How can you treat diarrhea in a child?

Diarrhea in children has many causes of appearance, although it is not considered a disease, but to know how to treat diarrhea in a child should every responsible parent.

Consequences of diarrhea attacks in infants can lead to serious health problems, therefore, treatment should be taken with all seriousness.

Causes of diarrhea in children

Diarrhea is a frequent( more than twice daily) defecation by liquid feces.

The mechanism of diarrhea is simple: food, getting into the intestine, for various reasons is not digested correctly, so the remnants of undigested food leave the rectum too quickly, while the stool does not have time to form.

Diarrhea is not a disease, it is a symptom that accompanies the course of many diseases. In this case diarrhea in a newborn has other reasons, in comparison with diarrhea, from which a one-year-old child suffers.

A baby can suffer from diarrhea due to the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, which is not yet able to digest any food other than mother's milk.

Such diarrhea appears at the first attempts of introduction of complementary foods and can be manifested each time when the diet will introduce new products.

Often indigestion in children up to one year is associated with the appearance of teeth: during periods of eruption the peristalsis of the intestine becomes worse, the food is digested much worse.

Enzyme or lactose deficiency, which prevents proper digestion of nutrients, is another reason that causes diarrhea in a newborn.

Transfer of the child to artificial feeding strongly violates the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

Diarrhea, regardless of the age of the baby, can be of three kinds:

• is infectious, that is, caused by infections or viruses brought into the body. Most often, such diarrhea arises from unwashed hands, food, not subjected to heat treatment, contact with sick people;
• chronic, provoked by irritation of the intestinal mucosa. Attacks of such diarrhea can last longer than three weeks. Diarrhea in this case indicates the flow of serious diseases in the body of the child, so it must be shown to a specialist;
• acute, caused by inflammatory processes in the stomach or intestines. In addition, acute diarrhea is a side effect of taking medications.

If blood clots or mucus are observed in the feces of the child, you should urgently consult a doctor for diagnosis, since this type of stool can be a consequence of very serious ailments, for example Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Diarrhea causes severe dehydration, because with the liquid stool the body leaves the water.

The first signs are strong thirst, dryness of the skin and mucous membranes. As a result of dehydration, the child may have convulsions, fainting and coma, up to a lethal outcome.

It is necessary to carefully monitor the child's condition, as often as possible to offer a baby to drink, at the first signs of dehydration should begin rehydration activities.

This therapy involves the use of special regressing solutions that restore the glucose and electrolyte balance, resulting in normal natural metabolic processes of the body.

Causes of diarrhea in children

Diarrhea can be caused by various causes, the age of the child does not matter.

To know how to cure diarrhea in a child, you need to establish what caused the disorder of the intestine.

In addition to the most common causes that are infections and viruses, baby diarrhea is the result of eating foods that are difficult to digest.

Diarrhea can occur after eating raw vegetables and fruits, spicy, smoked or fatty foods.

If the products mentioned were used in conjunction with milk or sugary drinks, diarrhea may worsen.

Diarrhea attacks in this case are short-lived, but accompanied by strong pain in the abdomen and increased gas production.

Diarrhea in a child without fever may result from food allergy. Each baby has a set of products, which the body reacts to, will be individual.

Diarrhea can also be a consequence of a lack of lactose, an enzyme responsible for digesting lactose.

Lactose deficiency causes an increase in the amount of fluid in the intestines, which directly leads to diarrhea.

To reduce the likelihood of diarrhea when the enzyme is deficient, cow milk should be excluded from the diet.

At the same time, the consumption of yogurt, ryazhenka, cottage cheese and other fermented milk products does not affect digestion.

Dysbacteriosis caused by taking antibiotics, parasitic infestations and eating disorders can cause diarrhea.

Video:

Treatment with probiotics, enzyme therapy and the right diet will help to cope with this disease.

Invasive lesion of the intestine with lamblia leads to giardiasis, which causes inflammatory processes and intestinal disorders.

Diarrhea attacks in this case are chronic, so treatment should be started as early as possible.

