A widespread variety of intestinal infections, especially in children. It is very important to start the right treatment in time and prevent dehydration. In recent years, the attitude to the use of various drugs for such diseases has been revised. For example, antibiotics for intestinal infections are not always prescribed. Indeed, in some cases, they can be not only useless, but even harmful. Therefore, it is very important not to self-medicate, but to see a doctor as soon as possible to make the correct diagnosis. It is especially cautious to prescribe antibiotics for intestinal infections in children, because they have such diseases most often caused by viruses, which require another treatment.
Features of intestinal infections
You can get such a disease through dirty hands, stale food, infected water, or by contact with a sick person. Children who are often pulled by the mouth and have weak immune defenses are especially susceptible to infection. But the signs of an intestinal infection are easily confused with the usual food poisoning: the same vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Therefore, it is so important to consult a doctor in time to determine the correct diagnosis.
All intestinal disorders can be caused by bacteria or viruses. And the treatment in each case is completely specific, although the symptoms are often similar. A bacterial infection can be identified by profuse watery stools, blood impurities in it, a strong fever and frequent vomiting. Such diseases are caused by many pathogenic microorganisms: shigella, salmonella, staphylococcus and Escherichia coli. The greatest danger of such diseases is that with diarrhea a lot of water is lost and death from dehydration can occur. Therefore, it is important to start the right treatment in time.
Is antibiotic therapy always needed
You can not prescribe antibiotics for intestinal infection for yourself or your child, it is recommended to take them only in severe cases of bacterial infection. If the intestinal upset is caused by poor-quality food or viruses, then the use of antibiotics can only aggravate the situation, since such drugs, in addition to pathogenic microorganisms, destroy beneficial intestinal bacteria. This leads to dysbiosis and slows recovery. And antibiotics for intestinal disorders caused by viruses are generally useless, since such drugs do not act on them. On the contrary, they can cause a complication of the disease, as they destroy the beneficial microflora.
Therefore, antibiotics for intestinal flu are undesirable. But even with bacterial infection, such drugs are not always prescribed. Many microorganisms have developed resistance to antibacterial drugs and, against the background of the death of beneficial microflora, begin to multiply more strongly. In mild cases, you can cope with the infection without antibiotics. Many doctors already prescribe these drugs with caution because of the potential for serious side effects.
When antibiotics are prescribed
In no case should you self-medicate and drink some drugs, especially antibacterial ones, if the first signs of an intestinal disorder are found. If the disease progresses and the condition worsens, the doctor may decide to prescribe antibiotics.
With intestinal infection, not all drugs can be used. There is a special group of antibacterial drugs that act specifically on the causative agents of such diseases. Antibiotics are always prescribed for intestinal diseases of moderate severity and in severe cases, for cholera, dysentery and salmonellosis. But only a doctor should do this, because you need to take such medicines according to a special scheme.
Antibiotics for E. coli are not prescribed immediately, the first days of the disease you need to try to cope with it by other means. In addition, some of their groups, for example, fluoroquinolones, can worsen the condition of the patient.
Acute intestinal infection
This group of diseases is one of the most common in the world after respiratory infections.
More than half of cases occur in children. Particularly often, outbreaks of the disease occur in child care facilities, in the warmer months and when sanitary rules are not followed. When signs of poisoning appear, bed rest is necessary, in the first days you should limit or completely exclude food intake, but you need to drink more fluids. Antibiotics for acute intestinal infections are usually prescribed if after 2-3 days the patient does not feel better from other drugs. But most often, sorbents, rehydrating solutions, bacteriophages and a special diet are used for treatment.
Basic rules for taking antibiotics
- You can not prescribe yourself such drugs. Especially carefully, antibiotics should be taken with E. coli, since in most cases it successfully adapts to them.
- The dose of the medicine and the duration of administration are determined by the doctor. But you can not stop drinking the medicine when the condition improves, if less than 7 days have passed. It is very important to strictly observe the dosage and time of taking the medicine.
- In no case are antibiotics for intestinal diseases taken for the purpose of prevention.
- Together with taking antibiotics, biologics and drugs that increase the body's natural resistance are usually prescribed.
- It is necessary to warn the doctor about the presence of chronic diseases and contraindications in the patient, so as not to worsen his condition.
In what cases is it necessary to take antibiotics
- With typhoid fever, cholera, salmonellosis, dysentery, escherichiosis and other serious infections.
- In severe intestinal disorders, and in children of the first year of life and with a disease of moderate severity.
- With septic damage and the development of foci of infection outside the intestines.
- Patients with hemolytic anemia, immunodeficiency and various types of tumors.
- In the presence of blood clots in the stool.
Which antibiotics for intestinal infections are better
Such drugs are usually prescribed after an accurate diagnosis, because each pathogen requires a special medicine. But there are general recommendations. Most often, with intestinal infections, broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed to prevent the proliferation of other bacteria. The most effective groups of drugs are:
- cephalosporins: "Klaforan", "Cefabol", "Cefotaxime", "Rocesim" and others;
- fluoroquinolones: Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ciprolet, Normax and others;
- aminoglycosides: "Netromycin", "Gentamicin", "Neomycin" and others;
- tetracyclines: Doxal, Tetradox, Vibramycin and others;
- aminopenicillins: "Ampicillin", "Monomycin" and others.
