The child does not stop diarrhea what to do. Diarrhea in a child: causes, treatment and what to do at home

Diarrhea- This is the discharge of feces, which have a liquid consistency and occur more than twice a day. The reason for this phenomenon is the too rapid passage of the contents of the human intestine due to the fact that its peristalsis is disturbed, or the absorption of water in the large intestine is disturbed and the intestinal wall secretes a lot of inflammatory secretions.

Most often, diarrhea in a baby is a sign of diseases of the small or large intestine. However, doctors classify diarrhea into several different types, depending on the reasons for its origin: infectious , alimentary , dyspeptic , toxic , medicinal and neurogenic ... It is impossible not to pay attention to the frequent manifestations of diarrhea in a child. Diarrhea is especially dangerous in an infant, as well as in a child under three years of age.

Causes of diarrhea in children

Different causes of diarrhea in children are determined, depending on what kind of diarrhea is diagnosed. The presence of infectious diarrhea is noted when salmonellosis , food poisoning , viral diseases and others. Very often in modern children viral is diagnosed. The main reasons for it in a child are rotavirus ... Basically, diarrhea, provoked by rotaviruses, affects children under two years of age. As a rule, these are spodaric cases, but sometimes there are epidemics of rotavirus infection. With rotavirus infection, it can last for several days. It manifests itself acutely - vomiting, general symptoms of malaise and diarrhea. With viral gastroenteritis, abdominal pain is usually absent. Diarrhea is watery in nature, and the fluid that the child loses in the process of such an illness contains a lot of salts. If in an adult, viral diarrhea can last up to three days, then in children, the disease sometimes lasts up to six days. During the treatment process, it is very important to ensure
replacement of the fluid that the body has lost, since severe dehydration can be life-threatening. Therefore, the child is definitely recommended to drink with salt and glucose content. The use for the treatment of children with watery diarrhea does not affect the duration of the disease.

Alimentary children's diarrhea manifests itself as a result of a long period of malnutrition, with a monotonous diet, in case of allergy to food or to medications.

The cause of dyspeptic diarrhea is a violation of the process of digesting food due to secretory insufficiency of the liver, stomach, pancreas. Also, dyspeptic diarrhea can be the result of insufficient production of a number of enzymes in the small intestine. Diarrhea in an infant may develop due to lactase deficiency ... In this case, the baby's well-being becomes worse some time after feeding with milk (in infants - after feeding, in older children - after taking whole milk or dairy products). At sugar deficiency the same is observed if the child ate food with sugar.

Toxic diarrhea in a child manifests itself as a consequence of renal failure, as well as in case of poisoning of the body with arsenic or mercury. Drug-induced diarrhea develops after taking certain medications. Most often in children, this occurs under the influence of antibiotics, which can provoke the development dysbiosis .

Neurogenic diarrhea is a consequence of disturbances in the regulation of the intestinal motor activity by the nervous system. So, diarrhea in an infant can develop as a result of strong excitement, fear.

In children over one year old, the cause of diarrhea is irritable bowel syndrome, as well as a number of chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

How does diarrhea manifest?

Diarrhea in an infant and in older children can be manifested by feces of a different nature. Feces can be both watery and mushy in nature, they appear with different frequencies. If the child has dysentery, then the feces, as a rule, are initially dense, and later become liquid with an admixture of blood and mucus. If the child is sick amoebiosis then his feces will contain blood and vitreous mucus. Diarrhea in infants, in addition to characteristic bowel movements, can be manifested by rumbling in the abdomen, pain, and bloating. In addition, rectal colic may occur, in which the child has frequent urges and a sensation of convulsive contraction of the rectum. Very often infants have frequent diarrhea with similar symptoms after antibiotics. In this case, there is no bowel movement, but sometimes small lumps with mucus are released. Only a doctor should decide how to treat diarrhea in an infant, who initially determines the characteristics of the child's condition, asks parents about how the baby's feces look like, and only then decides what to do.

However, parents should clearly understand the fact that even mild diarrhea negatively affects the general condition of a small child, therefore, treatment in an infant for a condition that provoked such symptoms should be carried out without delay. Severe diarrhea in a newborn is especially dangerous, since such a condition in infants and young children can quickly lead to exhaustion, provoke hypovitaminosis and, as a result, changes in internal organs. In the case of a barely born child, the doctor should be told about diarrhea immediately. How to treat a non-congenital disease associated with manifestations of diarrhea can only be correctly determined by a specialist. Indeed, without medical training, it is impossible to determine what to do, and at the same time not harm the baby.

Some sources claim that diarrhea in a one-month-old baby and in older children is more often manifested in the summer. But doctors say that diarrhea develops with approximately the same frequency in the cold season.

Diagnostics

When diarrhea occurs in a child, the doctor must first of all determine the cause of its occurrence. If the baby's condition is acute, that is, the child's temperature and diarrhea are manifested, it is necessary to initially get rid of the acute symptoms. The local pediatrician will tell the parents what to do. After that, in order to clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct a study of the baby's feces for the presence of pathogenic flora, helminths, and lamblia cysts in it. It is especially important to urgently conduct such studies for young children, since acute diarrhea in a child under one year old causes more rapid dehydration. But for babies after a year with severe symptoms of diarrhea, fecal examination is also mandatory.

With diarrhea, changes in the blood picture are often present. Therefore, despite the age of the child, a laboratory blood test should be carried out - this is relevant both at one month and at 6 years old. So, in certain conditions, the baby may have anemia, a change in the indicator, and the content rises.

In the process of diagnosis, an important indicator for the doctor is also the rate of movement of carbolene through the intestines. For this, a child 1.5 years and older must be adopted. With severe diarrhea, black stool may appear after 2 hours, while normally it takes about 26 hours.

