What are the causes of diarrhea in children? Ten tips for treating diarrhea in children

The beginning of autumn has passed. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed. After the spring and summer, parents should pay attention to the protection of their babies and their health as autumn gradually approaches. Diarrhea is one of the common phenomena in children. So what are some tips for treating diarrhea in children?

1. Hygiene and home isolation are essential

Rotavirus is highly contagious and occurs all year round. Autumn and winter are the peak seasons for infection, so it is called "autumn diarrhea" for short. This disease is prevalent in all parts of my country. If a child has autumn diarrhea, you must pay attention to hygiene. Parents should wash their hands carefully before feeding their children; children's utensils, toys, and tableware should be cleaned and disinfected frequently. After each use, the bottle should be boiled and disinfected at high temperature for 20 minutes; sick children should be isolated at home, feces should be properly handled, and toilets and diapers should be thoroughly disinfected; children's utensils should be separated from adults, and sick children should have special disinfection containers and sterilizers.

2. Identify the culprits of autumn diarrhea

The pathogen of this disease is mainly rotavirus. Rotavirus, like other viruses, is not afraid of antibiotics. Antibiotics eliminate normal intestinal bacteria, which can easily cause secondary flora imbalance, secondary infection, stimulate bacteria to release toxins, and affect the absorption function of the intestine. In addition, the use of antibiotics is also ineffective for non-infectious pediatric diarrhea caused by improper diet, climate change, etc. Domestic survey results show that the use rate of antibiotics in the treatment of autumn diarrhea is as high as 50-80%, which shows that the abuse of antibiotics is relatively common. In fact, the Chinese diarrhea treatment program points out that 70% of acute watery diarrhea is mostly caused by rotavirus or toxin-producing bacteria, and antibiotics can be used without them. As long as fluid therapy is done well, microecological regulators and mucosal protectants are selected, most children can be cured; about 30% of children with purulent and bloody stools are mostly caused by invasive bacteria such as Shigella dysenteriae, invasive Escherichia coli, Salmonella, etc., and sensitive antibiotics are still advocated. Usually a local effective antibiotic is used. If the condition does not improve after 48 hours of medication, consider changing to another antibiotic. The misuse of antibiotics will lead to an increasing number of drug-resistant bacterial strains, and may also cause secondary intestinal flora imbalance, fungal enteritis, etc., causing diarrhea to prolong or worsen.

3. Replenish water and prevent dehydration

Children can be given oral rehydration therapy with highly effective and inexpensive oral rehydration salts (ORS, available in hospitals and pharmacies). Each time a child has diarrhea, he or she should take about 50-100 ml of ORS to prevent and treat dehydration. If standard ORS is not available, soup with salt solution can be used. The specific formula is: 500 ml of rice soup (a bottle of 1 jin wine) + 10 grams of sugar (2 flat spoons of 5 ml) + 1.75 grams of fine salt (half of a flat beer bottle cap) + 500 ml of water and boil for 2-3 minutes. 20-40 ml per kilogram of body weight, take within 4 hours, and take it orally at any time in the future, as much as the child can drink. If the child's diarrhea worsens, accompanied by high fever, frequent vomiting and diarrhea, and combined with dehydration, he or she should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

4. Home care and careful observation

Pay attention to the changes in the child's consciousness, mental state, facial expression, limb temperature, pulse, etc., and pay attention to whether dehydration improves or worsens; observe the frequency, volume and properties of bowel movements, and carefully keep various records; keep some fresh stools and send them to nearby hospitals for testing, which will help diagnose the cause and provide a reliable basis for disease treatment; do a good job of bedside isolation, and wash hands carefully before and after nursing the sick child to prevent cross infection; the sick child's diaper should be changed in time after each bowel movement, and the anus and surrounding areas should be washed with warm water to prevent buttocks redness and urinary tract infection. If buttocks redness has already formed, tannic acid ointment or chlortetracycline cod liver oil can be applied. At the same time, pay attention to whether there is urination.

