Treatment of molluscum contagiosum in children

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral, highly contagious skin disease that affects only people, both adults and children. More often molluscum contagious sick children of preschool age, who become infected through common toys and household items and hygiene. In children's pre-school institutions , there may be massive infections of groups of children. In adults, the virus is transmitted through sexual contact and indicates a decrease in immunity. Often molluscum contagiosum is a marker of other sexually transmitted diseases.

About the pathogen.

The causative agent is a DNA-containing virus that is firmly embedded in human cells and can be in the body for a long time (like herpes), sometimes for life, and complete cure is impossible. But it is possible to come to a stable remission by strengthening immunity and improving the overall health of the child.

What are the clinical manifestations?

The first elements on the skin appear about two weeks after contact with the infected skin or household items, can the incubation period extend to several months. On the skin, more often on the hands, neck, face (except soles and palms) there are characteristic eruptions, which are hemispherical nacreous nodules, sometimes pinkish with an umbilical impression in the center. Skin color is not changed at the site of rashes. Elements have a different size from 1 to 15 mm, in the worst cases they can merge and form a giant molluscum contagiosum a few centimeters in size. Inside the nodule is a curdled white, crumbly, contents, which includes molluscum bodies (from which the disease got its name). Sometimes the elements are opened independently, but without treatment they can be on the skin for half a year or more. Prolonged transmission of a viral disease, the child subjectively does not feel any inconvenience and can for a long time infect the children in the team. Sometimes rashes may be accompanied by itching, and by combing the damaged skin, it is likely that bacterial infection will be attached, which is a more dangerous disease than the virus. Therefore, in children's preschool institutions for the prevention of regular examinations of children, detection and treatment of molluscum contagiosum in children are necessary.

How to cure molluscum contagiosum in children?

Treatment of molluscum contagiosum in children should be performed only by a qualified dermatologist, since only the doctor can make the correct diagnosis. Because this non-dangerous disease has symptoms similar to other more severe diseases, and require differentiation.

Treatment of molluscum contagiosum in children consists in removing each element of the rash by squeezing out the contents and treating the focus with an alcohol solution of iodine or potassium permanganate. Removal of molluscum contagiosum in children is performed under local anesthesia (the skin is smeared with anesthetic solutions), and if the elements are located on the face in the eyelid region, the task becomes more complicated. To date, if the child is preschool, then the removal of molluscum contagiosum on the eyelids is done under general anesthesia.

There are other more modern methods for treating molluscum contagiosum in children, for example, cryodestruction (destruction of elements by freezing with liquid nitrogen), but in children this presents great difficulties and is more used in adults.

If the elements of the rash are spread all over the body and there are a lot of them, the removal of each element is also done, but general antiviral therapy and restorative procedures are also prescribed.