all organs and systems, provides communication between them. The highest department is the cerebral cortex. It is responsible for self-awareness and self-awareness, for the connection of a person with the world, with the reality surrounding the child.

Violations, and consequently, damage to the central nervous system, can begin even during the development of the fetus in the mother's womb, and can occur under the influence of certain factors immediately or some time after birth.

Which part of the central nervous system is affected will determine which body functions will be impaired, and the degree of damage will determine the degree of consequences.

The reasons

In children with CNS disorders, about half of all cases are intrauterine lesions, doctors call this perinatal CNS pathologies. At the same time, more than 70% of them are premature babies, which appeared earlier than the prescribed obstetric period. In this case, the main root cause lies in the immaturity of all organs and systems, including the nervous one, it is not ready for autonomous work.

Approximately 9-10% of toddlers born with lesions of the central nervous system were born on time with normal weight. The state of the nervous system, experts believe, in this case is influenced by negative intrauterine factors, such as prolonged hypoxia experienced by the baby in the womb during gestation, birth trauma, as well as the state of acute oxygen starvation during difficult delivery, metabolic disorders of the child, which began even before birth, infectious diseases transferred by the expectant mother, complications of pregnancy. All lesions caused by the above factors during pregnancy or immediately after childbirth are also called residual organic:

Fetal hypoxia. Most often, babies whose mothers abuse alcohol, drugs, smoke or work in hazardous industries suffer from a lack of oxygen in the blood during pregnancy. The number of abortions that preceded these births is also of great importance, since the changes that occur in the tissues of the uterus after an abortion contribute to the disruption of uterine blood flow during a subsequent pregnancy.

traumatic causes. Birth injuries can be associated with both incorrectly chosen delivery tactics and medical errors during the birth process. Injuries also include actions that lead to a violation of the central nervous system of the child after childbirth, in the first hours after birth.
Fetal metabolic disorders. Such processes usually begin in the first - the beginning of the second trimester. They are directly related to the disruption of the functioning of the organs and systems of the baby's body under the influence of poisons, toxins, and some medications.
Maternal infections. Especially dangerous are diseases that are caused by viruses (measles, rubella, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus infection and a number of other ailments) if the disease occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy.

pathology of pregnancy. The state of the central nervous system of the child is affected by a wide variety of features of the gestation period - polyhydramnios and oligohydramnios, pregnancy with twins or triplets, placental abruption and other reasons.
Severe genetic diseases. Usually, pathologies such as Down and Evards syndromes, trisomy, and a number of others are accompanied by significant organic changes in the central nervous system.

At the current level of development of medicine, CNS pathologies become obvious to neonatologists already in the first hours after the birth of a baby. Less often - in the first weeks.

Sometimes, especially with organic lesions of mixed genesis, the true cause cannot be established, especially if it is related to the perinatal period.

Classification and symptoms

The list of possible symptoms depends on the causes, extent and extent of lesions of the brain or spinal cord, or combined lesions. Also, the outcome is affected by the time of negative impact - how long the child was exposed to factors that affected the activity and functionality of the central nervous system. It is important to quickly determine the period of the disease - acute, early recovery, late recovery or the period of residual effects.

All pathologies of the central nervous system have three degrees of severity:

Light. This degree is manifested by a slight increase or decrease in the tone of the baby's muscles, convergent strabismus may be observed.

Average. With such lesions, muscle tone is always reduced, reflexes are completely or partially absent. This condition is replaced by hypertonicity, convulsions. There are characteristic oculomotor disorders.
Heavy. Not only motor function and muscle tone suffer, but also internal organs. If the central nervous system is severely depressed, convulsions of varying intensity may begin. Problems with cardiac and renal activity can be very pronounced, as well as the development of respiratory failure. The intestines may be paralyzed. The adrenal glands do not produce the right hormones in the right amount.

According to the etiology of the cause that caused problems with the activity of the brain or spinal cord, pathologies are divided (however, very conditionally) into:

Hypoxic (ischemic, intracranial hemorrhages, combined).
Traumatic (birth trauma of the skull, birth spinal lesions, birth pathologies of peripheral nerves).
Dysmetabolic (nuclear jaundice, excess in the blood and tissues of the child of the level of calcium, magnesium, potassium).
Infectious (consequences of maternal infections, hydrocephalus, intracranial hypertension).

