Children often have stomach problems. Often there is dysbiosis. The tummy can bother premature, weak babies, as well as babies by artificial feeding. What is the treatment of dysbiosis in infants is described in the article.
Causes
Usually the disease appears due to improper nutrition of the child. Often this is due to overfeeding. Sometimes mothers decide to feed the baby on demand. In this case, the natural needs of the child must be taken into account. The baby can be hungry only a few hours after eating. No need to feed his bowl. By following this rule, digestion problems can be avoided.
The appearance of this condition is affected by the immaturity of the enzymes, their small number. If there is no complete splitting of nutrients and microelements, fermentation processes start, which leads to increased gas formation, colic.
The cause of the disease can be underfood. If the baby consumes only milk, where there is a lot of lactose, but little fat, then digestive problems are likely. Bloating, loose stools appear. It is necessary to promote the use of milk saturated with fats and lactose. Do not offer another breast until the complete emptying of the previous one.
The cause of dysbiosis is also a switch to another mixture. If the feeding is artificial, problems appear when trying to replace the mixture. In the body, the production of enzymes necessary for the digestion of a mixture with a specific composition occurs.
Digestive problems occur with lactase deficiency. If the amount of this substance is low, then the gastrointestinal tract is not able to cope with the breakdown of the necessary trace elements. To solve this problem, low-lactose mixtures are needed. Do not often change the composition of the mixture that the child consumes every day. Switching to another power is carried out gradually. Replacement is carried out within a week.
The condition also develops due to the early introduction of complementary foods. If you give the child juices, vegetables, fruits, meat food up to 6 months, then gastrointestinal tract dysfunctions are likely. When identifying characteristic symptoms, you need to start treatment for dysbiosis, adjust the menu of the child. Feeding should be introduced gradually, you need to choose products by age. It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the body.
Dysbacteriosis can be eliminated by adjusting the diet. If the disease appears with intestinal infections, a comprehensive therapeutic treatment is needed. It is necessary not only to use drugs, but also to strengthen the child’s immunity, to restore the body to start self-regulation.
Is the disease dangerous?
Does dysbiosis appear in the first year of life? This phenomenon is considered common. Many doctors attribute it to a special condition that needs correction. Dysbacteriosis manifests itself in the form of constipation, diarrhea, an allergic rash. These symptoms cause discomfort to the child. As you know, the condition of the intestine affects the digestion and well-being of the child, as well as immunity. In violation of the balance of the intestinal flora, the body's defenses are undermined, it becomes vulnerable to viral infections.
Symptoms and stages
The signs of dysbiosis in all children are different. Their severity is determined based on the characteristics of the body and the displacement of opportunistic bacteria. There are 3 degrees of dysbiosis:
- Compensated (first). With it, the level of bifidobacteria and E. coli decreases. With this disease, the stool changes - there are impurities of mucus, lumps of undigested food, it has an unpleasant smell. There is also a deterioration in appetite and a slowdown in weight gain. Also, gas formation is enhanced.
- Subcompensated (second). At this degree, the level of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli decreases, one of the strains of opportunistic organisms increases. There is a violation of the schedule of bowel movements - constipation or diarrhea, colic appears, the amount of impurities in the feces increases. Babies have abundant regurgitation.
- Medium (third). This stage is characterized by an increase in several strains of opportunistic organisms. Children are usually naughty, sleep poorly. Still there is nausea, weakness, diarrhea. Anemia appears, dry skin, and weight gain also stops.
- Severe (fourth). With it there are pathogenic bacteria (salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, dysentery, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Symptoms include loose stools in an amount of 10-12 times a day, abdominal pain, fever, weight loss.
The degree of the disease is determined by clinical signs and fecal analysis. With any of them, you need to know how to treat dysbiosis in infants. Komarovsky believes that at grade 4 it is better to determine a specific infection - salmonellosis, dysentery, etc. Therapy of these ailments is performed in a hospital. How to treat dysbacteriosis in infants in a hospital, the doctor should choose based on the general condition of the patient.
Analyzes
To confirm the presence of an ailment, as well as prescribe treatment, the doctor prescribes studies:
- Coprogram. With it, the level of digestion of specific nutrients is established. This study allows you to identify inflammation, confirm their absence.
