How to diagnose diarrhea in children

Pediatric diarrhea is a very common disease that often occurs in children. If this disease occurs, how should our parents diagnose this disease? Only after a correct diagnosis can our parents find care methods suitable for their children. Let's learn about it together.

1. Those with no or occasional white blood cells in stool

Diarrhea is caused by intestinal or extraintestinal infections such as viruses, non-invasive bacteria, parasites, or improper feeding. It is mostly watery diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by dehydration symptoms. It should be differentiated from the following diseases:

(1) "Physiological diarrhea": It is more common in infants under 6 months old. They are puffy and often have eczema. Diarrhea occurs shortly after birth, with no other symptoms and does not affect growth and development. After adding complementary foods, the bowel movements gradually return to normal.

(2) Lactose intolerance: lactase deficiency, allergic diarrhea, etc.

2. Those with more white blood cells in their stool

It is often caused by various invasive bacterial infections, and is often accompanied by varying degrees of systemic poisoning symptoms. It needs to be differentiated from the following diseases:

(1) Bacillary dysentery: often with epidemiological history, acute onset, severe systemic symptoms, frequent bowel movements, small volume, bloody stools with pus and tenesmus, stool microscopy with a large number of pus cells, red blood cells and macrophages, and stool bacterial culture with the growth of Shigella dysenteriae, which can confirm the diagnosis.

(2) Necrotic enteritis: The symptoms of poisoning are more severe, including abdominal pain, abdominal distension, frequent vomiting, high fever, dark red and mushy stools, bloody stools, and often accompanied by shock. X-rays of the abdomen in the standing and supine positions show localized inflation and dilation of the small intestine, widening of the intestinal space, and gas accumulation in the intestinal wall.