Clinical manifestations of different types of lesions also differ significantly from each other:

ischemic lesions. The most "harmless" disease is cerebral ischemia of the 1st degree. With it, the child demonstrates CNS disorders only in the first 7 days after birth. The reason most often lies in fetal hypoxia. The baby at this time can observe relatively mild signs of arousal or depression of the central nervous system.
The second degree of this disease is put in the event that if violations and even convulsions last more than a week after birth. We can talk about the third degree if the child has constantly increased intracranial pressure, frequent and severe convulsions are observed, and there are other autonomic disorders.

Usually this degree of cerebral ischemia tends to progress, the child's condition worsens, the baby may fall into a coma.

Hypoxic cerebral hemorrhages. If, as a result of oxygen starvation, a child has a hemorrhage into the ventricles of the brain, then at the first degree there may be no symptoms and signs at all. But already the second and third degrees of such a hemorrhage lead to severe brain damage - a convulsive syndrome, the development of shock. The child may go into a coma. If blood enters the subarachnoid cavity, then the child will be diagnosed with overexcitation of the central nervous system. There is a high probability of developing dropsy of the brain in an acute form.

Bleeding into the ground substance of the brain is not always noticeable at all. Much depends on which part of the brain is affected.

Traumatic lesions, birth trauma. If during childbirth, doctors had to use forceps on the baby's head and something went wrong, if acute hypoxia occurred, then most often this is followed by a cerebral hemorrhage. With a birth injury, the child experiences convulsions to a more or less pronounced degree, the pupil on one side (the one where the hemorrhage occurred) increases in size. The main sign of traumatic damage to the central nervous system is an increase in pressure inside the child's skull. Acute hydrocephalus may develop. The neurologist testifies that in this case the central nervous system is more often excited than suppressed. Not only the brain, but also the spinal cord can be injured. This is most often manifested by sprains and tears, hemorrhage. In children, breathing is disturbed, hypotension of all muscles, spinal shock is observed.
Dysmetabolic lesions. With such pathologies, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the child has increased blood pressure, convulsive seizures are observed, and consciousness is quite pronouncedly depressed. The cause can be established by blood tests that show either a critical calcium deficiency, or a lack of sodium, or another imbalance of other substances.

Periods

The prognosis and course of the disease depends on the period in which the baby is. There are three main periods of development of pathology:

Spicy. Violations have just begun and have not yet had time to cause serious consequences. This is usually the first month of an independent life of a child, the neonatal period. At this time, a baby with CNS lesions usually sleeps poorly and restlessly, cries often and for no apparent reason, he is excitable, can shudder without an irritant even in his sleep. Muscle tone is increased or decreased. If the degree of damage is higher than the first, then reflexes may weaken, in particular, the baby will begin to suck and swallow worse and weaker. During this period, the baby may begin to develop hydrocephalus, this will be manifested by a noticeable growth of the head and strange eye movements.

Restorative. It may be early or late. If the baby is at the age of 2-4 months, then they talk about early recovery, if he is already from 5 to 12 months, then about late. Sometimes parents notice disturbances in the work of the central nervous system in their crumbs for the first time in the early period. At 2 months, such little ones almost do not express emotions, they are not interested in bright hanging toys. In the late period, the child noticeably lags behind in his development, does not sit, does not coo, his cry is quiet and usually very monotonous, emotionally uncolored.
Effects. This period begins after the child is one year old. At this age, the doctor is able to most accurately assess the consequences of a CNS disorder in this particular case. Symptoms may disappear, however, the disease does not disappear anywhere. Most often, doctors give such children a year such verdicts as hyperactivity syndrome, developmental delay (speech, physical, mental).

The most severe diagnoses that can indicate the consequences of CNS pathologies are hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, epilepsy.

Treatment

It is possible to talk about treatment when CNS lesions are diagnosed with maximum accuracy. Unfortunately, in modern medical practice there is a problem of overdiagnosis, in other words, every baby whose chin trembled during a month of examination, who does not eat well and sleeps restlessly, can easily be diagnosed with cerebral ischemia. If the neurologist claims that your baby has CNS lesions, you should definitely insist on a comprehensive diagnosis, which will include ultrasound of the brain (through the fontanel), computed tomography, and in special cases, an x-ray of the skull or spine.

