Today, many parents prefer imported vaccines to immunize their children, which are of higher quality and rarely cause adverse reactions. To protect against diphtheria, polio, whooping cough, hemophilic pathology, and tetanus, the French Pentaxim vaccine is used.
In most cases, the drug is tolerated normally. But it happens that a child develops a lump after Pentaxim in the area where the vaccine was administered. It is important to understand whether this is a normal reaction or a complication and what to do if a lump appears.
Swelling and bump on the leg after Pentaxim vaccination: normal or complication?
Over the past twenty years, abscesses and infiltrates from injections have begun to occur more and more often. This trend is explained by the altered reactivity of the body of modern people. A local reaction in the form of compaction after the vaccine is recorded in 15-25% of cases. This can be normal and a complication.
There are several reasons for the formation of infiltrate at the site of infection:
- subcutaneous tissue and muscles are compressed by the pressure of the vaccine;
- The doctors did not follow the injection technique. Pentaxim is administered only intramuscularly. If you use a syringe with a short needle, the drug may enter the subcutaneous fatty tissue. Then the absorption of the medicine will slow down significantly. This leads to the fact that the vaccine does not dissolve, but accumulates at the injection site, forming a compaction;
- the immune system sends lymphocytes to the puncture site, which respond to the penetration of foreign material into the body with an inflammatory protective reaction;
- puncture infection. This happens when doctors did not follow the rules of asepsis and antiseptics, and parents ignored the ban on swimming for the first three days. If infected, the child will experience fever, pain in the puncture area, weakness, nausea, loss of appetite, and discharge of a cloudy light liquid from the injection site. In severe cases, an abscess and blood poisoning may develop. These conditions can lead to death without timely medical care.
In the first two cases, the lump does not pose a danger to the baby’s health and is a natural reaction. After just a few days, the formation should resolve. If the infiltration occurs as a result of a violation of the injection technique or infection of the injection zone, then it is considered a complication and requires treatment.
Pediatrician Komarovsky notes that a post-vaccination lump measuring up to eight centimeters without pronounced redness, pain and swelling is a natural reaction of the body to immunization.
Redness after Pentaxim vaccination: normal reaction or complication?
After Pentaxim, sometimes redness occurs in the area where the drug was administered.
This may be normal or a complication. In addition to redness, some people experience swelling and pain at the injection site. Sometimes a lump appears. This is a common reaction to receiving a vaccine. Normally, unpleasant symptoms should go away on their own after a few days without treatment. Pediatrician Komarovsky calmly responds to parents’ complaints regarding the red spot in the injection area.
The doctor calls this symptom a classic post-vaccination reaction that does not pose any threat to health. If redness and swelling persist for more than four days, this indicates a complication .
If the injection area is hot to the touch, it means there is inflammation. This process develops when an infection enters the wound. Without treatment, the situation may worsen: severe swelling and suppuration will appear. At the same time, body temperature rises.
If yellowish or milky liquid begins to ooze from the wound, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. Ignoring suppuration can lead to the development of an abscess and blood poisoning. Sometimes redness is caused by the appearance of a small rash. This indicates the development of an allergic reaction.
The formation of a large, dense red lump indicates a violation of the drug administration technique. This condition is considered a complication and must be treated.
What should I do if there is thickening and redness after the Pentaxim vaccination?
A lump can form after any vaccination. Pentaxim rarely gives such a local reaction. If the size of the infiltrate is within the normal range (up to 8 cm), the body temperature does not exceed 37.5 degrees, and there is no pronounced hyperthermia at the injection site, then nothing needs to be done.
It is not recommended to apply lotions to the puncture area or treat the bump with ointment or cream. If there is slight pain or the baby is capricious, then you need to distract him in every possible way and not allow him to touch the area where the vaccine was administered.
If the lump is large and red, and the child has a fever, then you should seek medical help. Trying to improve the baby’s condition on your own is not recommended. Traditional medicine methods are especially strictly prohibited.
The doctor will examine the puncture site, measure the temperature and select an effective treatment regimen. For faster resorption, the doctor may recommend treating the lump with Aescusan ointment or Troxerutin gel, which improve blood circulation. For mild inflammation, Rescuer ointment is prescribed.
