Acute intestinal infection (AII) is a very unpleasant, alarming, and quite dangerous disease, especially for young children. Why?
● The condition occurs quite suddenly.
●Diarrhea, vomiting, and fever cause rapid fluid loss from the body (dehydration). The child appears limp and pale, troubled by diarrhea and vomiting. Sometimes, children cannot eat or drink properly and feel nauseous from any "substance" that enters their mouth. What should you do?
●Diarrhea, vomiting, and fever cause rapid fluid loss from the body (dehydration). The child appears limp and pale, troubled by diarrhea and vomiting. Sometimes, children cannot eat or drink properly and feel nauseous from any "substance" that enters their mouth. What should you do?
Consult a doctor. If the condition is relatively standard, and diarrhea/vomiting occurs infrequently during the day, we can monitor it at home. The doctor will determine if hospitalization is necessary.
Red flags:
- Very frequent, uncontrollable vomiting/diarrhea.
- Blood in vomit/stool or black stool.
- The child does not eat or drink, or ingesting water/food causes new vomiting episodes.
- Persistent fever.
- The child is sluggish and immobile.
- Diarrhea resembling rice water semi-transparent stool (especially if the family recently visited Asian countries, indicating a suspicion of cholera).
The child urinates less frequently. If any of these signs are present, call an ambulance immediately. If the condition is not as severe, the doctor will examine the child and decide whether to treat it at home.
Action Plan:
- Oral rehydration (drinking fluids): electrolyte solutions, as the child loses many elements through vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.
- Offer fluids in small portions: from a spoon/syringe/cup or any other method every 5-10 minutes.
- The child may not eat in the first 24 hours but must drink. Once the electrolyte balance is somewhat restored and the child feels better, they may ask for food. Appetite return is a good sign.
- If the child refuses water/electrolytes but asks for cola, give them cola. Any liquid intake is beneficial.
- Refrain from overloading with food. For a few days, offer light, puree-like/semi-liquid foods: low-fat broth, steamed meat, and omelets in small quantities. Heavy, solid foods can trigger a new episode.
- For some intestinal infections, limit dairy product intake. The doctor will advise you on this.
- If the child is breastfed and develops an intestinal infection, do not stop breastfeeding. Lactose absorption from milk may temporarily be impaired, but adding an enzyme will help. The doctor will advise which enzyme and the dosage.
- Nifuroxazide (intestinal antiseptic, Enterofuril): there is much debate about its effectiveness as it is not proven by evidence-based medicine. Leave the choice of therapy to the doctor; do not self-medicate.
- Sorbents (Polysorb, Enterosgel, Activated Charcoal, etc. – not an advertisement): they may be effective, though rarely, and mostly only in cases of poisoning if taken immediately after consuming a suspicious product.
- Some infections (particularly ARVI) are accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea due to inflammation of lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity (mesenteric adenitis, visible on ultrasound). Symptoms will subside as ARVI declines. ARVI is treated symptomatically, not with antiviral agents.
- Probiotics: acutely, they may be ineffective and even dangerous, especially for premature babies. Our intestinal microflora can restore balance over time. Some probiotics can worsen an intestinal infection by increasing constipation or diarrhea.
It is usual for the stool to remain somewhat loose or delayed after the overall condition normalizes. The doctor will provide recommendations after recovery.
The main principle of treating AII is monitoring the condition, rehydrating, and gradually introducing food.