Contents
The digestive problems in babies encompass the various manifestations of poor food digestion.
What are the most common digestive disorders in infants?
It is above all a question of:
- vomiting,
- reflux,
- stomach aches,
- diarrhea,
- or on the contrary of constipation.
What are digestive disorders in babies due to?
Because the baby’s digestive system is particularly sensitive, the digestive disorders are most often caused by three times nothing … A food a little too hot, a bottle too liquid, a little fatigue, stress: sufficient causes to trigger transient digestive disorders without the slightest gravity.
When the baby’s digestive problems persist for several days and / or if they are associated with other symptoms (eg fever, loss of appetite), it is better to take him to see a doctor.
All of this digestive disorders can then be due to various diseases such as gastroenteritis for example. If the baby also has jaundice, viral hepatitis may be involved. Other common causes of digestive disorders in young children : intestinal worms (eg roundworms) and food allergies.
Finally, much more rarely, digestive disorders in infants may be due to a malformation of one or more of the digestive organs (eg: stomach, intestines). In the majority of cases, this is a pyloric stenosis. The lower part of the stomach is blocked, food cannot continue to move through the intestines. Tell-tale symptom: baby throws up after each food intake.
How are digestive disorders in children diagnosed?
Examination of the various symptoms is often sufficient to diagnose causes digestive problems in babies. However, various additional examinations may sometimes be necessary. Among the most frequent, we can cite the examination of the stool, in particular looking for parasitic worms. A stool culture (culturing the stool) can reveal the presence of certain bacteria. Blood tests to track down the presence of viruses or bacteria are also possible, as is an allergic test. If the doctor suspects a digestive malformation, an ultrasound is usually done.
How to treat digestive disorders in babies?
Le treatment of digestive disorders in babies depends on their nature and their cause. He can thus be prescribed painkillers, against gastric acidity, anti-emetic drugs, medicines against diarrhea or against constipation. It is also necessary to fight against the dehydration of the baby in the event of significant diarrhea. The care also sometimes involves the establishment of a specific diet, especially in case of diarrhea (due to gastro or not) or constipation of the baby.
Of course, it is imperative to treat the cause of all these ailments: antibiotics against bacterial infections, antivirals against certain viruses, dewormer … In case of food allergy, it is advisable to remove the food in question from the baby’s diet. . Finally, if it is a pyloric stenosis, the only solution is a surgical operation, generally very effective. Baby will be healed quickly!