It is believed that the resistance of microorganisms in drugs depends on the terrain. For example, in Russia, bacteria are often insensitive to Ampicillin and the tetracycline group.
Intestinal antiseptics
With such infections, treatment with special antibacterial drugs that act specifically on intestinal bacteria is of an auxiliary nature. They do not violate normal microflora and do not destroy beneficial microorganisms. Especially effective are intestinal antiseptics against infections developing in the colon. They inhibit the growth of protea, staphylococci, yeast fungi, pathogens of dysentery and typhoid fever. When antibiotics for intestinal infections are contraindicated, these drugs are prescribed. Which of them are the most famous and effective?
- The drug "Furazolidone" is active against almost all intestinal bacteria, Giardia and Trichomonas. It effectively treats dysentery and typhoid fever. In addition, microorganisms rarely develop addiction to this drug. And he does not have as many contraindications as most antibiotics.
- In recent years, Ercefuril, a group of nitrofurans, has become a popular drug for the treatment of intestinal infections. It is active even against salmonella, cholera vibrio and the causative agent of dysentery. But it acts only in the intestine, completely not absorbed into the blood. Due to this, it causes few side effects, but with severe bacterial lesions is ineffective.
- The drug "Intetrix" also has a wide spectrum of action against many bacteria, giardia and amoeba. Due to the fact that it does not violate its own intestinal microflora and has almost no side effects, it can be used as a prophylaxis of intestinal infections on trips and travels.
- The drug "Phthalazole" has long been known. It is still popular with doctors and patients, because it acts only in the intestine and is not absorbed into the blood, therefore it causes almost no side effects. But it effectively treats any intestinal disorders caused by pathogenic microorganisms.
- The combined bactericidal drug Biseptol is close to antibiotics, but microorganisms rarely develop addiction to it. It is used to treat intestinal disorders, dysentery, amoebiasis, salmonellosis and cholera.
The most popular antibiotics
With intestinal infection, an adult is most often prescribed such drugs:
- Levomycetin. It has a wide spectrum of action, but due to the large number of side effects and contraindications, it is not prescribed for children. It is very effective against most intestinal infections, even typhoid and cholera. In addition, the addiction of microorganisms to it develops very slowly. Most often, it is prescribed when other antibiotics have been ineffective.
- A safer new-generation drug is Rifaximin, also known as Alpha Normix. It has low toxicity and is used even in the treatment of infections in children. This medicine not only destroys pathogens, but also effectively prevents the complications of intestinal infections.
- Effective antibiotics for intestinal disorders are a group of penicillins. Especially modern semi-synthetic drugs. For example, Ampicillin, which is used even in pregnant women and young children.
- A new generation of the fluoroquinolone group is Ciprofloxacin. It not only has high activity against most microorganisms, but also is rapidly absorbed, therefore it rarely causes dysbiosis.
Treatment of intestinal infections in a child
Children are especially vulnerable to bacterial attack. Their immune system is still imperfect and often does not cope with a large number of microorganisms that enter the body from the external environment. A particular danger of intestinal infections is that the baby loses a lot of fluid and can die of dehydration. It is very important to follow all the recommendations of the doctor and carefully monitor the condition of the baby. It is necessary to give him more to drink, and for the baby, the best treatment is mother's milk. If the doctor insists on a hospital, then you should not refuse to keep the child under observation all the time.
Antibiotics for intestinal infections are not always prescribed for children. Necessarily this is necessary if the child is less than a year old, if he has severe intoxication and there are signs of inflammation. Such drugs for children should have low toxicity and high activity against bacteria. They must act quickly and as little as possible damage the normal microflora. Many drugs are contraindicated in children, for example, tetracyclines, amnoglycosides and Levomycetin tablets. What antibiotics for intestinal infections are most often prescribed for children?
- The drug "Cefix" very quickly relieves diarrhea and the spread of bacteria. Effective even against severe forms of salmonellosis.
- A good medicine is the new drug "Lekor". It acts quickly and does not destroy the normal intestinal microflora.
- The medicine "Azithromycin" is also very effective and low toxic. It is often prescribed for children, as it is given once a day and is taken only 5 days.
The danger of using antibiotics
It has already been proven that antibacterial drugs have many side effects. And most importantly, what they affect is the gastrointestinal tract. This is especially true for broad-spectrum antibiotics. They kill all bacteria - useful too, thereby disrupting the intestinal microflora and causing fungal diseases. Antibiotics used for intestinal infections also lead to this. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink such drugs immediately when the first symptoms of diarrhea appear. They also negatively affect the blood, kidneys and liver.
In addition, it is dangerous to take antibiotics uncontrollably and very often, not only because of the danger of side effects. Most microorganisms can become drug resistant, which makes many drugs useless. Some people immediately take intestinal antibiotics for poisoning, without even understanding what caused it. Thus, they not only destroy the intestinal microflora, exacerbating the symptoms of the disease. They deprive themselves of the opportunity to receive effective treatment if they really become infected with a serious infectious disease, since antibiotics will cease to act on them.