Symptoms of the coronavirus in children 12 years old

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Coronavirus infection COVID-19 is a disease that continues to spread around the world and claim lives. And if in China most of the cases are elderly people, in other countries the incidence among adolescents is increasing. To protect your child, you need to know the main symptoms of coronavirus in children 12 years old.

Features of the manifestation of the disease in adolescents

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which provokes a pathological process. The disease can be of varying severity. It passes both without symptoms and causes a condition close to critical or even fatal.

All information presented here is for informational purposes only. To identify the presence of the disease and receive the correct treatment, you need to see a doctor.

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Coronavirus infection is a contagious disease, it is dangerous for human life and health. The peculiarity of the virus that causes the development of COVID-19 is that it leads to complications and even death.

According to official statistics, the disease affects adolescents less often than people of other age groups. In them, it usually does not cause serious damage to the lungs, does not provoke serious conditions that can be dangerous to the life and health of the child.

The proportion of cases among adolescents aged 10 to 18 is minimal. Approximately only 1% of the total number of all infected. This is due to adolescent immunity to the causative agent of the disease. It is more flexible, so a young body can resist.

Adolescents tolerate the disease more easily than adults. In 5% of cases, the disease does not manifest itself at all. A number of experts associate the low incidence of children aged 12-16 with the fact that quarantine was introduced in almost all educational institutions in March, as a result of which the contact of children with each other was limited.

If we talk about deaths, then among adolescents the percentage of deaths is very small. This is due to the fact that the younger generation does not yet have chronic diseases. But despite this, when the first signs of the disease appear, you must immediately consult a doctor.

Signs of the disease in adolescents

To understand if your child has contracted the coronavirus, you need to know what symptoms children as young as 12 may have. Despite the fact that COVID-19 has distinctive features, it is not easy to draw a clear line between it and ordinary SARS.

Symptoms of the disease include:

• high fever, which is quite often accompanied by fever. Depending on how much the lungs are affected, the body temperature may not drop below 39 ° C;
• cough is the most common symptom. If the disease is mild, then a slight perspiration appears. Coughing may occur. If the disease becomes complicated, then the cough becomes dry and paroxysmal;
• the person stops smelling. This symptom is always present, even when there is no fever or cough;
• runny nose manifests itself in more rare cases, swelling of the nasal mucosa is more common;
• an important symptom of coronavirus in children as young as 12 is diarrhea. Vomiting, nausea may often appear;
• given that the virus is quite strong and requires a lot of strength from the body, many people note severe weakness and fatigue.

Typically, if a teenager is infected with the virus, the body's first reaction is diarrhea and vomiting, which in turn leads to dehydration.

The virus spreads quite quickly, so if one of the signs appears, it is worth showing the child to the doctor in order to avoid serious damage to the lungs.

Complications that coronavirus can cause in adolescents

Coronavirus infection is a disease that anyone can get, regardless of age. But the risk group includes those people who are diagnosed with chronic diseases.

COVID-19 is especially dangerous for those adolescents who have previously had heart disease. Under the influence of the virus, the myocardium is damaged, which leads to a complete stop of the main organ of the body.

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If a teenager has a high fever and a cough (dry or wet), we can talk about the development of viral pneumonia.

The causative agent of pneumonia quickly affects the lung tissue, which leads to scarring of the lungs. When diagnosed, these scars look more like spots on a healthy organ.

It happens that fluid forms in the lungs, the patient has shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest, it becomes difficult to breathe. Inflammation of the brain, malfunctioning of the renal system may occur.

How is coronavirus treated in adolescents?

At the moment, there is no exact treatment regimen for COVID-19. That is why in the early stages of the disease and with minimal signs, adolescents are prescribed the same drugs as in ARVI.

If the child is sick, it must be isolated from the household, and all precautions must be taken in the care. In addition to the prescribed treatment, you need good nutrition, airing the room, and drinking plenty of fluids.

Prescribing drugs should be made by a doctor. Self-treatment of the disease is prohibited.

Prophylaxis

To prevent the spread of the disease among adolescents, it is necessary to ensure all preventive measures. But they are no different from preventing coronavirus in adults. The following measures contain the spread of the disease:

• minimal contact with friends and acquaintances. It is worth forbidding the child to attend sports sections, public places;
• if it is not possible to completely prohibit a teenager from visiting public places, then it is required to use a medical mask;
• in public places, avoid touching surfaces, since it is on them that the virus settles;
• when you come home, you need to wash your hands and treat them with an antiseptic or alcohol;
• it is forbidden to touch the face with your hands, since the virus penetrates into the body even through the membrane of the eye.

If you follow all the precautions, then there is a chance to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

Summarize

1. People of any age can get coronavirus infection.
2. Most often in adolescents, COVID-19 is manifested by vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.
3. The virus spreads quickly, so when signs of SARS appear, you need to show the child to a doctor in order to avoid serious consequences.