Gthere adolescents and illness it is a field still to be psychoanalyzed. But it is anyway a minefield. Children, even when they have simple seasonal ailments, become impatient and more nervous than usual, because they cannot tolerate having to give up social activities because of the flu, or perhaps having to sneeze in front of others.
Shame for what are more than common symptoms leads them to want heal immediately and quickly. The problem is that at that age they don’t follow the treatments well, they want to do it themselves, but they often think they know more than their parents or doctors. With the risk not only of not being treated quickly, but of worsening some ailments.
They want to heal themselves
«Adolescence is one very complex phase: kids want to manage themselves. Consequently, adolescents tend to escape the administration of therapies by their parents” explains the professor Gian Luigi Marseglia, professor of Paediatrics and director of the Pediatric Clinic and School of Specialization in Paediatrics at the University of Pavia. «This means that disease management must necessarily include the collaboration of the adolescent. To achieve this it is necessary that the proposed therapies are easy, acceptable, comfortable, with few side effects and with high speed of action” explains Professor Marseglia.
They don’t know how to be “patient”
In practice, if teenagers are offered a long rest, or a complex therapy, or even drugs with a bad taste, they often prefer to keep colds and sore throats. Worsening their clinical picture. Unlike adults, but also children, adolescents they do not follow a therapy to the end if there is no one to monitor them closely. Often, in fact, as soon as they feel better they abandon syrups or tablets, thus jeopardizing the results achieved.
The way they dress promotes colds & Co.
Girls in particular also tend to cover little even if it’s really cold or raining. Often in winter they go out without a scarf or hat, perhaps with their stomachs half exposed to show off their navel piercing, or their bomber jackets wide open on their chests when it snows. Wearing a tank top or covering their mouth or head still makes them feel small and to feel emancipated they are willing to get sick. The result is that certain (wrong) habits favor the appearance of respiratory infections, but it is a pity that at the first symptoms adolescents they don’t immediately run for cover. Indeed, they tend to ignore them and minimize them even to themselves. Until the symptoms get worse and they feel so bad that they can no longer carry out daily activities. It is at this point that they claim to heal. Immediately, of course.
For adolescents, the disease is a shame
«For the adolescent the fact of being ill is “inconceivable”, the most important thing at this age is not to be stigmatized by your peers. Consequently, the importance of the disease is often belittled by the adolescent who often minimizes the severity of the symptoms and does not take the prescribed therapies” explains the doctor Claudio Cravidi, pediatrician of free choice. In practice, before coughing or blowing their nose in front of the group, they would prefer to disappear. «Fortunately, we family pediatricians have an extra weapon, the fact that we have known them since they were children. So we have a relationship of trust with them, which we have built over the years. This is useful when therapies need to be prescribed” concludes the expert. If you prescribe a drug to a teenager, in fact, that drug must work immediately, you must solve the problem immediately. Not even the pharmacy sold magic wands…
When teenagers are sick they would like to get better immediately. (Getty Images)
A new study dedicated to adolescents
Precisely in order to find tailor-made solutions and treatments for respiratory diseases in adolescents, a project was recently concluded new studypublished last December in the scientific journal Minerva Pediatric, conducted by Professor Gianluigi Marseglia of the San Matteo Polyclinic in Pavia. The research involved 61 children with an average age of 13.4 years followed by primary care paediatricians, while they had what a technical term is called “Auri”, i.e. an acute upper respiratory infection.
A “rapid” drug was used
These infections are very common among adolescents, especially in winter and are often associated with inflammation, which in turn is responsible for the symptoms and the appearance of fever. In the study the boys were treated for three days with just one active ingredient: the ketoprofen lysine salt (Kls). This has a powerful anti-inflammatory activity, it is also effective as an analgesic and antipyretic, i.e. it helps lower fever And combat the associated painfor example headache, muscle pain, sore throat and more.
The results were encouraging
“We got very positive results, especially in terms of compliance and tolerability. No one has stopped therapy and none had any side effects» explains Professor Marseglia. «Furthermore, we observed a resolution of the symptoms in a very short time, confirming the rapidity of this drug» concludes the expert. The most important thing about this treatment, however, is that it was well accepted by the adolescents who participated in the study. This is also due to the rapid action of the drug. But also the short duration of the therapy, the easy to use and the soluble granulated formulation, which is easier to take.
To be used with caution and only in case of need
Like any drug, even the ketoprofen lysine salt (Kls) it should only be used on medical advice and with caution. Side effects can vary from person to person, and even more attention must be paid in the case of children and teenagers. The first contraindication is in fact hypersensitivity to the active ingredient and to other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). TO this link all indications and contraindications.
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