Diarrhea in children

Proven content

Diarrhea in children and babies is an extremely common disease and can be acute or chronic. Its causes are completely different in each of them, they can come from, among others, from bacterial and viral infections, poisoning and allergies.

Diarrhea in a child and infant – description

Diarrhea is defined as the passing of liquid or semi-liquid stools in children and infants in excess of three bowel movements per 12 hours. In addition to digested chyme, they may contain pathological admixtures in the form of mucus, pus or blood, and just one such loose stool is also considered diarrhea.

The causes of diarrhea in children

The reasons acute diarrhealasting up to 2 weeks, are in children:

1. viral infections caused primarily by rotaviruses;
2. bacterial infections caused by Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Yersini, Campylobacter;
3. food poisoning caused by the consumption of contaminated products microbes or bacterial toxins mainly of staphylococci;
4. food allergies, diarrhea occurs up to two hours after consuming the sensitizing protein;
5. diarrhea, especially in young children, very often accompanies infections that occur far away from the digestive system, such as otitis media and infections of the upper respiratory tract;
6. as an undesirable effect when taking certain medications

Chronic diarrhea in children, that is, one that lasts more than 4 weeks, is in turn a symptom of:

1. infestations of parasites such as lamellae, amoebiasis, tapeworms;
2. enteropathy and inflammation of the small intestine and colon as forms of hypersensitivity to certain nutrients, in infants it is usually allergic to cow’s milk proteins and soy, in older children additionally to chicken eggs, nuts, fish;
3. celiac disease;
4. irritable bowel syndrome;
5. cystic fibrosis;
6. inflammatory bowel diseases: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease;
7. grub diarrhea, which occurs as a result of excessive consumption of fruit juices and vegetables, usually in children up to 5 years of age.

Diarrhea in a child and infant – threats

Acute diarrhea always causes dehydration, the degree of which is determined by the percentage of loss in the child’s body weight. It determines the child’s hydration method: oral or intravenous, and enables the assessment of indications for hospitalization. Infants are most at risk of rapidly progressive dehydration due to immaturity of water-saving processes and an unfavorable body weight-to-body ratio, which leads to high water loss due to the evaporation of sweat from the skin. Chronic diarrhea, or rather the conditions in which it is a symptom, often leads to a reduction in or inhibition of a child’s weight gain and growth.

If you want to take care of your child’s intestines, give them Pro + Pre Biotic For Children – Doctor Life dietary supplement.

Treatment of diarrhea in children and infants

The treatment of diarrhea depends of course on the age of the child and the accompanying symptoms, and the overall condition of the child is also important. As a rule of thumb, the younger the child is, the more likely he is to become dehydrated. Do not delay visiting your doctor, especially if diarrhea occurs in infants and children 2-3 years of age. If the ailment occurred in a teenager – you can wait (only if there are no other symptoms that may indicate, for example, appendicitis). If the child is weakened, apathetic or vomiting during diarrhea, a doctor should be called immediately.

There are some home remedies to cure diarrhea. One way is with dried blueberries or blueberry tea. Add about 0,5-2 tablespoons of blueberries to 3 l of water, bring to a boil, and then cook for 10 minutes. When the whole boils, strain the infusion through a strainer and give it to the child three times a day (e.g. after a cup). This method helps to fight liquid stools and relieves diarrhea by sealing the intestinal mucosa.

The pectin found in the apple grated with the peel or carrot also has a similar effect. You can prepare a carrot soup: 50 grams of peeled carrots should be boiled for about an hour and a half in 1 liter of water. A teaspoon of salt should be added to the water. After cooking, blend everything and give it to your child in small portions.

Another essential way is of course irrigation child, preferably still spring water (when the diarrhea is very watery). The child should drink little by little, as too much water can lead to vomiting. Preparations available at the pharmacy allow you to adequately replenish the lost electrolytes and water.

It can also be given to a child probiotics available at the pharmacy, it is good to contain bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus or Lactobacillus reuteri (lactic acid bacteria), which help restore the natural intestinal flora and remove harmful microorganisms. It is most convenient for children to give probiotics in drops. We recommend, for example, LactoDr. drops – a supplement available on Medonet Market.

Note: Medicinal charcoal and other anti-diarrheal preparations intended for adults should not be given to children and infants. Diarrhea helps cleanse the body of harmful toxins. Treatment should include replacing the fluid lost.

To support the intestinal microflora in children, we recommend the Terranova intestinal microflora supplement for children 4-12 years, which contains 3 strains of beneficial bacteria. It is also worth introducing more fruits and vegetables to the child’s diet. If they are not entirely convinced of such products, try the Skilful greens and vegetables for children – Terranova super-shake – freeze-dried vegetables and fruits have been supplemented with a mixture of microflora, so the product has a beneficial effect on the children’s digestive system. It is enough to mix one measure of the preparation with e.g. milk or yoghurt.