Diarrhea in a child 5 years and 4 years old: what to give and how to treat

Diarrhea (diarrhea) is a protective reaction, which is aimed at removing harmful and dangerous substances, pathogenic microorganisms and substances from the body.

Do not panic when a child has a single manifestation of loose stools.

It is necessary to find out the connection between food intake and diarrhea.

However, when diarrhea in a 5-year-old child recurs again and is associated with a gag reflex, this is a dangerous sign that speaks of disorders inside his body.

It indicates any possible intestinal infections.

Treatment of diarrhea in a 5-year-old child

Diarrhea is the body's response to the influence of pathogenic bacteria, toxic irritants, medications, etc. in the intestinal walls.

Not in all situations, the appearance of loose stools in a child needs immediate intervention and active treatment.

You should not worry when such a pathology manifests itself only once. However, if the problem reappears and is associated with additional symptoms, this signals a disorder in the work of the child's internal organs.

Light and short-term diarrhea will practically not affect the general well-being.

In some situations, diarrhea occurs due to the ingestion of laxative products such as plums, herbs, beans, or any stressful situations.

Therefore, before treating a child, eliminating diarrhea or taking various measures, the root cause of diarrhea should be established. Based on it, the appropriate treatment is selected.

Views

The following types of diarrhea in a child are known:

• infectious - appears under the influence of various kinds of infections (bacterial, viral);
• alimentary - causes inadequate nutrition, lack of vitamins and beneficial bacteria in the diet;
• dyspeptic - begins in the process of insufficiency of the secretory function of the gastrointestinal tract or due to a lack of enzymes;
• medication - formed after the use of antimicrobial agents that destroy microflora and provoke dysbiosis;
• toxic - is a consequence of intoxication with toxic substances (for example, arsenic or mercury), due to impaired renal function;
• neurogenic - caused by difficulties with intestinal peristalsis, disorders in neuronal regulation.

Viral diarrhea can occur due to rotavirus infection, which is often encountered by children 5 years of age.

Therapy for this type of diarrhea must be comprehensive and take place in the infectious diseases department under the supervision of a doctor.

Causes

Diarrhea in a 5-year-old child, as well as at 4 years of age, is generally considered a manifestation of diseases that belong to the group of diseases of "dirty hands". They appear as a result of non-compliance with hygiene rules.

At the same time, bacteria are able to penetrate into the body through unwashed hands and in the process of using household items.

In addition, pathogenic microflora can enter the body in parallel with food.

The reasons for the manifestation of diarrhea in children 5 years of age are as follows:

• Intestinal infection. The most unpleasant symptomatology that requires an immediate visit to a specialist. Taking into account the degree of damage to the digestive system, the stool is intense watery or scanty with blood impurities and mucus. However, in each situation there is a deterioration in the general well-being of the child, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite. And almost always there is an increase in body temperature.
• Unbalanced diet. In the process of eating a significant amount of products that have a laxative effect, incongruous components or dishes that do not correspond to the age indicators of the child also occurs diarrhea. Typical symptoms of "food diarrhea" are: the absence of pathological blood impurities, the general condition of the child does not deteriorate, the temperature rise is not observed.
• Helminthic invasion. Worms often become a factor that provokes the appearance of liquid and frequent bowel movements. In the coprogram, undigested food debris, muscle fibers, fatty acids, mucus, and sometimes blood are noted.
• The use of any medication. Mostly, this applies to antibiotics. The use of these drugs for diarrhea disrupts the normal balance of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, provokes the appearance of dysbiosis and diarrhea. It should be borne in mind that the dysbiosis itself is not the cause of temperature, sudden deterioration of the condition, or the gag reflex.
• Stressful situations. Very often, negative emotions provoke disorders of nervous regulation in the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to constipation, dysbiosis and diarrhea.

Symptoms

Liquid feces can be mushy or watery, taking into account the factor that provoked the diarrhea:

• During dysentery, the feces initially differ in density, over time it will become liquid, but insignificant, false desires are possible, blood and mucus will appear. This pathology can also be suspected by a characteristic subjective picture.
• When it was provoked by salmonella, feces can become green or yellowish, the number of bowel movements is more than 10-20 times a day, repeated vomiting, abdominal pain, fever.
• In the process of infection with amoeba, glassy inclusions of mucus and blood are observed in the feces.
• Viral diarrhea in all cases frothy, offensive, there is soreness in the abdomen, especially around the navel.
• Discolored stools can be a symptom of hepatitis.

Before treating diarrhea in a child at 5 years old, as well as at 4 years old, you need to take an anamnesis, focusing on the symptoms. This information must be presented to a specialist who will select the appropriate course of therapy.

In addition to loose stools, diarrhea is characterized by the following manifestations:

• intense rumbling inside the abdomen;
• bloating;
• pain discomfort;
• constant, unsuccessful urge to defecate;
• colic;

Short-term diarrhea actually does not in any way affect the health of the child.

