What is acetone and how do you recognize it? Here are the symptoms and remedies – breaking latest news

Anyone with small children knows how insidious theacetone. If everyone can suffer from it occasionally, there are children who find themselves dealing with annoying disturbances cyclically, perhaps every other week or regularly once a month, with heavy repercussions on their quality of life. In these cases, rather than acetone, we prefer to talk about dthe syndrome of cyclic vomiting, a disorder that could be a sign of a family history of migraine. But let’s take a step back and see what exactly acetone consists of and how it can be counteracted.

What is acetone?

When we talk about acetone, or ketosis, we are referring to one metabolic response which occurs when thethe body, after having burned all the available sugars, also begins to metabolize fats to meet one’s needs,” he began Carlo Dionisi Vici, head of the Metabolic Diseases Unit of the Bambino Ges Children’s Hospital in Rome —. This can happen in various circumstances. In fact, there are various factors that can favor acetone, starting from conditions of physical stress.

What are the most common causes of acetone in babies?

Acetone can develop during a febrile episode, in conjunction with a gastroenteritisin case you follow one high fat diet (ketogenic diet) or even after a prolonged fast. These conditions lead to a greater demand for energy, especially sugar (glucose), and when stocks run out, the body begins to burn fat. Fat metabolism leads to the formation of so-called chetonic bodies which are three: acetone, acetoacetic acid and beta-hydroxybutyric acid. These are transported through the bloodstream from the liver (where they are produced) to other tissues, especially muscles, heart, kidneys and brain, to meet the energy demand. When the production of ketone bodies begins to be excessive, the body eliminates them through respiration and urine. In particular acetone is mainly expelled through breathinggiving the breath the unmistakable odor similar to ripe fruitwhile acetoacetic acid and beta-hydroxybutyric acid are eliminated in the urine. Their presence in urine is used to diagnose acetone. For this purpose, reactive strips are used, which can be bought in pharmacies: the reactive part of these strips changes color in the presence of ketone bodies.

How does acetone manifest itself?

Next to the breath with the typical smell of acetone, the most typical symptoms areor nausea and vomiting, sometimes so insistent that the child risks going into a state of dehydration because he can’t hold anything back. If dehydration occurs, other disorders may appear such as dry and patinous tongue, decreased urine output, drowsiness and dizziness.

What can be done?

The first advice given by pediatricians to reduce the formation of ketone bodies and facilitate their elimination is to give the child water and sugar, a trick that also serves to prevent dehydration. Alternatively, fruit juices or soft drinks are also good. Given the often uncontrollable vomiting, one can adopt the expedient of giving these drinks frequently, in small sips or with a teaspoon. As soon as the child succeeds and wants to eat something, you can offer pasta or white rice or in any case a light diet. Instead, fatty foods, such as whole milk, butter, cheese, fried foods, red meat, sausages and chocolate should be avoided. Generally in a short time the acetone tends to regress unless the little one is able to hydrate himself. If signs of dehydration appear, it is necessary to go to the emergency room where the ketosis will be resolved by infusing solutions containing glucose and mineral salts into a vein. Usually, it is not necessary to resort to anti-vomiting drugs. If the child suffers from cyclic vomiting syndrome with recurrent episodes of acetone, it is good to do some investigations. This condition is often indicative of a familiarity with migraine which, in children, typically manifests itself with vomiting. With growth, the episodes of acetone often tend to diminish until they cease completely.