The cause of blood in the feces of a child: an infection or food?

Bloody stool in the feces of the baby is certainly a cause for concern and close attention to his health. It can appear for many reasons, and accordingly it is necessary to act differently in different situations. First of all we must exclude life-threatening conditions.

Intestinal infection is not very frequent (as the baby feeds mainly on breast milk, mixtures and carefully prepared complementary foods), but a terrible cause of blood in the feces of a child for up to a year. In general, a more adult baby has a chance to get infected more. But completely to exclude an infection, only relying on age, it is impossible. If, in addition to unexpected and severe diarrhea (especially with blood and mucus), the child has fever, vomiting, and there are signs of abdominal pain, then you need to urgently go to the doctor - a child infectious disease specialist. By the way, to determine that the newborn baby has a tummy ache, it is possible by indirect signs: the child will scream and cry, pull up the legs to the tummy, when you try to touch which all the manifestations will increase.

Acute intestinal infections are dangerous, first of all, by rapid dehydration. Literally in a few hours a child with feces and vomiting can lose a critical amount of fluid. One can not hesitate! Most likely the kid will need antibacterial therapy, careful soldering and, probably, a dropper. But all these appointments should be done by a doctor. Self-selection of antibiotics can simply ruin a child.

Another serious cause of feces in the feces of a child is an intestinal obstruction, which is usually called an intestinal turn. Unfortunately, children under one year old who are on artificial feeding are the most susceptible to this condition. Again, we draw attention to the symptoms: pain, crying, refusal to eat, and in the stool - "raspberry jelly" (blood mixed with mucus) or simply blood clots. This condition should be eliminated as soon as possible and only in conditions of pediatric surgery. Do not hesitate to call an ambulance.

However, the most frequent cause of blood in the feces of a child is a problem with food, or, more accurately, the assimilation of food. The first problem is allergy. Any food products and mixtures can cause an allergic reaction. Because of the pronounced edema of the intestinal mucosa and the influx of blood, the walls of the vessels are damaged, which leads to bleeding. This process is long and sometimes hidden, which leads to anemia and developmental delay of the baby.

Usually, the allergy is manifested primarily by rashes, diathesis, less often - lag in the weight set. The rash can be localized almost anywhere (not only on the cheeks, as is commonly believed). Its elements are reddish, rough, usually they are shelled. Laktaznaya insufficiency also causes a similar picture . This cause of blood in the feces of a child is associated with inadequate production of enzymes digesting milk. This condition requires careful examination, since many diseases can occur with a similar picture.

By the way, sometimes a vein of blood in the stool can appear with chronic constipation. But in infants this is an extremely rare phenomenon.

Whatever the reason, if a child has blood in his stool - the treatment should be under the supervision of a doctor. And the signs of severe pain require instantaneous treatment for emergency medical care.