The drug has a natural composition, harmless and effective. If there is severe itching, Zyrtec, Claritin, Fenistil are used. These are antihistamines that will relieve discomfort and reduce the size of the lump. If an abscess is present, surgery is performed.
Contraindications
Only a doctor can decide whether Pentaxim is suitable for vaccination
Pentaxim is contraindicated if there is a history of an allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine, as well as if the patient:
- Progressive encephalopathy, accompanied by or without seizures. Encephalopathy that develops within 7 days after administration of any vaccine containing Bordetella pertussis antigens.
- A severe reaction that developed within 48 hours after a previous vaccination with a vaccine containing a pertussis component: an increase in body temperature to 40 ° C or higher,
- Prolonged unusual crying syndrome, febrile or afebrile convulsions, hypotonic-hyporeactive syndrome.
- An allergic reaction following previous administration of a vaccine to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and a vaccine to prevent infection caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b.
- Confirmed systemic hypersensitivity reaction to any vaccine ingredient, as well as glutaraldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin and polymyxin B.
- Diseases accompanied by an increase in body temperature, acute manifestations of an infectious disease or exacerbation of a chronic disease. In these cases, vaccination should be postponed until recovery.
- If a child has a history of febrile seizures that are not associated with previous vaccination, the vaccinated person’s body temperature should be monitored for 48 hours after vaccination and, if it increases, antipyretic (antipyretic) drugs should be regularly used throughout this period.
How to care for the injection site on a child’s leg?
To reduce the likelihood of a lump forming after vaccination with Pentaxim to a minimum, you need to properly care for the puncture site. Doctors give all recommendations for handling the baby before or after the manipulation.
Features of caring for the injection area:
- Do not wet the puncture until the wound is completely healed. Since Pentaxim is injected into the thigh for children under two years of age, it is better not to bathe the child for several days. This time period is quite enough for the wound to heal and for infection to not penetrate into it;
- do not smear the injection area with external medications without consulting a doctor;
- dress the baby only in clothes made from natural fabric. Otherwise, an allergy may develop;
- Do not let your child rub or scratch the puncture.
What to do if there is a large red spot on the leg after Pentaxim?
Dr. Komarovsky claims that if after immunization a red spot appears on the leg in the area where the vaccine was administered, then no action needs to be taken. You need to watch this place for a while and not let the baby scratch the puncture.
Sometimes the wound healing process takes a week or even a month. If the child's condition is satisfactory, then there is no reason to worry. If after a few days the redness does not go away, but begins to increase in size, the injection area begins to swell, and the temperature rises, then you should consult a doctor.
Some parents try to eliminate unpleasant symptoms on their own, using ointments, creams, and traditional methods. But self-medication is strictly prohibited: this can worsen the condition and lead to disastrous consequences.
The doctor will assess the condition and prescribe the necessary medications. If the cause is inflammation, then anti-inflammatory and antiseptic drugs will be prescribed; if allergies are the cause, antihistamines will be prescribed. At high temperatures, the pediatrician prescribes antipyretic medications.
When should you see a doctor?
As a rule, compaction after Pentaxim does not pose a threat and does not require treatment. But it is useful for parents to know in which cases they should consult a doctor in order to avoid negative consequences.
The following symptoms should be a cause for concern:
- severe redness;
- the lump increases in size and exceeds 8 cm;
- fever;
- the tumor hurts;
- release of liquid from the seal;
- the appearance of convulsive seizures;
- rash near the puncture site.
In such conditions, you should visit the nearest hospital or call an emergency team.
Signs of purulent tissue inflammation are:
- softening of tissue in the center of the bump;
- the center of formation is light yellow;
- the skin above the abscess is thinned;
- discharge of cloudy, light-colored liquid;
- the skin around the abscess is severely hyperemic and swollen;
- body temperature exceeds 39 degrees;
- sharp shooting pain in the area of suppuration.
It is especially important to consult a doctor promptly if an abscess develops.
Video on the topic
What kind of assistance should be provided for local and general reactions to vaccination, in which cases can parents cope on their own, and when is a doctor needed? Answers in the video:
Thus, compaction after Pentaxim occurs rarely and is usually a normal reaction to the administered drug.
If the injection technique, aseptic and antiseptic rules are violated, a lump may indicate the development of adverse reactions. In this case, the child develops a fever, the lump turns red and increases in size. If complications occur, you should seek medical help.