5. Eat properly and recover quickly

Children with autumn diarrhea generally do not need to fast. Even if they need to fast, it should not exceed 6 to 8 hours. Because fasting may cause hunger diarrhea in children, dehydration and electrolyte disorders, and malnutrition (long-term fasting or long-term diet control). Excessive supplementation of high-protein, high-nutrition food may aggravate diarrhea and is not conducive to the repair of children's stomach and intestines. When children have diarrhea, you can appropriately extend the feeding time and reduce the feeding dose. When the child does not eat, do not force it, and do not limit it if the child likes to eat very much. Professor Cui Qiliang pointed out that the key to the treatment of autumn diarrhea in infants and young children is to continue feeding. Children who are fed artificially should eat lactose-free milk powder or 1/2 diluted milk; children who have added complementary foods can eat porridge or noodles. Take oral rehydration salts, do a good job of fluid therapy, and use drugs reasonably. Generally, the course of the disease can be completely cured in 5-8 days.

6. Seek medical advice for urgent illness with complete information

When a child has severe diarrhea or is accompanied by other symptoms, parents must take their children to see a doctor in time. When you go to the diarrhea clinic, don't forget to bring stool, as long as it is within 3 days. Only by checking the stool can you distinguish the child's condition from other intestinal diseases, make an accurate diagnosis, and prescribe the right medicine.

7. Daily feeding: Eat less but not more

Mothers love their children very much. They like to see their children eat more and wish that their children could eat all the delicacies in the world. Every day, they try their best to arrange various recipes and various nutritional combinations for them. There is definitely nothing wrong with this method, but the key is to master the quantity. In fact, it is better to eat less than more. The amount of vegetables per day is slightly increased, but less meat is eaten. If you feel that he is not digesting well one day, don't eat. Eat more fish and less meat for meat. If necessary, you can reduce one meal of complementary food, but don't reduce milk and fruit. This is easy to digest and ensures nutrition. In this way, the resistance of the child's digestive system is guaranteed, and the immune system is slowly established. If you eat too much food, it will inevitably cause the digestive system and metabolic system to overload, and the kidneys and liver will be overloaded. Soon, food accumulation will become stagnant heat, which will remain in the body, hinder normal circulation, reduce resistance, and cause disease. It's still the old saying: "To keep children safe, three-point hunger and cold" can be said to be the truth passed down by generations of raising children.

8. Maintain proper activities and add or remove clothing in time

During diarrhea, children excrete more, eat less, absorb less, and produce less energy. It is recommended that children rest more, but not necessarily stay in bed. They can be given appropriate time for activities. When children wake up in the morning, they have less body heat. At this time, special attention should be paid to prevent them from catching a cold. When the sun is shining at noon, even the vest will be removed. Children wearing only a single shirt are very agile, and their hands gradually become warm and moist. This is the manifestation of a healthy body temperature.

9. Take prompt measures and provide careful care when there are signs of illness

In many cases, if the mother can observe carefully and take effective measures in time when the child has signs or symptoms of illness, it is possible to avoid illness. For example, if the child's bowel movements change from one to two times a day, and there is undigested food in the stool, or the child's tongue coating suddenly becomes thick and white, these are all signals that the child's digestive system is not functioning properly. At this time, you should reduce the amount of food you give your child, and try to feed him things that are easy to digest and absorb, such as fruits, vegetables, egg custard, and rice soup. Don't be afraid that your child's nutrition is not comprehensive and continue to feed him a lot of meat, fish, shrimp, etc. You should know that eating less for one or two days will definitely not affect the child's nutrition. On the contrary, it will reduce his gastrointestinal burden, improve immunity, and be beneficial to health. Using probiotics and the like to enhance digestion can effectively prevent diseases. Of course, feeding yogurt (over 1 year old) is also a good way to improve indigestion.

10. Arrange outdoor and indoor activities for children appropriately

All mothers know the benefits of letting children get more exposure to fresh air and sunshine and strengthening outdoor activities. Outdoor activities are the most effective way to improve the disease resistance of respiratory mucosa. Even in winter, in not too bad weather, it is very necessary to let children get some exposure to cold air outdoors while keeping them warm.

As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water, and it is natural for parents to be anxious when their children are sick. But we can do our best to prevent children from avoidable illnesses, promote their rapid recovery, and let them grow up happily and safely in a healthy environment.