Appendicitis, peritritinitis, intestinal obstruction and inversion of the intestines are often accompanied by severe diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, severe pain in the epigastrium.

In case of suspected acute conditions, urgent specialist consultation and hospitalization are needed, as surgical intervention is required.

Diarrhea in a child 2 years of age and older can be caused by irritable bowel syndrome.

This disease is a consequence of the complex psychoemotional state of the child, stress, hidden fears. Treatment of diarrhea in children in this case should be handled by a psychologist.

Video:

Psychological advice is also shown to the parents of a child suffering from a symptom of irritable bowel.

Treatment of diarrhea in children

To stop diarrhea and not to harm the baby, it is necessary to know the basic principles in the treatment of diarrhea.

The first three days are not recommended to load the stomach and intestines of the baby with hard-to-digest food.

The first day is best to organize starvation, so the stomach will recover faster. However, with diarrhea in a child of 1 year, treatment with starvation is not applicable.

To treat diarrhea in a child of 2 years of age can not be starving, but a gentle diet.

Breastfed should not remain without mother's milk or milk formula for a long time, as this can lead to weight loss and protein deficiency in the body.

To reduce the burden on the intestines, it is enough to shorten the time of application to the breast, and with artificial feeding it is necessary to reduce the dose of the mixture consumed at a time.

That the kid does not feel hungry, it is necessary thus to increase quantity of feedings.

If a child who has not yet turned one year old receives a complementary meal, it should be canceled for the time being.

When diarrhea, the child should drink a lot, since the liquid leaves the body together with the liquid stool.

For signs of dehydration, it is necessary to immediately begin rehydration therapy with special medications( for example, "Regidron").

Drug solution is started from one teaspoon, gradually increasing the volume of the liquid to 100 ml per 1 kg of the child's weight per day.

So, if a child weighs 20 kg, then for a day he should drink two liters of solution to completely restore the water balance.

It is not recommended to take medications stopping diarrhea before finding out the cause of diarrhea.

If an intestinal disorder is caused by an infection or rotavirus, then diarrhea is a natural mechanism for self-purification of the body. Together with the liquid stool, intestines leave toxins and harmful substances.

Medicinal and folk remedies for diarrhea

Before consultation with a doctor, you should not prescribe any medicines to your baby, as it is impossible to select the right medicine without determining the disease that caused diarrhea.

Moreover, do not choose the medication yourself, because the wrong treatment can harm the child's body.

However, knowing which medications are commonly used to treat the symptoms of diarrhea, parents should.

The main groups of medicines prescribed by doctors for the treatment of bowel disorders in children are:

• enterosorbents. Are directed on deducing or removing toxins from an organism of the kid, absorb and clear an intestine( Enterosgel, Polisorb, Smekta);
• probiotics. Used in the therapy of dysbacteriosis and intestinal infections, in addition, the course of probiotics is accompanied by antibiotic treatment( Lineks, Bifiform, Acipol);
• antimicrobial. Designed to reduce peristalsis of the intestine and, as a consequence, stop diarrhea in infectious diseases( Enterol, Enterofuril, Nifuroxazide);
• vegetable. They have antidiarrheal effect due to the fixing action on the intestine. Such drugs are not recommended for children under 3 years of age because of the high likelihood of allergic reactions.

Traditional medicine for children is more a dietary advice. The use of herbs in the therapy of children is limited, so folk recipes are based on products that have a binding effect.

The most common remedy for diarrhea in children is a decoction of rice. It can be taken on the first day of diarrhea, when fasting is recommended, and in the following days of the diet.

Kissel has a good astringent effect due to the starch it contains. Kissel can be any, but it is best to help with berry, especially bilberry.

Is useful and oatmeal, it does not contain starch, but the natural tannins that make up oatmeal, reduce the number of attacks of diarrhea.

Treatment of diarrhea at home involves a diet and a plentiful drink. If diarrhea persists, but, on the contrary, it intensifies, temperature, weakness and dehydration are added to the intestinal disorder, then the parents are obliged to show the child to the doctor to clarify the diagnosis and prescribe an effective treatment.