Causes of intussusception in children

Children are like their parents’ new cars. Parents are always worried if any problems arise with their children. I believe many people know that a child’s early body is in a developmental stage, and their immune system and functions are not perfect, so problems are prone to occur at this time. Intussusception is a relatively common problem. So what are the causes of intussusception in children?

Intussusception is when a segment of the intestine is inserted into the adjacent intestine, causing a blockage in the passage of intestinal contents. Acute intussusception is common clinically, while chronic intussusception is generally secondary. Acute intussusception is most common in infancy, especially in infants aged 4 to 10 months. After the age of 2, the incidence rate decreases with age. The male to female ratio is 2 to 3:1. Intussusception occurs throughout the year, with the highest incidence in late spring and early summer. It may be related to upper respiratory tract infections and viral infections. The incidence rate is high in my country, accounting for the first place in infantile intestinal obstruction.

Causes

1. The cause of acute intussusception is still unclear, but it may be related to the following factors:

(1) Dietary changes: 4 to 10 months after birth is the period for adding complementary foods and increasing milk intake, which is also the peak period for intussusception. Because the baby's intestines cannot immediately adapt to the stimulation of the changed food, it leads to intestinal dysfunction and causes intussusception.

(2) Anatomical factors of the ileocecal region: The ileocecal region is highly mobile during infancy, the ileocecal valve is excessively thickened, and the small intestinal mesentery is relatively long. In infants, 90% of the ileal valves protrude into the cecum like lips, which are more than 1 cm long. In addition, the area is rich in lymphoid tissue, which can easily cause congestion, edema, and hypertrophy after inflammation or food stimulation. Intestinal peristalsis can easily push the ileocecal valve forward and pull the intestine to form intussusception.

(3) A series of studies on viral infection have reported that acute intussusception is related to intestinal adenovirus and rotavirus infection.

(4) Intestinal spasm and autonomic nervous system disorders. Various foods, inflammation, diarrhea, bacterial toxins, etc. stimulate the intestine to produce spasms, which disrupt the rhythm of intestinal peristalsis or reverse peristalsis and cause intussusception.

(5) Genetic factors: Some patients with intussusception have a family history of the disease.

(6) Congenital intestinal malformations and other organic diseases such as Meckel’s diverticulum and congenital intestinal duplication can be the cause of acute intussusception. 2. Chronic recurrent intussusception is more common in older children and adults. Its cause is often secondary intussusception caused by temperamental lesions in the intestine. Common organic lesions of the intestine include intestinal polyps, diverticula, duplication deformities, purpura hematoma, tumors and tuberculosis.