Is the child's immune system weak? Check it out at a glance

Wang Xiaochuan, Director of the Department of Clinical Immunology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University

Children often get sick, have colds, fevers, and otitis media. Is their resistance too weak? Many parents only know that their children come to the hospital to see a doctor when they are sick, but they don't know that there is also an immunology department in the children's hospital, which can solve the above-mentioned annoying problems for parents.

Experience has proved that passive treatment is not as good as active prevention! Early vaccination, building an immune barrier for the baby, and allowing the baby to gain immunity against pathogens, is currently one of the most effective ways to combat infectious diseases in infants and young children. Some parents are worried about getting vaccinated, especially if there are some fevers and rashes. In fact, whether it is before or after vaccination, if you are worried about problems, you can evaluate it in the immunization clinic.

In the immunology department, the doctor usually understands the specific circumstances of the child’s illness, including how old the child is likely to get sick, how often it occurs, the location and severity of the infection, and the treatment status, and conduct a comprehensive physical examination for the child to judge the child. Is it necessary to perform an immune function test.

The current routine immune function tests, in addition to blood routines, also need to draw venous blood tests, mainly including immunoglobulin, complement, lymphocyte subpopulation analysis, and neutrophil respiratory burst function. The doctor will choose the appropriate examination according to the child's specific situation. If the child’s routine immune function indicators are abnormal, and the doctor suspects that the immune system is low, or even congenital immunodeficiency may be possible, the doctor will further arrange for in-depth examinations, and genetic examinations are required if necessary.