How to treat diarrhea in children

Normally, a healthy person has about 300 types of different microorganisms in the intestines, most of them are not pathogenic. In the very first days of a baby's life, their composition is formed. The presence of a normal number of "right" bacteria ensures the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. With their help, useful elements and vitamins are absorbed into the body in the intestine, the intestinal mucosa functions normally, and the negative influence of pathogenic microflora is prevented. To form a normal composition of microflora, it is very important to properly feed the baby in particular. In the absence of such, feeding is practiced only with adapted mixtures.

If dysbiosis is nevertheless diagnosed, then the baby is prescribed treatment with biological products that contain ,. Their effect on the body is to activate the process of reproduction of these bacteria in the intestine. If such drugs are taken incorrectly, some time after their cancellation, the baby may become worse again.

How to treat diarrhea in children in each case depends on the cause of its occurrence. Initially, children should be treated for the condition that provoked the diarrhea. So, for achilia stomach, the intake of gastric juice is practiced, with a weakening of the functions of the pancreas, it is prescribed. If diarrhea was provoked by hypovitaminosis, then the best cure for diarrhea in children in this case is the corresponding vitamins.

If a child suffers from prolonged diarrhea, parents should think about not only how to treat such manifestations in the child, but also how to replace the fluid lost by the body. For this purpose, apply saline solutions ... To prepare such a solution, a mixture of salts is dissolved in half a liter of pure water. A good remedy in this case is a drug. Also used means Glucosan , Citroglu-kosan ... A fresh solution is prepared at least once per knocking. In the absence of saline solutions, you can water the baby with non-carbonated mineral water. It is especially important to quickly replenish lost fluid if the baby has dry skin, dry mouth, and,.

For babies, the best remedy for diarrhea for children is mother's milk. Therefore, there is no need to stop breastfeeding.

If diarrhea is not associated with an infection of the body with an infection, then a sparing fractional one is necessarily practiced. It is recommended to limit animal fats, carbohydrates, feed the baby only in small portions. In the first days of the illness, it is worth giving soups of a mucous consistency, tea from a decoction of blueberries. A little later, at the first signs of recovery, you can add steamed bread, meat and fish dishes.

How to feed a child with diarrhea also depends on the cause of the disease that caused this condition. So, with enzymatic insufficiency, it can be prescribed.

Antibiotic treatment in uncomplicated cases is not practiced. Sometimes it is advisable to treat with drugs of a wide spectrum of action. In addition, treatment with enteric agents is practiced, which help accelerate the elimination of toxins. As folk remedies, after the approval of a doctor, you can give your child teas from plants that have astringent and anti-inflammatory effects. These are blueberries, mint, chamomile. A decoction of dried pears, a solution of starch, rice water, tincture of walnut partitions has a fixing effect.

However, there is no clear scheme for treating a child with diarrhea, since the doctor necessarily determines the severity of the baby's condition, the presence of other symptoms, etc.

The doctors

Medicines

Prevention of diarrhea in children

To prevent the occurrence of such an unpleasant phenomenon, it is very important from childhood to observe all the rules of personal hygiene and be sure to teach the child to this. An especially important point is washing your hands before eating and after walking. All products must be thoroughly washed (vegetables, fruits) and thermally processed (meat, milk, eggs, fish). The water that is used for food must be clean, or better, boiled. It is also worth making sure that the child's nutrition is as varied as possible and, if possible, natural. The correct approach to lifestyle, hardening, activity will help strengthen the body's defenses.

Diet, nutrition for diarrhea in children

List of sources

• Avdeeva T. G., Ryabukhin Yu. V., Parmenova L. P. et al. Pediatric gastroenterology. M .: GEOTAR-Media. 2011;
• Ursova, N.I. Microflora disorders and dysfunction of the biliary tract in children / N.I. Urso-va. - M., 2005;
• Bowel disease in children / edited by A.M. Zaprudnov. M .: Anacharsis. 2009;
• Gorelov, A.V. Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute intestinal infections in children: A guide for doctors. / A.V. Gorelov, L.N. Milyutin, D.V. Usenko // M .: Moscow, 2005;
• Tatochenko V.K.Antibiotic and chemotherapy of infections in children. M .: IPK Continent-press. 2008.

Education: Graduated from Rivne State Basic Medical College with a degree in Pharmacy. Graduated from Vinnitsa State Medical University named after V.I. MI Pirogov and an internship at its base.

Work experience: From 2003 to 2013 - worked as a pharmacist and head of a pharmacy booth. She was awarded with diplomas and distinctions for long-term and conscientious work. Articles on medical topics were published in local publications (newspapers) and on various Internet portals.

Loose stools in a child can be caused by various reasons, but in any case, this phenomenon indicates a disruption in the functioning of the intestines due to external factors. Diarrhea occurs with increased intestinal motility, when its contents move much faster than usual, which can be caused by various diseases.

In children, diarrhea often occurs, since the work of various body systems has not yet been established, there may not be enough enzymes to process a certain type of food, so even ordinary fruit juice can cause diarrhea if the baby has drunk it more than the norm.

Often, loose stools in children can be accompanied by other symptoms, for example, high fever, bloating, vomiting, which causes panic in many inexperienced parents.

Young mothers usually do not know what remedy can be given to a child, especially a small one (at the age of 1-2 years), and rely on advertising, advice from relatives, neighbors and girlfriends, but this cannot be done. It is necessary to treat the child correctly, otherwise his condition may deteriorate noticeably. At the same time, you do not need to give the baby medications for adults, this is strictly prohibited.

Often the cause of diarrhea in children of the second or third year of life is the penetration of an infection: bacterial or viral. In this case, in addition to liquid multiple stools, the child may experience fever, general weakness, nausea, and vomiting.

Babies may refuse to eat, their sleep is disturbed, but the main problem is the threat of dehydration. Therefore, if a child of 1-2 years old begins to have diarrhea, regardless of the reason, it is important to ensure that he drinks as much liquid as possible.

It often happens that diarrhea in children occurs after taking certain medications, such as antibiotics. Trying to treat such an ailment in babies on your own by various means is not worth it, in this case you should consult a doctor who will tell you to prescribe medications that prevent development.

