Bacterial or viral infection in children blood

In years past, when people were diagnosed with SARS, the main drugs for treatment were antibiotics. Today came another time. The study of the nature of the disease have shown that most colds are caused by viruses. To deal with them antibiotics are not suitable.

The question arises, how do you determine bacterial infection in children blood. This technique does not give very accurate results, but it is much cheaper than other ways to determine bacterial infection, and results will be available after 24 hours.

Determination of the bacterial nature of the disease according to the blood test

Bacterial infection sometimes has so much severity of clinical picture that the physician to make a diagnosis is not required a blood test. Typical symptoms, he might even suggest what kind of pathogen caused the disease. To verify his assumption, the patient gives blood.

The child with bacterial disease appear purulent inflammation. The presence of pus indicates the formation of such an infection. However, even if pus is absent, it is impossible to speak about the absence of bacteria, as the disease may be atypical.

The signs of bacterial infection are:

• Snot green,
• Cough with sputum,
• Tonsils covered with white bloom,
• The enlarged lymph nodes.

A blood test, its data

The blood contains many white blood cells (blood cells white). They are responsible for immune regulation of the whole organism. When the inflammation begins, white blood cell count increases dramatically starts leukocytosis.

During viral infections the number of cells is almost not increased, but the bacterial infection causes an increase in their number.

You can often hear from the doctor strange phrase "shift left" when he is examining a blood test taken to detect bacterial infection.

Usually the white blood cells in the human body are a heterogeneous cell line. Each of them different in their appearance and performs a specific function. When there is an increase in bacterial inflammation, dramatically increases the number of segmented cells.

When very severe inflammation in the blood revealed a large number of young cells. This means that the immune system simply does not have time to "train" the white blood cells and make them segmented. Young, fragile cells, go straight to the source of infection.

When the leukocyte count shift to the young, young cells, doctors call this phenomenon a "shift to the left leukocyte forms".

In most cases, when there is an infectious period, increasing the number of lymphocytes in the blood increases the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). His figures exceed 12 mm/h.

Increased ESR occurs with an increase in the number of inflammatory proteins in the blood. But the value of ESR is not a major figure, so it can start to grow, because of the appearance of tumors and other inflammatory processes.

More information

In the presence of a viral infection, it definitely is a special biochemical analysis. In the case of bacterial inflammation, if you submitted the blood test may increase the level of total protein.

Note that the tubercle Bacillus that causes tuberculosis, is also considered a bacteria. However, when the body begin to multiply bacilli, leukocytosis is not detected. It can appear in the case of increasing the number of lymphocytes. A similar phenomenon occurs in the case of fungal infections, syphilis.

Therefore, any disease requires the analysis of blood. Its indicators will help to understand the entire clinical picture of the disease. Even knowing exactly how it is possible to determine the presence of bacterial infection, according to the blood test, it is difficult to say with absolute certainty in the accuracy of diagnosis. Only a comprehensive evaluation of symptoms, examination of additional data, mapping all the signs, helps the physician to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriatetreatment.

How to distinguish bacterial infection from viral, according to the numerical analysis data of the blood

Of course, the main differences between infections of different nature, shows a blood test. When there is viral infection the number of leukocytes remained unchanged, and sometimes even decreases.

Change normal leukogram is possible if the increase in the number of lymphocytes, or decrease the number of neutrophils. And slightly increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. As an exception, the increase in ESR can be observed in severe form of SARS.

In the presence of bacterial infection is increased white blood cells, resulting from the sharp growth of neutrophils. There is a decrease in lymphocytes, increase in the number of myelocytes and neutrophils stab specific. The patient in this period there is a high measure ESR.

The main symptoms differences started bacterial and viral infections

All viral infections have the same symptoms. The most typical are:

• Three days later, there are signs of infection,
• Two days lasts intoxication,
• Appears viral allergic,
• Fever.

  

The first symptoms of viral infection can be called:

• Rhinitis,
• Pharyngitis,
• Konyuktivit.

Bacteria evolve much more slowly. Quite often, there is a superimposition of bacterial infection on the existing viral disease. The main symptoms of bacterial infection are considered:

• Slow start,
• The first symptoms appear in two weeks,
• Low temperature,
• The presence of the lesion.

When urgent help is needed

• Temperature above 40 degrees,
• Not helping antipyretics,
• Mental confusion,
• The constant fainting,
• Rash,
• Small hemorrhages,
• Severe pain when breathing,
• Retrosternal pain,
• Cough with blood.

Conclusion

At the slightest appearance of these symptoms, do not delay visit to the doctor. Even knowing how to distinguish according to the blood test bacterial infection from a viral the child does not need to start self-treatment and to establish its diagnosis. Because you could be wrong, and then your treatment can lead to very serious consequences.

To a sick child or a grown man quickly recovered, you should immediately consult a physician. He will establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment.