Why does my 4-year-old have pain in his belly button?

A 4-year-old child has a belly button pain problem, which is most likely caused by a disease called omphalitis. Of course, omphalitis not only has a particularly high incidence rate among children, but also has a great impact on children's health. In order to avoid further expansion of this impact, parents must take certain methods to care for the baby's belly button in time, and seek medical treatment in time!

1. Causes of infection

The main causes of umbilical cord infection in newborns are: contamination during umbilical cord ligation after birth or contamination of the dressing with feces or urine before and after the umbilical cord falls off; premature rupture of the amniotic membrane and contamination of the umbilical cord before birth; contamination of the umbilical cord by bacteria in the birth canal during delivery; contamination by outflow from urachal fistula or vitelline duct fistula; and infection secondary to the umbilical cord or umbilical sinus.

2. Treatment Methods

1. Acute phase treatment: Control infection and keep the area dry.

(1) Treatment of mild cases: Remove local scabs and use 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 75% ethanol for cleaning at any time; adults can use hot saline compresses; keep the navel dry.

(2) Abscess treatment: When the abscess is not localized, golden ointment can be applied around the navel or physical therapy can be performed to limit the infection, promote the formation of abscesses and rupture outwards. After an abscess is formed, it should be incised and drained.

(3) Treatment of systemic infection: Patients with a large amount of pus or complications of peritonitis and sepsis should be given adequate doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as penicillin, and effective antibiotics should be selected based on the results of bacteriological examination.

(4) Supportive therapy: When systemic infection occurs, attention should be paid to replenishing water and electrolytes. To enhance the body's immunity, fresh whole blood, plasma or albumin can be appropriately given.

2. Treatment in the chronic stage: Small granulation wounds can be cauterized with 10% silver nitrate and then coated with antibiotic ointment. Large granulation wounds can be surgically excised or electrocauterized to remove the granulation tissue. Keep the navel clean and dry to help it heal.

It is not advisable to use talcum powder on wounds with secretions to avoid stimulating granulation tissue proliferation.

3. Preventive Care

Strictly disinfecting the umbilical cord and keeping the area dry can effectively prevent the occurrence of omphalitis. For adults, you can use absorbent cotton dipped in ethanol to gently clean the wrinkles inside the navel, eliminate the moist liquid deep in the navel, remove the shed epidermis, and dry it.