However, not all bruises are pathological signs. According to BS.CKII Nguyen Dinh Van - Head of Oncology - Hematology Department, Children's Hospital 2 (HCMC), young children are inherently hyperactive, so collisions during play can cause bruises and usually heal on their own after a few days.
However, clinical reality recorded many cases of parents subjectively believing that the child only fell or had a slight impact. When the bruises appeared more and more, spread widely or recur continuously, the child was taken to the hospital for examination. Blood tests at that time may detect serious diseases related to hematology.
According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Van, parents need to distinguish between benign bruises and abnormal warning signs.
For common impact bruises, the location usually appears in areas that are easily damaged when children exercise such as knees, calves, forehead or elbows. These bruises have a natural progression, changing color from red to dark purple, then green, yellow, then fading and disappearing for about 1-2 weeks. Children still eat, drink, and play normally, without fever or fatigue.
Conversely, bruises appearing for unknown reasons may be a warning sign of a medical condition. Parents should pay attention when bruises appear in less impactful locations such as thighs, biceps, back, abdomen, or neck.
If the child has multiple bruises at the same time, the old bruises have not subsided but new bruises appear continuously, this is also a sign that needs to be checked by a doctor early.
Some other abnormal manifestations that may be accompanied include prolonged nosebleeds, bleeding gums when brushing teeth, or the appearance of tiny hemorrhagic spots under the skin. Children may also have prolonged fever of unknown cause, paleness, weight loss, or frequently complain of joint pain, especially at night.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Van recommends that when parents notice the above signs, they should not be too panicked, but they must also absolutely not be subjective or arbitrarily use medicine, apply leaves or apply unverified folk remedies.
The necessary thing to do is to take the child to a medical facility with a pediatric hematology department for examination, perform necessary tests such as blood counts, assess platelet counts and other hematological indicators. Early detection of the cause will help doctors have timely treatment directions, improve treatment effectiveness and protect children's health.