Diarrhea in babies 1-2 years old while taking antibiotics can be accompanied by an elevated temperature and become chronic, when loose stools last longer than 2-3 weeks and happens more than 4-5 times a day. Therefore, it is very important not to procrastinate, but immediately contact a pediatrician.

Often, diarrhea in children of the second year of life can be accompanied by vomiting and high fever, being a symptom of a disease, for example. In the presence of such signs, you should immediately consult a doctor for diagnostics and timely initiation of adequate therapy.

Diarrhea in children 2 years of age may be functional. Only a doctor is able to recognize this ailment, since parents often do not pay attention to loose stools in a child if there are no other symptoms. With a functional disorder, the general condition of the body is not disturbed, the physical development of the baby is not slowed down, the weight gain is only slightly reduced.

To identify this type of violation, you need to pass tests and be examined by a doctor who, based on the results of the study, will tell you which remedy should be given to the child. It is important to remember that it is impossible to prescribe drugs for a 2-year-old baby on your own, since self-treatment of any childhood diseases can cause many serious consequences.

Most often, when diagnosed in children of the second or third year of life, the cause of diarrhea is determined bacterial infection. At this age, kids begin to attend kindergarten, where the prescribed sanitary standards are not always observed.

The causative agents of the disease are Salmonella or Flexner bacteria, as well as a variety of E. coli that are pathogenic in nature (Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter). In this case, it is important to correctly and quickly determine the specific pathogen, since Flexner's bacteria cause dysentery, and Staphylococcus aureus is the cause of a toxic infection of housing and communal services in children 2-3 years old.

Stale food can cause infection, spoiled fruits and vegetables, unwashed hands, direct contact of the baby with other children in kindergarten, if they already have such an infection (any type of bacterial infection). What means to give the baby in this case can only be decided by the pediatrician, after the pathogen has been identified.

Viral infection is another common cause of diarrhea in children, accompanied by a deterioration in general condition, weakness, vomiting; fever, nausea, and dizziness are often observed.

Laboratory studies often reveal, which can occur in the form of gastroenteritis. The disease can be observed not only in children 2-3 years old and older, but also in babies up to a year. Such diarrhea is very difficult, often causing severe dehydration, so it is important to take timely measures to prevent this condition.

Signs of dehydration

If the baby has frequent loose stools, in which there is a high temperature and vomiting, it is important to monitor the condition of the baby and replenish the fluid level in the body in time to prevent dehydration. Children are much more susceptible to this condition than adults, because:

• the body contains more water;
• water-electrolyte exchange proceeds much faster;
• neurohumoral and renal mechanisms of babies in the second or third year of life are not yet perfect, therefore they cannot independently regulate the balance in the body during the period of illness.

It is necessary to separate the symptoms of dehydration in babies with diarrhea, since in some cases you can cope on your own, but sometimes an urgent call to a doctor is required, since dehydration is dangerous for a weak child's body.

Symptoms you can deal with yourself:

• severe dryness of the skin, mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue;
• the presence of viscous saliva;
• grayish skin tone;
• drowsiness and weakness;
• crying without tears, frequent anxiety of the baby;
• rapid pulse;
• retraction of the fontanelle (in babies up to a year);
• rare urination with a small amount of dark urine;
• sinking eyes;
• constant thirst.

Symptoms for which you need to urgently call a doctor:

• constant crying of a child without tears;
• severe sleepiness;
• loss of body weight;
• cramps and muscle spasms;
• violation of skin turgor;
• marbled skin color;
• cooling of the limbs;
• severe retraction of the eyes;
• refusal to drink.

The degree of dehydration in children varies:

1. O mild we can say that the loss of fluid is no more than 5%. This condition usually occurs at the onset of acute diarrhea with vomiting.
2. Average degree observed when the normal water volume of the child's body decreases by about 10%. The condition occurs at the onset of the second day after the appearance of loose stools, while it may be accompanied by refusal to drink and hyperthermia.
3. Severe degree dehydration indicates that the body has lost more than 10% of the fluid. The condition appears against the background of severe diarrhea with incessant vomiting.

Why is dehydration dangerous?

In this condition, the nutrition of the brain and general blood circulation are disturbed, as well as the protective function of the blood-brain barrier. If dehydration persists for a long time or often recurs, the consequences can be the occurrence of diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and obesity.

With dehydration, the blood thickens strongly, becomes viscous, while the lumen of the vessels decreases, which increases the risk of blood clots. Chronic immunodeficiency diseases such as scleroderma or bronchial asthma often result from dehydration.

How to prevent dehydration

It is important to follow the correct drinking regime, but you cannot replace the water with juices or carbonated drinks. In case of diarrhea, one should not forget that the body also loses salt along with water, therefore, it is best to restore the balance with the help of special salt solutions sold in pharmacies.

They need to be given in small portions, but very often. Do not forget about the need to increase drinking and at a high temperature in a child, as well as in hot weather.

How and what to feed your baby

For diarrhea, diet is essential. The main point is the restoration of the lost water-salt balance, but nutrition also plays an important role.

In the first days of the disease, it is necessary to feed the baby about 6 times a day in small portions, but you should not do this forcibly. If the child's condition is serious, then the size of the portions should be reduced by half, as well as the number of feedings, the food should be fractional. Gradually (over the course of a week), portions should be increased to normal.

In the menu of a sick child, there should be vegetable soups of a mucous structure, cooked with the addition of cereals (buckwheat, rice or oatmeal), as well as liquid boiled non-dairy porridges. Jelly and fruit compotes, especially blueberries, will be very useful.

Many parents are repeatedly faced with the fact that their children have defecation processes disrupted. They should not consider the onset of diarrhea as a separate disease, since diarrhea in most cases is a symptom of some pathological process. If in babies the stool has changed its consistency and has become liquid, parents should carefully monitor its condition, since a violation of the defecation process may be the body's reaction to the introduced complementary food or the transferred stress.

