No one is safe from intestinal infections, especially children. They cannot get used to strict observance of hygiene rules for a long time, they communicate more closely with adults, generously share toys that get germs from their hands, not washed after the toilet and the street, and from saliva when talking and sneezing. And an intestinal infection is waiting for an opportunity to get into a susceptible child's body. Over time, the child will learn to observe all these simple rules, and now you need to calm down and understand the important information about what intestinal infections in children are - their treatment should be carried out correctly. You must also remember what you should not do, and pay close attention to those signs that indicate that it is time to urgently go to the hospital.
What is an intestinal infection?
This is a disease that is manifested by diarrhea, vomiting, fever. It is caused either by a bacterium, or by a virus, or protozoa, but not their toxins, in contrast to another disease with similar symptoms, which is called foodborne toxicosis.
How can you get an intestinal infection?
The main route of infection is with insufficiently washed or thermally processed food, expired products, unboiled water or milk. The second way is fecal-oral, when the germs from the feces fall into the hands or toys, and from there they are introduced into the mouth of another child. Viral intestinal infection in children can be transmitted by airborne droplets, as well as by the ingestion of microbes in the mouth on common dishes or toys.
How are intestinal infections treated in children?
The volume of fluid in the vessels and tissues of the child is much less than that of an adult. For infants, loss of water with diarrhea in the amount of 200 ml per day (for example, 20 ml 10 times) is a huge amount that must be replenished. Therefore, when intestinal infections occur in children, treatment should be carried out by compensating for the lost volume of fluid. That is, a child per day should receive the liquid that he needs to support life (for example, for a month-old child it is 140 ml per kg of body weight per day, and for a child weighing 10 kg - 900 ml per day) plus the one that he loses with diarrhea and vomiting. Water is added to this liquid, which is lost with breathing and then with increasing temperature.
The resulting volume must be given in the form of teas, a little sweet stewed fruit, solutions of "Regidron", "Humana-electrolyte" and others. It is necessary to solder in the form of a solution of room temperature for a teaspoon every 5-10 minutes. If due to vomiting you cannot drink your baby, don’t hesitate, go to the hospital to have a dropper.
How to treat?
- If intestinal infections are detected in children, the treatment of the second plan is based on the use of sorbents. This is “White coal”, “Smecta”, “Polysorb”. They should be given in an age-related dosage one hour before eating or taking any medicine. A sorbent solution injected into an enema works well.
- Antibiotics should be prescribed by a doctor. If the treatment takes place at home, then you need to buy a test at the Rota-Test pharmacy, or rather, Rota-Adeno-Test. Dripping a little feces, as described in the instructions, you can find out if the disease is caused by rotavirus or still a bacterium. Antibiotics such as Enterofuril or Nifuroxazide are prescribed. In case of severe infection, stronger antibiotics have to be used.
- Lacto- and bifidobacteria: Enterogermina, Lacidophil, Bio-Gaia.
- If necessary - antipyretic.
Since intestinal infections in children (their treatment depends on the type of pathogen - a virus or a bacterium) are not uncommon, you need to know what exactly could have caused them. How to do it?
a. The optimal and correct option is to take a general blood test and sowing feces on the microflora, consult a doctor.
b. Make a Rota Test.
in. Adenovirus infection initially manifests as SARS with severe conjunctivitis. Enterovirus infection most often occurs with a small-pointed reddish rash on the body and a red throat. Rotavirus infection also begins mainly with a runny nose and fever, only then diarrhea and vomiting appear. If this is not all, if the stool has changed color and has various impurities, a bacterial infection is most likely to occur .
When is it necessary to call a doctor?
1) The child has a disturbed consciousness: he is lethargic, sleepy.
2) All children under one year old.
3) When the stomach hurts.
4) When there is at least some hint of blood in the feces.
5) There was no urine for four hours or it was dark in color.
6) Persistent vomiting or diarrhea when it is impossible to drink the baby.
7) The tongue is dry, the skin gathered in a fold does not straighten right away (the skin under the right rib is examined), the eyes are sunken.
8) The smell of acetone emanates from the child.
Nutrition for intestinal infections
If the baby is breastfed, then we must continue to breastfeed, and the mother must follow a strict diet. It is necessary to feed on demand. If the child is under one year old and begins to receive complementary foods, then it is advisable to give him a low-lactose mixture, tea with dry biscuit cookies, you can have a little mashed potatoes in water without oil.
Older children are shown: rice porridge, mashed potatoes in water without oil, vegetarian soups, biscuits. You can’t take fruits, vegetables, juices, vermicelli, meat and fish, eggs, brown bread, beets, cabbage, legumes, fried, smoked and spicy foods, salads, mayonnaise dishes, cheese, dairy products.
The intestines will recover after the disease for a long time, so you need to "go out" of the diet gradually, gradually including various dishes in the diet. At the same time, pickled, fried and other “unhealthy” products are introduced no earlier than in a month and a half.