Every diagnosis that is somehow related to CNS lesions must be diagnostically confirmed. If signs of a CNS disorder were noticed in the maternity hospital, then the timely assistance provided by neonatologists helps to minimize the severity of possible consequences. It just sounds scary - CNS damage. In fact, most of these pathologies are reversible and subject to correction if detected in time.

For treatment, drugs are usually used that improve blood flow and blood supply to the brain - a large group of nootropic drugs, vitamin therapy, anticonvulsants.

The exact list of drugs can only be called by a doctor, since this list depends on the causes, degree, period and depth of the lesion. Drug treatment for newborns and infants is usually provided in a hospital setting. After the relief of symptoms, the main stage of therapy begins, aimed at restoring the correct functioning of the central nervous system. This stage usually takes place at home, and the parents bear a great responsibility for complying with numerous medical recommendations.

Children with functional and organic disorders of the central nervous system need:

therapeutic massage, including hydromassage (procedures take place in water);
electrophoresis, exposure to magnetic fields;
Vojta therapy (a set of exercises that allow you to destroy reflex incorrect connections and create new ones - correct ones, thereby correcting movement disorders);
Physiotherapy for the development and stimulation of the development of the senses (music therapy, light therapy, color therapy).

Such exposures are allowed for children from 1 month old and should be supervised by specialists.

A little later, parents will be able to master the techniques of therapeutic massage on their own, but it is better to go to a professional for several sessions, although this is quite an expensive pleasure.

Consequences and predictions

Forecasts for the future for a child with lesions of the central nervous system can be quite favorable, provided that he is provided with prompt and timely medical care in the acute or early recovery period. This statement is true only for mild and moderate CNS lesions. In this case, the main prognosis includes a full recovery and restoration of all functions, a slight developmental delay, the subsequent development of hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder.

In severe forms, the forecasts are not so optimistic. The child may remain disabled, and deaths at an early age are not excluded. Most often, lesions of the central nervous system of this kind lead to the development of hydrocephalus, to cerebral palsy, to epileptic seizures. As a rule, some internal organs also suffer, the child has parallel chronic diseases of the kidneys, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, marbled skin.

Prevention

Prevention of pathologies from the central nervous system in a child is the task of the expectant mother. At risk - women who do not leave bad habits while carrying a baby - smoke, drink alcohol or drugs.

All pregnant women must be registered with an obstetrician-gynecologist in a antenatal clinic. During pregnancy, they will be asked to undergo so-called screening three times, which reveals the risks of having a child with genetic disorders from this particular pregnancy. Many gross pathologies of the fetal central nervous system become noticeable even during pregnancy, some problems can be corrected with drugs, for example, uteroplacental blood flow disorders, fetal hypoxia, the threat of miscarriage due to a small detachment.

A pregnant woman needs to monitor her diet, take vitamin complexes for expectant mothers, do not self-medicate, be wary of various medications that have to be taken during the period of bearing a child.

This will help to avoid metabolic disorders in the baby. You should be especially careful when choosing a maternity home (the birth certificate, which all pregnant women receive, allows you to make any choice). After all, the actions of personnel during the birth of a child play a large role in the possible risks of traumatic lesions of the central nervous system in a baby.

After the birth of a healthy baby, it is very important to visit the pediatrician regularly, protect the baby from injuries of the skull and spine, and do age-appropriate vaccinations that will protect the little one from dangerous infectious diseases, which at an early age can also lead to the development of pathologies of the central nervous system.

In the next video, you will learn about the signs of a nervous system disorder in a newborn that you can determine for yourself.

The central nervous system (CNS) is the main part of the human nervous system, which consists of an accumulation of nerve cells. In humans, it is represented by the spinal cord and brain. The departments of the central nervous system regulate the activity of individual organs and systems of the body, and generally ensure the unity of its activity. With lesions of the central nervous system, this function is impaired.

Damage to the central nervous system can occur in a child both during fetal development (perinatally) and during childbirth (intranatally). If harmful factors affected the child at the embryonic stage of intrauterine development, then severe defects incompatible with life may occur. After eight weeks of pregnancy, damaging influences no longer cause gross violations, but sometimes slight deviations appear in the formation of the child. After 28 weeks of intrauterine development, damaging effects will not lead to malformations, but a normally formed child may develop some kind of disease.