Every parent should understand that a process such as diarrhea can lead to very sad consequences. A large number of children die each year from complications of diarrhea. That is why any violation of the process of defecation should not be ignored by them. Prolonged diarrhea causes severe dehydration. If at this moment the water-salt balance in the baby's body is not replenished, then he may die. In the event that diarrhea is accompanied by a high fever, this may indicate the presence of an infection.

Before stopping diarrhea in a child aged 1 to 2 years, parents should find out the cause of the diarrhea:

If the baby has diarrhea, then the parents should observe his behavior for some time. If he is still cheerful and active, then an upset stomach will not need any treatment. Emergency help from specialists will be needed if blood clots or mucus were detected during examination of liquid feces. An unpleasant and pungent smell from feces should also alert parents.

Since diarrhea always leads to dehydration of the child's body, dads and mothers should know how to replenish the water-salt balance at home:

1. Babies who are breastfed need to be applied to the breast very often.
2. If the child has already been transferred to artificial nutrition, then he should be constantly given to drink mineral water without gas in small sips.
3. In the event that the baby has diarrhea after eating any food, then he should be given enterosorbents, which will bind and remove toxins. At such a young age, you can give Enterosgel, Polysorb or Smecta.
4. If the baby has signs of dehydration, it is necessary to purchase special solutions at the pharmacy, for example, Oralit or Regidron.
5. As soon as the parents managed to normalize the process of defecation for their child, they need to restore the beneficial microflora in his intestines. In this case, pediatricians do not object to such drugs: Hilak-forte, Lactulose, Bifidumbacterin.

Due to the fact that diarrhea can be a symptom of any pathological process in a young body, parents need to know what their actions can cause harm:

1. You can not leave the violation of the defecation process unattended. Many dads and mothers do not attach much importance to such a phenomenon as diarrhea, as they believe that after a short period of time it will go away on its own. This is their main mistake. If such a process takes place, then they should at least restrict the baby's nutrition for the time being, give him safe enterosorbents, and without fail show the pediatrician.
2. If parents want to medically stop diarrhea in a 2-year-old child, then in no case should medications intended for adults be used. For babies, you need to buy special products that have no side effects and will not harm a weakened body.
3. It is strictly forbidden to give antibiotics to children with diarrhea on their own, as they will further disrupt the beneficial microflora in the intestines. If an upset stomach was caused by an infection, then you should contact a pediatrician who will prescribe antibacterial drugs that are intended specifically for children.
4. Without the appointment of a pediatrician, it is not recommended to give babies such remedies for diarrhea as Loperamide or Imodium.
5. If the normalization of the defecation process is carried out by means of medications, then dads and mothers must adhere to the dosage as accurately as possible. And before using them, you always need to check the expiration date.

When should you sound the alarm?

Usually, if the processes of defecation in babies are disturbed, their parents manage to cope with these problems on their own. But, if the following signs were noticed, they immediately need to call an ambulance.:

• severe diarrhea began in a baby who is not yet a year old;
• there are suspicions that the child has eaten some kind of drug or chemical;
• with diarrhea, the temperature rose to 38 degrees;
• the baby complains of dizziness, severe weakness;
• there are signs of dehydration (mucous membranes and skin are dry);
• the baby cannot go to the toilet;
• blood was detected in the feces or it acquired the color of tar;
• the gag reflex began;
• severe pain in the abdomen.

Before stopping severe diarrhea in a child with recipes from traditional medicine, parents should consult a pediatrician, since many herbs can harm a weakened child's body.

Experts do not mind safe and time-tested "old-fashioned" methods:

1. Rice broth, which has an enveloping and bonding effect.
2. You can make a rehydration solution at home to prevent dehydration. To do this, dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda, tsp in a liter of boiled and cooled water. salt and a tablespoon of sugar.
3. A decoction made from potato starch or dried pomegranate peels.
4. Compote, for the preparation of which dried fruits were used, for example, blueberries or pears.
5. For babies, the best medicine is mom's milk.

Both conditions are unpleasant, but the second is often even more dangerous and uncomfortable than the first. Diarrhea is commonly defined as having loose or watery stools at least six times a day - often at the most inopportune times!

Your baby's bowel movements will differ in frequency and consistency depending on age and diet. Newborns who are breastfed may have up to 12 small bowel movements per day, but by two to three months they may not have bowel movements for several days. The daily stool of most children under the age of one year is less than 150 ml, while in older children, the stool is up to 210 ml.
Irregular loose stools in a child are not yet a cause for concern. However, if your baby's bowel movements are thin, watery, and more frequent than usual, it means they have diarrhea.

Diarrhea is usually due to a breakdown in the lining of the intestines. Stools become liquid in consistency because the intestines cannot properly digest and absorb nutrients from the foods the child eats. In addition, damaged coating can leak liquid. Together with fluid, the body loses minerals and salts. These losses can only increase if the child eats foods or drinks with a high sugar content, since unabsorbed sugar takes up more water from the intestines, which only aggravates the diarrhea.

The loss of large amounts of water and salts in the body leads to dehydration, which can be avoided if the loss caused by diarrhea is constantly replenished with the appropriate amount of fluid and salt, as described in the section "Treatment".

In medicine, intestinal inflammation is usually called enteritis. If the disease is accompanied by vomiting or vomiting precedes the onset of the disease, as is most often the case, and, as a rule, there is mild inflammation of the stomach and intestines, this condition is called gastroenteritis.

In young children with viral dyspeptic diseases, symptoms such as vomiting, high fever, and too restless behavior are most often present. The child's stool becomes greenish-yellow and very watery. (If these bowel movements occur every hour, there will likely be no particulate matter at all.) If the stool turns reddish or blackish, it may contain blood; This bleeding may be due to a damaged intestinal lining or, more likely, it may be due to irritation of the rectum by frequent liquid bowel movements. In any case, if you notice this or any other change in the color of your child's stool, be sure to inform the pediatrician.

