Causes
The causes of hip inflammation in children and infants are many and varied. First of all, a distinction must be made between causes that are primarily caused by pathogens such as bacteria or viruses and diseases in which no pathogens are typically found in the joint. If an inflammation occurs in children or infants, usually no specific pathogen is detected in the joint.
An example of such a disease, which is not accompanied by pathogens in the joint, is the so-called hip rhinitis (Coxitis fugax). This is a secondary inflammation of the joint after a past viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (cold). Autoimmune cells are responsible for the inflammation of the joint, which usually improves after a few days.
Rheumatic diseases are also possible causes of hip inflammation in children, which are caused by autoimmunological processes. Perthes disease is a further cause of hip inflammation, in which the femoral head is partially destroyed due to as yet unknown causes. Again, pathogens are not the cause of the disease and it is assumed that the insufficient blood supply to the femoral head is responsible for the occurrence of the disease.
Bacterial inflammation of the hip is rather rare in children. Nevertheless, these diseases can also occur in children and infants. Here, bacteria enter the joint, for example via the skin or blood, and cause an inflammation there.
