Intestinal Infection in Children: Symptoms, Causes, First Aid and Treatment

Intestinal infection is a large group of diseases caused by microbes that have got to the child through the mouth and provoked disturbances on the part of the whole organism as a whole, and the digestive system in particular.

The most common types:

A) bacterial intestinal infections: salmonellosis, dysentery, escherichiosis (inflammation caused by pathogenic E. coli Escherichia), campylobacteriosis;

B) viral: enterovirus, rotavirus infection.

Intestinal infection in children has symptoms very similar - both viral and bacterial - so it is important to correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

How does intestinal infection manifest in children?

The disease begins sharply, that is, until a certain moment the child feels absolutely good, then there is and is growing symptomatology:

- increase in body temperature;

- vomiting;

- diarrhea.

In this case, you can find a connection with the use of some not very high-quality or "suspicious" food: standing for a few days in the fridge of soup, overdue yogurt or curd, cake with cream, raw egg. Such symptoms can also arise after close communication in a children's collective, when one of the children is already sick, and his saliva gets on common toys, and from them through unwashed hands - into the mouth of the other kids.

Intestinal infection in children, the symptoms that distinguish it is the fever, vomiting and disruption of the general condition. It means that the reaction to a new type of product introduced into a child's food can manifest itself in the form of diarrhea, which goes away in a day or less when the product is withdrawn. But if the food contained the microbe (that is, it is an intestinal infection), then all the signs will be observed.

Intestinal infection in children: symptoms that can be misleading

1) If the child is sluggish, drowsy, has a fever and diarrhea, this is not necessarily an intestinal infection. These symptoms may manifest and inflammation of the lungs, caused by an atypical microbe (for example, chlamydia). A doctor's visit is mandatory.

2) Elevated temperature is accompanied by a headache or a change in general condition, there is no diarrhea or it is single, vomiting is observed regardless of food intake. There can be several reasons for this condition (including intestinal infection in fact), and the most terrible of them is meningitis. In that case, a doctor's examination is also very important.

Intestinal Infection in the Child: Symptoms that Require Care in a Hospital

1. Violation of the general condition of the child: arousal or, conversely, weakness. This usually indicates dehydration, with the first variant corresponding to an easier stage.
2. High body temperature, especially in the first year of life. Up to 6 years of life, each child can respond to a temperature above 38 degrees with seizures with violation or stopping breathing.
3. Frequent breathing (in comparison with the age norm).
4. Skin discoloration, especially in the area of the mucous lips, nail beds, nasolabial triangle: in case of blueing or blanching of these areas, hospitalization is mandatory.
5. Dryness of skin and mucous membranes, in infants - springing fontanel.
6. Westernization of eyeballs.
7. Reducing the amount of urine.
8. Persistent vomiting or multiple loose stools.
9. Cramps in the extremities.

You can try to manage at home, under the guidance of the district pediatrician, if you manage to replenish all the fluids lost with diarrhea, fever and vomiting (plus give it an average age) if the temperature is knocked down by Nurofen or Paracetamol. Otherwise, do not wait for serious consequences - call the ambulance and go to the hospital.

Intestinal infection in the child: first aid and what is important to remember for life

In no case can not stop diarrhea with a means of "Loperamide" type. So you can only "run" the infection in the blood, which is very dangerous for life.

In case you suspect that your child has an intestinal infection (there are the above symptoms), your actions should be as follows:

- Give the child a "Smecta" or "White Coal" remedy in the age-related dosage;

- evaporate it with water, a little sweet tea, if it continues to vomit, but most of the liquid is absorbed - a solution of "Regidron", "Human electrolyte" or others;

- buy a test in the pharmacy for rotavirus infection ("Rotatest"), if it proves positive - antibiotics are not needed, if it is negative and there is a high body temperature, then buy the drug "Enetrofuril" or "Nifuroxazide" in syrup or tablets (antibiotics) ;

- It is also important to buy a test for acetone (these are strips that dipped into the urine). Acetone should normally be negative, if it is "++" or more, this may be the reason that persistent vomiting persists, only intravenous administration of solutions and proper solubilization will help, but already in a hospital setting;

- In parallel with antibiotics, you need to buy probiotics (Entererozermina, Bio-Gaia, Latsidofil)

If the intestinal infection in children whose symptoms are causing concern (listed above), or because of severe vomiting, you can not fill the volume of fluid, contact the hospital.