Causes of diarrhea in children

Diarrheal syndrome (diarrhea, diarrhea) - frequent loose stools with changes in their characteristics (color, odor, consistency, inclusions). Diarrheal syndrome can be observed in a healthy baby in the following cases: if a nursing mother uses "unsuitable" foods in her diet; when introducing a new complementary food; if the baby is not getting enough nutrition; with improper care (overfeeding, overheating); in case of violation of the intestinal microflora in a child. Usually, digestion is normalized after the elimination of such unfavorable factors. However, you need to understand that it is best to entrust the determination of these factors to a doctor; you should not experiment on your child - after all, wrong actions can lead to "disturbances" in the work of the baby's body. In the meantime, you are waiting for the doctor, you can prepare "material evidence" in the form of the contents of a diaper or a pot - this can help in making the correct diagnosis, while following a baby with diarrhea, special attention should be paid to hygiene procedures: after each bowel movement, you need to wash the crumbs away so that there is no irritation ; lubricate the skin of the perineum with baby cream, it must be remembered that with diarrhea, the baby may become dehydrated.

The causes that can cause diarrhea in infants are varied: bacterial and viral infections, intolerance to certain indigestible foods, and teething. Any circumstances that upset or frighten the baby can provoke loose stools.

The bottom line is that if constipation occurs due to too active absorption of fluid in the intestine, then with diarrhea this or that factor, on the contrary, interferes with normal absorption.

Attention!

If diarrhea is accompanied by fever or vomiting, or if the frequency of bowel movements reaches 6 times every 24 hours, show your baby to the doctor.

In young children, the cause of intestinal disorders that lead to diarrhea is most often the so-called enteroviruses, i.e. intestinal viruses. Other reasons may include:

If your baby has mild diarrhea and is not dehydrated, has a high fever, and is still active and hungry, you may not need to change his diet and can still breastfeed or formula feed. Avoid switching to a so-called “light liquid diet,” which only includes sugary drinks (such as juices or sodas), as high sugar and low salt content can only worsen diarrhea.
If your child has mild diarrhea and vomiting, replace the normal diet with a commercially available electrolyte solution. Your pediatrician will advise you to use this solution to restore normal water and salt levels in your body until vomiting stops. In most cases, these solutions have to be taken within one to two days. As soon as vomiting stops, gradually return to your previous diet.

Never give boiled milk (skimmed or otherwise) to a child with diarrhea. When boiling, water evaporates, as a result of which the remaining liquid contains too high amounts of salts and minerals, which can be dangerous for the child's body. (Actually, you shouldn't give boiled milk even to a healthy baby.)

Severe diarrhea

If your child has a watery bowel movement every hour or two or more and / or shows signs of dehydration, talk to your pediatrician. He may recommend that you eliminate all solid foods from your child's diet for at least 24 hours and avoid high sugar drinks (sodas, concentrated fruit juices, or drinks with artificial sweeteners) or foods that are high in salt (bagged soups) or low in salt (water and tea). Your doctor may recommend that you only give your child a pharmacy-bought electrolyte solution that contains the perfect balance of salts and minerals. (See table above). Babies who are breastfed are usually treated in the same way, unless the baby has mild diarrhea and can still be breastfed.

If your child has diarrhea and you are worried about being dehydrated, call your pediatrician and cut out all solid foods and dairy drinks until the pediatrician tells you what to do next. If you think your child is starting to become severely dehydrated, call the pediatrician or the nearest emergency room immediately. Give your child an electrolyte solution purchased from a pharmacy at the same time. In the case of severe dehydration, the child may need to be hospitalized in order to carry out intravenous restoration of the body's water balance. If the severity is mild, you may only need to give your child an electrolyte replacement solution as directed by your pediatrician. The table above shows the approximate amount of solution that should be given to your child.

After the child has consumed the electrolyte solution for 12-24 hours and the diarrhea has subsided, you can gradually add foods such as apple mousse or mashed potatoes, pears, bananas, and flavored jelly to the child's diet. For one or two days, milk should be excluded from the diet, except for small children who feed on milk from a bottle. Such children can try to give the milk mixture diluted in half the norm. (Dilute the formula with the amount of water you would normally use to prepare it.) If your baby is breastfeeding, you can continue to breastfeed him while he is taking the electrolyte solution.

As a rule, it is not required to remove all foods from the child's diet for more than 24 hours, since the body will need to restore lost strength. After you start reintroducing food into his diet, his stool may still be runny, but this does not always mean that the child is not on the mend. Watch for increased activity, improved appetite, more frequent urination, and disappearance of all signs of dehydration. Once you notice all of these signs in your child, you can be sure that your child is getting better.

Diarrhea that lasts longer than two weeks (chronic diarrhea) can signal a more serious intestinal problem. If the diarrhea persists for such a long time, your pediatrician will ask you for further tests to determine the cause of the diarrhea and to make sure your child is getting enough food. If nutritional deficiencies become a problem, your pediatrician will advise you on a specific diet or formula.

If your child drinks too much fluids, especially too many juices or sweetened beverages, they may develop a condition commonly referred to as "one year old's diarrhea." This condition causes persistent loose stools, but does not affect the child's appetite and growth, and does not lead to dehydration. Although diarrhea in one year old is not dangerous, your pediatrician may advise you to reduce the amount of juices and other sugary drinks that your child uses. If the child does not have enough liquid, which he gets from food and milk, he can be given pure water.

If diarrhea occurs along with other symptoms, it could signal a more serious health problem. If your child has diarrhea that is accompanied by any of the symptoms below, tell the pediatrician right away:

• high fever, which lasts for 24-48 hours;
• bloody stools;
• vomiting that does not stop for 12-24 hours;
• vomit with a greenish tinge, bloody, or looks like coffee grounds;
• bloated belly;
• the child refuses to eat and drink;
• severe abdominal pain;
• skin rashes or jaundice (yellow skin and eyes).

If your child has any other medical condition, or is constantly on medication, but has had diarrhea for 24 hours or more, or has something else that really bothers you, it is best to inform the pediatrician.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration (loss of significant amounts of water in the body)

When treating diarrhea in a child, the most important thing is to prevent dehydration. Watch closely for the following warning signs of dehydration. If you notice any of these signs in your child, report it to the pediatrician right away.