Perinatal damage to the central nervous system (PP CNS)

This pathology is most recorded in children of the first year of life. This diagnosis implies a violation of the function or structure of the brain of various origins. PP CNS occurs in the perinatal period. It includes antenatal (from the 28th week of intrauterine development to the onset of childbirth), intranatal (the act of childbirth itself) and early neonatal (the first week of a child's life) periods.

The symptoms of PP CNS include an increase in neuro-reflex excitability; decreased muscle tone and reflexes, short-term convulsions and anxiety; muscle hypotension, hyporeflexia; respiratory, cardiac, renal disorders; paresis and paralysis, etc.

The following causes influence the occurrence of perinatal CNS damage: maternal somatic diseases, malnutrition and immaturity of a pregnant woman, acute infectious diseases during pregnancy, hereditary diseases, metabolic disorders, pathological pregnancy, and unfavorable environmental conditions.

According to their origin, all perinatal lesions of the central nervous system can be divided into:

Hypoxic-ischemic damage to the central nervous system. Hypoxic-ischemic damage to the central nervous system occurs due to a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus or its utilization during pregnancy or childbirth;
Traumatic damage to the central nervous system. Traumatic damage to the central nervous system is caused by traumatic damage to the fetal head at the time of delivery;
Hypoxic-traumatic lesion of the central nervous system. Hypoxic-traumatic damage to the central nervous system is characterized by a combination of hypoxia and damage to the cervical spine and the spinal cord located in it;
Hypoxic-hemorrhagic lesion of the central nervous system. Hypoxic-hemorrhagic damage to the central nervous system occurs during birth trauma and is accompanied by impaired cerebral circulation up to hemorrhages.

In recent years, the diagnostic capabilities of children's medical institutions have improved significantly. After one month of a child's life, a neurologist can determine the exact nature and extent of CNS damage, as well as predict the further course of the disease, or completely remove the suspicion of a brain disease. The diagnosis can be characterized by a complete recovery or the development of minimal CNS disorders, as well as severe diseases that require mandatory treatment and regular monitoring by a neurologist.

Treatment of the acute period of perinatal lesions of the central nervous system is carried out in a hospital. Drug therapy, massage, physical therapy and physiotherapy, acupuncture, as well as elements of pedagogical correction are used as the main treatment for the disease.

Organic lesion of the central nervous system

This diagnosis means that the human brain is defective to a certain extent. Pathological changes occur in the substance of the brain. A mild degree of organic damage to the central nervous system is inherent in almost all people and does not require medical intervention. But here the average and severe degree of this disease is already a violation of the activity of the nervous system. Symptoms include freezing spells, sleep disturbance, irritability, rapid distractibility, repetition of phrases, and daytime enuresis. Vision and hearing may deteriorate, coordination of movements may be disturbed. Human immunity decreases, various colds occur.

The causes of organic lesions of the central nervous system are divided into congenital and acquired. The former include cases when, during pregnancy, the child's mother had an infection (ARI, influenza, tonsillitis), took certain medications, smoked and drank alcohol. During periods of psychological stress of the mother, a single blood supply system can transfer stress hormones into the body of the fetus. The influence is exerted by sudden changes in temperature and pressure, exposure to radioactive and toxic substances contained in the air, dissolved in water, food, etc.

Diagnosing an organic lesion of the central nervous system is quite simple. An experienced psychiatrist can determine the presence or absence of organics by the child's face. Nevertheless, the types of disorders in the brain are determined by laboratory diagnostics, which is based on a series of procedures that are harmless to the body and informative for the doctor: ultrasound diagnostics of the brain, electroencephalograms, and rheoencephalograms.

Organic treatment is a very long process. It is mainly medicinal. Drugs are used to treat organic CNS damage. For example, nootropic drugs can improve brain activity. Vascular preparations are used.

Often, children are diagnosed with "residual lesion of the HNS." Residual organic lesions of the central nervous system are present in children mainly as residual effects of birth trauma and brain disorders. It manifests itself as a disorder of associative thinking, and in more severe cases, neurological disorders. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor. Various elements of pedagogical correction are used, exercises for concentration of attention, classes with a psychologist and a speech therapist are useful.

The consequences of damage to the central nervous system depend primarily on the degree of the disease. Both a complete recovery and a delay in mental, motor or speech development in a child, various neurological reactions, etc. are possible. It is important that a child receive a full rehabilitation during the first year of life.

Help children with central nervous system disease

At the moment, there are no children with this diagnosis in the care of our foundation. However, you can help sick children with other diagnoses!