Prolonged and intense diarrhea leads to weight loss, exhaustion, lack of vitamins, pronounced changes in internal organs. Therefore, chronic diarrhea must be treated without fail.

Treatment

In a 5-year-old child, as well as at 4 years old, liquid bowel movements lasting 3-6 days appear in as a result of rather dangerous reasons, which cannot be countered on our own possible.

Therapeutic measures in this situation should be purposeful. For these purposes, it is necessary to establish the factor that provoked the gastric upset.

Speaking about treatment, first of all, you need to focus on the fact that the use of potent drugs, is an undesirable measure, since an unformed organism suffers from therapy more than from itself pathology.

Diet for diarrhea and stomach upset

The main focus of therapy is maintaining a balanced diet. On day 1, it is recommended not to feed a child at 4 years old, only to give a drink.

Every 5 minutes, he should take 0.5 tsp. l. rehydration solution.

Recommended dishes and products:

• rusks from wheat bread (the rest of the bakery products are excluded);
• fat-free soups on unsaturated meat, fish broth, adding slimy decoctions of cereals, boiled and mashed meat;
• lean meats in the form of cutlets boiled in water or steamed;
• low-fat varieties of fish, which are also boiled in water or steamed;
• dairy products - it is permissible to use fresh or pureed cottage cheese, cow's milk and other milk products are excluded;
• cereals - porridge on water from rice, oats, buckwheat;
• vegetables - only as decoctions that are added to the soup;

Drug treatment

A 5-year-old child, as well as a 4-year-old, has liquid bowel movements that do not stop for several days, appear as a result of various factors, which must be eliminated by joint efforts with a specialist.

Therapy for diarrhea should be targeted, and for this purpose it is necessary to establish the cause that caused the upset stomach:

• When diarrhea in a child at 5 years old, as well as at 4 years old, is provoked by disorders in the functioning of the pancreas, he is prescribed medications that restore its work.
• With the appearance of dystrophy of the gastric mucosa, the use of substitutes for digestive enzymes is recommended.
• Loose stools, which are caused in a 4-year-old child by a lack of vitamins, must be treated with certain vitamin complexes.

It is necessary to take drugs that help to collect and remove from the body all toxic substances - adsorbents.

• Smecta;
• Activated carbon;
• Enterosgel;

Along with cleansing the body, positive bacteria are washed out, which is why it is imperative to use medications such as, probiotics and prebiotics, which enrich the body with beneficial microorganisms that counteract pathology and restore the proper microflora in Gastrointestinal tract.

These drugs include:

• Linex;
• Baktisuptil;
• Hilak - forte;
• Normobact;
• Florok;
• Acipol.

Before using them, you should read the instructions, the list of contraindications and special instructions.

It is forbidden to give a child medication without a thorough examination by a doctor.

Folk remedies for diarrhea

The following traditional medicines have proven themselves well:

• Dried films of chicken stomachs. In the process of cutting a chicken carcass, the stomach is washed, a film is separated from it. Then it is washed in cold water and dries on a clean sheet of paper (dries completely the next day). In the process of diarrhea, the film of the chicken stomach is pounded to a powdery mass and is used twice a day for 0.5-1 hours. l., drinking plenty of water. Store the product in a cool dry place.
• A decoction of dried pears is also useful. It has proven itself to be the best due to its strengthening effect.
• Starch solution. This tool is prepared as follows: 1 tsp. l. starch is diluted with half a glass of chilled boiled water. It is permissible to cook as a jelly, adding sweets. A child should use 1 glass three times a day.
• Infusion of walnut partitions. It is necessary to make the tool as follows: 0.3 kg of walnuts are split and the partitions separating the parts of the kernels are taken out. Pour them with 0.25 liters of alcohol (70 degrees) and insist for 3 days. Adults take 5-10 drops, diluted with pre-boiled water, three times a day, children are advised not to use.
• Tincture of dry pomegranate peel. You need to make the remedy as follows: 1 tsp. l. dried pomegranate peel is poured with 1 glass of water. It is boiled for 15 minutes, infused, wrapped, for 2 hours, filtered. As a treatment, you need to give 1 tbsp. l. three times a day before meals, for small children - 1 tsp. l.
• Rice porridge, which is hard-boiled in water without adding salt, (recommended for adults and children).
• Rice decoction (recommended if a child has diarrhea). 1 teacup of washed rice is poured over 6-7 cups of water, put on a small fire and boiled. The finished product must be cooled, filtered and given to the child 1/3 cup every 2 hours.

Diarrhea in a 5-year-old child is a pathological condition of the gastrointestinal tract that occurs when exposed to external stimuli and disruptions in the functioning of various organs and systems in the body.

Preventive measures are carried out in order to prevent the appearance of a pathological process, and during the onset of the initial symptoms, it is necessary to immediately resort to the help of a specialist.

Timely help from a doctor prevents the formation of various adverse effects and adverse reactions.

Useful video