Mild to moderate dehydration:

• plays less than usual;
• urinating less often than usual (less than six wet diapers a day);
• parched, dry lips;
• when crying, fewer tears are released;
• sunken soft area on the head;
• if diarrhea is the cause of dehydration, then the child's stool will be liquid; If you are dehydrated for another reason (vomiting, not drinking enough fluids), bowel movements will occur less frequently.

Severe dehydration (in addition to the symptoms and signs listed above):

• behaves very restlessly;
• increased sleepiness;
• sunken eyes;
• cold pale hands and feet;
• wrinkled skin;
• bowel movements only once or twice a day.

Prevention of diarrhea

The tips below can help prevent your child from getting diarrhea.

1. Most forms of infectious diarrhea are transmitted by hand-to-mouth infection or by contact of a child with infected fecal matter (stools). This mainly applies to children who are not potty trained. Follow the necessary sanitation and hygiene measures at home and in child care centers for your child.
2. Avoid giving your baby raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods that can be infected.
3. Do not give medicine to your child unless urgently needed; this is especially true for antibiotics.
4. If possible, breastfeed your baby throughout early childhood.
5. Limit the amount of juices and sugary drinks you consume.

Treatment

Treatment of diarrhea consists in correcting the diet of the mother and baby, the drinking regime of the baby and caring for it. Further therapeutic measures depend on the cause and severity of the disease.

Normal stool in a child is established from 5-6 days of his life. A baby receiving mother's milk has a golden-yellow stool in the form of liquid sour cream with a sour smell.

With artificial feeding, normal stool is light yellow in color, resembles putty in consistency and has a somewhat unpleasant (putrid) odor.

It is not recommended to give children over-the-counter medicines for diarrhea. Often they only aggravate intestinal disturbances, and if there is an infection in the body, they do not stop the loss of fluids and salts, which must be retained in the intestines. If this happens in your family, the child may become dehydrated, and you may not even be aware of it; at the same time, the child may not lose weight, since the diarrhea will stop for a while. It is for this reason that you should always consult your pediatrician before giving your child any medication for diarrhea.

Simple solutions and natural remedies

With diarrhea, a person loses a lot of valuable fluid, so you should always be aware of the threat of dehydration. So that the body of a baby suffering from diarrhea can replenish its losses, give him more cooled boiled water or increase the dose of milk. Also, try the following tips to stop diarrhea.

• If the baby is already weaned, treat him with a ripe banana puree to help normalize digestion. To enhance the astringent effect, you can add a teaspoon of pectin-rich locust bean pod powder.
• Give your baby some aniseed water to calm the bowels and ease gas. Grind 1 to 2 cloves of star anise as small as possible and cover with half a cup of boiling water. Cool it down. Give a decoction to the child if digestive problems occur, dripping 3-6 drops into the mouth with a pipette.

Frequently asked questions about diarrhea in children

Why does my child have terrible diarrhea almost every winter?

Rotavirus is the most common, though not the only, infection that causes diarrhea in children. This happens most often during the winter months. Many parents call these infections “stomach flu”. Typical signs are high fever and vomiting for several days in a row, often accompanied by green, offensive, watery diarrhea that lasts a week or longer. Older children and adults (they already have a strong immune system) may get off more easily with milder symptoms, but young children often have severe vomiting and diarrhea. Babies are more likely to be hospitalized due to rotavirus-related dehydration. Sometimes it spreads like wildfire in kindergartens and nurseries: children there are in close contact with each other, which means that they have a higher risk of infection. How to reduce the likelihood of catching an infection? Wash your hands and teach your children to do this. Fortunately, there is a special rotavirus vaccine that is usually given to 2-, 4-, and 6-month-old babies during their regular check-ups.

What to give a child for diarrhea?

The main thing is to give more liquid. This is often easier said than done, especially when everything you drink immediately flies into the pot. If, in addition, the baby is vomiting, it can be even more difficult to stay hydrated.

In newborns, diarrhea can easily cause dehydration, so it is especially important to call your doctor to ask what to do and determine what is causing the diarrhea. Continue to breastfeed or formula feed unless your doctor tells you to. Perhaps he will recommend giving the child more water, giving him remedies for dehydration (Pedialitis, Infalitis, or Liquid Lit), or switching to a different mixture until the diarrhea subsides. The doctor may examine and weigh the newborn daily or every few days to make sure he is not losing weight.

In addition to what has been said about newborns, if the baby is already eating solid foods, they may not want to eat them when they are sick. It's okay if he drinks enough fluids. If he does not refuse to eat, start with rice flakes, and then gradually introduce other foods. Avoid juices if possible - they can make your diarrhea worse. But since our main goal is to prevent dehydration, if the child does not want to drink anything but juice, try giving juice with a low sugar content and diluting it with water.

If regular milk seems to make your diarrhea worse, you can try giving your baby lactose-free milk for several days. Electrolyte solutions ("Pedialyte", "Infalit" or "Liquidite") will help to avoid dehydration. Avoid sugary drinks and juices - they make diarrhea worse. However, if you have a stubborn baby (and this happens often), let him drink what he wants - this is better than not drinking at all. A regular diet will work if the child does not refuse to eat, but certain foods, such as bread, rice, mashed potatoes, bananas, or applesauce, are easier on the stomach and can help stop diarrhea.

For all ages. In addition to taking measures against diarrhea, take care to prevent irritating and potentially painful diaper rash by lubricating your baby's bottom with zinc oxide cream every time you change a diaper. However, despite all the precautions, diaper rash may appear. In this case, continue to lubricate with diaper cream.

Call the doctor if the child refuses to drink, if he has bloody or mucus diarrhea, if he has less diaper wetting than usual, if he has vomiting or fever, if the diarrhea lasts more than a week, or has more stools 8 times a day.

For several days in a row, I gave the child antibiotics for inflammation of the middle snake, and after that he began to have loose stools. What is an allergy? Maybe stop giving the medicine?