- Sowing feces with the establishment of opportunistic microflora in the laboratory. In this study, the percentage of obligate bacteria is detected. Their number is set without taking into account the amount of normal microflora.
- Sowing feces for dysbiosis. This analysis reveals the ratio of pathogenic microflora to normal. The effect of antibiotics on pathological bacteria is revealed.
Analyzes should be collected subject to important rules. During the collection of feces, it must be placed in a clean jar. To obtain accurate data, feces are collected in an amount of 5 g or more, they are passed on the same day. Do not store test material at room temperature. If the baby is prescribed probiotics, then before the analysis, a break in taking these medications is needed.
General therapy
What is the treatment of dysbiosis in infants? Treatment includes 2 important steps: reducing opportunistic microorganisms and increasing the number of beneficial bacteria. The first goal will be achieved by taking intestinal antiseptics and bacteriophages, and the second - pro and prebiotics. In addition, to restore microflora, you need to adjust the power.
How to treat dysbacteriosis in an infant to relieve it of unpleasant symptoms? Various means are used for this - Simethicon, Lactulose syrup, rehydration solutions, sorbents. Any tool should be used after consultation with a specialist, according to Komarovsky. How to treat dysbiosis in infants, parents also need to find out from the attending physician. Compliance with the recommendations allows you to quickly improve the condition of the child.
What treats dysbiosis in infants depends on the degree of pathology. At the first stage, you need to follow a diet, take prebiotics and sorbents. If degree 2 is detected, the same means are used, as well as probiotics.
How to treat dysbiosis in infants with 3 stages? Intestinal antiseptics and bacteriophages are used, as well as the above funds. Dysbacteriosis of the 4th degree is a serious ailment. Its treatment is determined by which bacterium has led to the pathology. How to treat dysbiosis in infants after taking antibiotics should be decided by the doctor based on the condition of the child.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
What is the treatment of dysbiosis in infants? According to doctors, probiotics and prebiotics are effective. Prebiotics are called components that activate the reproduction of beneficial bacteria. In their natural form, they are found in breast milk, cereals, vegetables, fruits. These substances are not cleaved in the digestive tract and are not absorbed into the blood, but are “food” for bacteria. The following drugs are used:
- "Lactulose", "Lactitol."
- Hilak forte.
Treatment is performed with prebiotics in the form of syrups. These are components that include live bacteria. These funds are:
- Multi-component. In their formula, there are strains of E. coli, lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Of the effective drugs, Bificol, Bifiform, Linex are distinguished.
- One component. Microorganisms of the same species are included. These are Bifidumbacterin, Lactobacterin, and Kolibacterin.
- Combined. They consist of bacterial strains and immunoglobulin complexes. In the treatment using “Rioflora Immuno”, “Bifikol”, “Linex”.
- Recombinant They include live bacteria and genes that regulate the synthesis of interferon, for example, the drug "Bifilis".
- Symbiotic. Presented as a combination of pre- and probiotics. The best representatives are Bifidobak, Laminolact.
Treatment with probiotics and prebiotics takes 2–4 weeks. Funds are prescribed by the doctor based on the results of the tests.
The use of bacteriophages and antiseptics
This is another answer to the question of how to treat intestinal dysbiosis in infants. Bacteriophages are called immunological preparations that have the ability to destroy specific strains of opportunistic bacteria. They are not able to influence the beneficial microflora, and microbes are not able to develop resistance to them.
Bacteriophages are streptococcal, coliprotein, staphylococcal, polyvalent. Medicines are selected by the doctor based on test results. These funds are available in the form of solutions. They are taken orally, but for newborns they use the rectal route (enema). Treatment lasts 7-10 days.
Intestinal antiseptics are called components with antimicrobial activity, acting only locally. Enterofuril helps. These funds have few side effects, but they should not be used alone at a young age.
Symptomatic therapy
How to treat dysbiosis in infants with the appearance of various symptoms? The method of therapy depends on the symptoms. Symptoms may relate to digestive disorders and poor absorption of beneficial components. Bacteriophages, pro- and prebiotics affect the cause of the disease, but the action takes time. To quickly improve well-being, the following drugs are used:
- From flatulence, medications with simethicone are prescribed. This is Espumisan L, Sub Simplex. This organic component destroys gas bubbles that stretch the intestinal wall, and also removes excess air.
- From constipation. Effective use of lactulose syrup (Dufalac), rectal suppositories with glycerin. These funds improve intestinal motility.
