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Acetone in a child: causes, symptoms and treatment

Parents are confronted with the situation that the child has the following symptoms: high fever, vomiting, intoxication, bad breath. All these are signs of elevated acetone in the urine. This diagnosis is called acetonemia.
Where does this condition come from, how to identify it, and how to deal with it.
Why does the level of acetone rise
The human body, and especially the child, needs energy to carry out life activities. Usually during normal functioning of the body, energy is produced through the exchange of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are most pronounced in products such as: bread, cereals, cereals. But when carbohydrates are not enough, and anergy is necessary, the body begins to oxidize fats and proteins, releasing toxic ketone bodies. Energy is allocated less. In the liver, in the process of glucose synthesis, oxidation products are released into the body - substances acetoacetic acid, beta-hydroxybutyric acid, acetone. Such substances poison the child’s body, irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, so stomach pain and vomiting occur. Vomiting dehydrates the body, further exacerbating glucose deficiency. It is necessary to treat acetonemia, it itself will not pass.

Symptoms of Acetonemia
The most striking are weakness, refusal to eat, abdominal pain.
Loss of appetite, nausea, lethargy, complaints of pain in the navel are possible. The consequence of all these symptoms is vomiting, and a characteristic smell of acetone from the mouth, from the urine.
In such cases, you need to see a doctor.
In such cases, it’s good to have test strips at home to detect acetone. Such strips are immersed in the urine, and in accordance with the acquired color, it will become clear to you what is the concentration of acetone in the urine.

How to reduce the concentration of acetone in the body

Give your child a lot to drink.
Drink should not be given much but often. About a period of 15 minutes. Preferably a warm compote of dried fruits or mineral water without gas.
You need to drink slowly, so as not to cause vomiting.
Sweet drinks should be in order to replenish the level of glucose in the body to stop the secretion of ketone bodies. Also, you can consult a doctor and clarify whether you can drink a glucose solution, or glucose in tablets.
You do not need to make a meal. Food does not digest everything at all.
What can not be given to a child after an acetone crisis:
Meat broths;
Veal in any form;
Pork in any form;
Poultry meat (boiled turkey is an exception);
Any fatty food;
Sausages;
Cabbage;
Tomatoes
Kiwi;
Legumes.

What can you eat after a crisis
From the second day it is only allowed to eat croutons, vegetable lean soup, liquid rice porridge, baked apple, banana, buckwheat.
From the second week, the diet can be expanded and added to the list of dairy products, boiled eggs, different cereals, steamed vegetables.
The next week the food should be without seasonings, smoked meats, not greasy, without marinades, the absence of any canned food.
In order to be ready to diagnose a crisis and not to be confused with ordinary poisoning, you need to always have test strips, sweet compote, glucose.
At the moment, pediatricians attribute the increase in acetone to a characteristic age-related illness. Until 10-12 years, such diseases must go away. Except when:
1. Long starvation, adherence to diets with a restriction of carbohydrates.
2. Excessive intake of protein and fatty foods.
3. Increased physical activity during sports training or at work.
4. Severe infectious or chronic diseases
5. Alcohol abuse.

11 September 2019, 00:09