This is not a drug allergy. Diarrhea and mild abdominal pain are the most common side effects of antibiotics. In addition, loose stools can be one of the symptoms of an underlying disease. If you give your baby more to drink, there will be no harm from loose stools (except, perhaps, diaper dermatitis). The diarrhea is likely to stop before the course of antibiotics is over and the illness goes away. Do not stop giving antibiotics without talking to your doctor. Sometimes the doctor advises giving your baby yogurt with live cultures or probiotics to make up for the lack of beneficial bacteria that antibiotics can cause.

Call the doctor if the child vomits, bloody stools, or loose stools more than 8 times a day, or the diarrhea continues after the child is no longer on medication. In addition, if the fever persists for more than 2-3 days after you started giving the antibiotic, see your doctor - let him check if the course of treatment for the underlying disease is helping the child or if it needs to be changed.

Diarrhea or diarrhea is frequent or one-time bowel movements, characterized by the discharge of a liquid consistency of stool. In the overwhelming majority of cases, diarrhea is the result of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

For example, diseases such as colitis, enteritis, enterocolitis, as well as a number of other diseases that are not related to pathologies of the digestive system, can cause loose stools in a child. In addition, childhood diarrhea can be caused by poisoning, taking antibiotics, or severe nervous shock.

What is it like?

Modern medicine distinguishes the following types of diarrhea:

• infectious;
• medicinal;
• toxic;
• dyspeptic;
• neurogenic;
• alimentary.

Infectious

In most cases, infectious diarrhea is caused by a viral infection of various types. Intestinal viral infections are easily transmitted from one person to another through close contact or, for example, when an infected person prepares food for others. Children under 5 years old are most susceptible to such infections.

In some cases, food poisoning by different types of bacteria is the cause of diarrhea. The most common bacterium is Salmonella, which can enter the body with contaminated water, food and other pathogens (common in countries with low sanitary indicators).

Symptoms of infectious diarrhea in children can range from a mild stomach upset for a couple of days to a serious condition with severe watery diarrhea. With the infectious course of the disease, acute abdominal pain is characteristic.

In this case, the pain may fade away every time the child's stomach has been emptied. Additional symptoms for infectious diarrhea may include:

• temperature increase,
• vomit,
• headache.

This type of diarrhea in most cases lasts for several days, perhaps even more. On average, a child has a liquid stool for about five to seven days, after which it returns to normal. In especially severe cases, symptoms may last much longer.

Medication

Diarrhea of ​​medicinal content arises against the background of suppression of the natural, physiological environment of the intestine or the development of dysbiosis. The main symptoms can be considered vomiting, which is considered the primary symptom that occurs against the background of loose stools.

A secondary disruption of the digestive system is evidenced by an eructation with a fetid odor, which is formed due to the processes of putrefaction in the stomach. Often this type of diarrhea occurs from antibiotics, which partially or completely destroy the intestinal flora.

Toxic

Toxic diarrhea in children is necessarily accompanied by vomiting, which gradually leads the body to dehydration.

In especially difficult situations with children under two years old, diarrhea of ​​this group can provoke various disorders of brain functions.

In the overwhelming majority of situations, such diarrhea is a consequence of diseases of the intestine or some other organ and develops mainly in the warm season as a result of overheating.

Symptoms of toxic diarrhea mainly include severe diarrhea, when watery bowel movements follow one after another. When you vomit, all the food eaten leaves the stomach.

The child's complexion changes from natural to gray, and dark circles form around the eyes. The kid becomes lethargic, constantly wants to sleep. Response to the environment is slowed down. The most common symptom is the eyelids open during sleep.

Dyspeptic diarrhea

Diarrhea of ​​the dyspeptic type occurs on the basis of disorders of the digestive processes that develop as a result of insufficiency of the secretory pancreas, liver or stomach of the child. Such diarrhea usually does not have characteristic symptoms, and at the same time requires more careful attention from the pediatrician.

Neurogenic diarrhea

Diarrhea of ​​a neurogenic type may appear as a result of a disorder in the work of the nervous regulation of intestinal motility. Most often, neurogenic diarrhea occurs when the child is in a stressful situation or nervous tension.

Feelings of fear and anxiety can cause this diarrhea. The situation does not require any special treatment. The chair is normalized as soon as the child's psychological state returns to normal.

Alimentary diarrhea

Diarrhea of ​​alimentary origin occurs due to disruptions in the process of feeding the child or due to the use of foods that provoke allergies. Treatment requires excluding food from the children's menu that provokes loose stools, as well as taking antihistamines.

Usually, nutritional diarrhea disappears the very next day after starting treatment.

Symptoms of childhood diarrhea

The digestive processes of most children are almost identical to the adult body. Stool consistency, as well as its frequency, is usually the same for both the child and the parent. The only exception is infancy: in newborns and infants, the stool is normally more liquid and frequent.

Thus, it is quite simple to determine diarrhea in babies from a year or more. Diarrhea can be called liquid stool with a predominant water content.

Diarrhea is uncontrollable, accompanied by sharp urging and cramping pain in the abdomen. The daily number of bowel movements is significantly higher than the norm. There is also a certain pattern: the more watery the stool, the more often the baby runs to the toilet.

Any type of childhood diarrhea requires immediate treatment. Parents need to be especially vigilant when the child's bowel movements are very abundant, have a greenish tint and foam.

Why is prolonged diarrhea dangerous for a child?

Emptying seven to eight times a day is very dangerous for a child, since diarrhea can cause dehydration of his body, which rapidly deprives him of nutrients.

In some cases, diarrhea leads to a violation of the electrolyte composition of the blood. If symptoms are acute, the parent should call a doctor or take the child to a hospital.

How do you know if your baby is dehydrated?

To determine the dehydration of a child's body, it is necessary to monitor the condition of its skin and mucous membranes. When dehydrated, the mucous membranes and skin dry out and begin to crack.