- About dehydration with diarrhea. Solutions for oral rehydration are needed (Regidron, Citroglucosolan). With them, the water balance is restored.
- From peeling, rash, dry skin. It helps taking multivitamin complexes, which compensate for the lack of useful components, as well as ointments, emulsions, which can moisturize and disinfect the skin.
How to treat dysbiosis in infants at home quickly? An integrated approach is required. Usually, doctors prescribe sorbents - White Coal, Smecta, Enterosgel. With them, toxins and waste products of bacteria are excreted.
Treatment with folk remedies
How to treat dysbiosis in infants 2 months and older, so that treatment is safe? For this, folk remedies are used, but this must be agreed with the doctor. It is not possible to remove the causes of the imbalance by phytoreceptions, but the symptoms can be eliminated. The following recipes are in demand:
- Bloodroot. It takes 1 g of dry raw materials and water (10 g per 1 kg of baby). The grass is poured into boiling water and turned off after 3 minutes. Infusion is carried out for 20-30 minutes, after which filtration is required. The child should be given 1 tsp. 3 times a day.
- Chamomile. Need 1 tsp. herbs per 1 liter of water. Flowers should be added to boiling water and boiled for 2-3 minutes. Infusion is carried out for 1 hour, after which it is necessary to filter. Give the baby 1 tsp. 5-6 times a day.
Alternative methods serve as a complement to the main therapy. But to completely eliminate dysbiosis with them does not work.
Food
How to treat dysbacteriosis in infants of four months? In addition to taking medications, you need to restore nutrition. Dr. Komarovsky insists that the diet be balanced. With the disease, do not stop lactation. The milk contains the necessary components that support beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. According to a well-known doctor, at an early stage of dysbiosis, breastfeeding is a sufficient measure to restore the condition. At the same time, it is necessary for mother to follow reasonable food rules.
A young mother should not eat a lot of sweet, fatty, spicy, starchy and sour foods. With them, the intestinal mucosa is damaged and fermentation is enhanced. From the diet, it is necessary to exclude dishes that provoke flatulence - legumes, chocolate, grapes, raw cabbage. The menu should consist of their fermented milk products without synthetic additives - natural yogurt, fresh kefir, acidolact.
How to treat dysbacteriosis in an artificial baby? With this kind of feeding, you need to take fermented milk mixtures. A diet rich in live bacteria and prebiotics is required. As far as complementary feeding, the addition of sour-milk dishes with bifidobacteria and lactobacilli is required. You need to cook them yourself with sourdough or buy in a children's dairy kitchen. According to Komarovsky, digestive problems are exacerbated by overfeeding the child and insufficient fluid intake.
Effects
If there is no normal bacterial flora, it will be difficult for the digestive system to absorb vitamins, iron, calcium, which are in foods. Therefore, the child will not be able to receive a complex of valuable components that are required for full development during feeding from milk. With dysbiosis, the intestines are irritated by the remnants of an incompletely digested meal.
Irritation leads to bloating and inflammation of the intestines. Then this condition goes into such an ailment as colitis. With dysbiosis, more than one colon suffers. Often, the pathogenic flora spreads higher and colonizes the small intestine. It develops inflammation. This is a complex form of the disease, in which the digestion of food and its absorption are disturbed.
Prevention
On the forums, you can find many mothers' answers to the question of what was treated for dysbiosis in infants. Reviews on this subject may be different. But you need to use only those treatment methods that the doctor prescribed. And in order to prevent this ailment, preventive measures are needed:
- The genital microflora should be adjusted during pregnancy.
- The nutrition of the future mother should be balanced.
- Breastfeeding should be carried out from the first minutes and last up to 3-6 months, and preferably up to 1-2 years.
- Use adapted milk formulations, not goat or cow milk.
- It is necessary to properly treat intestinal infections.
- It is required to introduce complementary foods in a timely manner.
- With a course of antibiotic therapy in a child and mother, you need to take probiotics.
Dysbacteriosis in infants is a common phenomenon that must be treated carefully. With a mild degree of the disease, drug therapy is not required - you just need to restore the proper nutrition of the child. And with advanced dysbiosis, pro-, prebiotics, bacteriophages, symptomatic medications are taken. And as a prevention of digestive problems is breastfeeding.