The general condition of the body also changes. The kid becomes lethargic, restless, completely refuses food. A concentrated, dark color of urine, which is excreted much more rarely and in smaller quantities, is also considered a sure sign.

Parent to check personal guesses about dehydration in toddler at home. To do this, it is enough to carry out a test for "wet diapers". In an infant, the number of urinations per day should not be less than 10, in an older child - four to five times.

Vomiting and profuse regurgitation can also aggravate dehydration. In some cases, for example, with infectious diarrhea, children even develop a fever.

How is childhood diarrhea treated?

A child's diarrhea must be treated internally. That is, it is not enough to get rid of the symptoms, you need to identify the root cause. Therefore, in order to precisely cure diarrhea in a child, and not eliminate his symptoms for a while, you should consult a doctor.

In addition to the appointments that the pediatrician will give the baby, during the treatment of childhood diarrhea, parents must adhere to the following principles:

Pause "fasting" or a gentle diet

In most cases, a child with diarrhea refuses food himself. It is strongly not recommended to force-feed the baby. The exception is when the child is less than a year old. Long hunger pauses in such small children can cause weight loss and disruptions in protein balance.

In this case, the fasting pause should be replaced by a diet that excludes fatty foods and dairy products.

Prohibition of taking antidiarrheal drugs (unless prescribed by a doctor)

It is forbidden to immediately give the baby antidiarrheal medications. If a child has caught an intestinal infection, the body will be released from it through vomiting and diarrhea.

Therefore, the first hours of the illness, it is necessary to allow the toxins to come out, and only then give medicine for diarrhea. To speed up the process, you can give the child an enema, the water temperature in which should be no more than 23-24 degrees.

It is also forbidden to give a child remedies for diarrhea when there are blood clots in the defecation products and a rise in temperature is observed.

Drinking plenty of fluids

With diarrhea, the baby must observe an adequate drinking regime. The older the child, the more fluid he needs. At the same time, he must drink at least 50 milliliters of water per kilo of weight.

Water should be supplied to the body after each bowel movement or vomiting. Throughout the day, the baby should drink in fractional portions. You can not restrict the baby in drinking, if he wants more liquid, you need to give him more.

In addition to drinking water, the child can also be given compote and alkaline mineral water. Compote, cooked from dried fruits, is an excellent remedy for treating the intestines, it includes magnesium and calcium salts. Alkaline-mineral water for the child should be warm and without gases.

Saline intake

The use of electrolyte solution helps restore and control the water-salt balance in the child's body. A universal remedy in the case of diarrhea in both infants and children of three years and older is pharmacy powder - Regidron (to obtain a solution, it is enough to dilute it with water).

If Regidron was not at hand, the electrolyte solution can be prepared independently from a liter of boiled water, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of soda, one tablespoon of sugar. You can store such a solution for no more than a day.

Medicines

Medicines that can be used to treat diarrhea are divided into several groups. Once again, we recall that any of them can be given to a child only after consulting a pediatrician.

Enterosorbents

The first group consists of enterosorbent substances, which are endowed with sorption properties that contribute to the rapid elimination of toxins from the body. These include such well-known drugs as activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb, Smecta and others.

Smecta is the most preferred absorbent for children. It contains an absorbent astringent that can quickly restore intestinal mucosa.

Probiotics

Probiotics replenish the level of beneficial bacteria in the child's body, some of which could die or be excreted naturally during diarrhea.

It should be noted that this group of drugs is prescribed not only for the treatment of prolonged diarrhea, but also for dysbiosis, intestinal infections and after taking antibiotics.

Antimicrobial medicines

Sometimes with diarrhea, antimicrobial medications are also prescribed, which reduce the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and stop the baby's diarrhea.

Folk remedies for diarrhea in children

As additional measures to get rid of diarrhea, you can use folk recipes. However, before treating diarrhea in a child using alternative methods, it should be borne in mind that they can give quite unexpected results.

Unfortunately, folk recipes often provoke allergic reactions in children. Therefore, if there is even the slightest doubt about a particular remedy, it is necessary to consult with your doctor before using it.

Rice broth

The most popular remedy for diarrhea, including in children, is rice water. It is prepared quite simply. For 0.5 liters of water, two tablespoons of rice are taken, which is cooked over low heat for thirty minutes, after which the broth is evaporated under a closed lid for about twenty minutes.

The resulting broth should be given to the child 50 grams three to four times a day, starting from the first day of diarrhea. It has an astringent effect, normalizes intestinal function, and also fully nourishes a weakened child's body.

Kissel

Also, folk medicine believes that taking berry or oatmeal jelly, which has an excellent intestinal soothing effect, helps to effectively treat diarrhea.

To prepare this medicinal drink from fresh or frozen berries, you will need 0.5 liters of water, 1.5-2 tablespoons of potato starch, an incomplete glass of granulated sugar and 0.5 kg of any berries.

The method for preparing jelly is extremely simple: the berries must be boiled until tender, removed from the water and rubbed through a sieve. Add the wiped mass back to the water in which the berries were cooked, add granulated sugar and starch, previously diluted in cold water, to it.

Put the drink on the fire again, wait until it boils, and turn it off. After cooling down, the jelly can be given to the baby.

Prevention of diarrhea in childhood

The first in popularity and effectiveness method of prevention is proper nutrition and adherence to basic hygiene rules - processing fruits and vegetables, as well as regular hand washing with soap and water (after going to the toilet, walking on the street, contact with dirty things).

It is forbidden to give the child raw water and dubious foods, as well as allergenic foods (if he has allergies).

It is worth treating antibiotics with care (in no case should you prescribe them to your baby yourself and exceed the duration of the course set by your doctor).

Sometimes cases of diarrhea are found among children with an unstable psycho-emotional state. Prevention of diarrhea for such children will be the correct daily routine (which, however, is important for any child), protection from unnecessary emotional excitement and worries.

It has been proven that if the baby is in a good mood, is not subject to stress and nervous overload, the likelihood that he will suffer from diarrhea is reduced.