Intestinal infectious diseases occur in children with almost the same frequency as ARVI. The anatomical features of the digestive system, as well as close contact with possible carriers of infection in children's groups, contribute to the fact that children become infected more easily and get sick more often than adults. The consequences of some diseases can be very serious. Parents need to know how to recognize intestinal infections and distinguish them from other diseases. You cannot self-medicate. If alarming signs occur, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Content:
Types and forms of intestinal infections
When pathogens enter the intestines, they begin to multiply, poisoning the body with toxins, which leads to the appearance of characteristic severe symptoms. Children are much more susceptible to infections than adults. This is due to the fact that their body’s defenses are weaker; microbes quickly spread throughout various parts of the shorter intestine. In addition, the acidity of gastric juice in a child is lower than in an adult, so the viability of pathogenic microorganisms is higher.
Most often, such diseases occur in children under the age of 3 years. Frequent intestinal infections in a child can cause retardation in physical and mental development. Weak children are especially easily infected.
Routes of infection and types of pathogens
The main routes of transmission of pathogens are contact with a patient or a virus carrier, as well as fecal-oral (through water, food, dirty hands and household items), airborne droplets (through the air, when a patient coughs) and transmission (the infection is spread by rodents and insects) .
A special group includes foodborne infections, which include cholera, dysentery, salmonellosis, and viral hepatitis A. The causative agents of foodborne infections can survive for a long time in products such as eggs, butter, sour cream, cheese, and cottage cheese.
Foodborne infections also include the so-called zooanthroponoses. These are brucellosis, foot and mouth disease, tuberculosis, anthrax. Animals are carriers of the infection. You can become infected by eating meat and milk (dairy products) of sick animals.
Microorganisms that cause diseases
The causative agents are most often bacteria. These include, for example, dysentery bacillus, vibrio cholera, salmonella, campylobacter. If the baby is physically strong and has a fairly strong immune system, then most of the bacteria are neutralized by saliva, gastric juice, and suppressed by beneficial intestinal microflora.
Warning: If a child does not chew food well, eats on the go, or overeats, he does not have time to produce a sufficient amount of saliva that can destroy harmful bacteria. Drinking alkaline mineral water reduces the effectiveness of the effect of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice. Antibiotics kill beneficial microflora, which prevents pathogenic microbes from developing.
There are so-called opportunistic bacteria (staphylococci, E. coli), which are an integral part of the natural intestinal microflora and do not harm the body. However, under unfavorable conditions (lack of beneficial lactobacilli, weakened immune defenses), they begin to multiply intensively.
In addition to bacteria, diseases can be caused by viruses (rotaviruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses), protozoa (amoebas, giardia), and fungi.
The most common infectious diseases in children are dysentery, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, rotavirus, and staphylococcal infections. The disease develops in an individual child (sporadic infection), but often outbreaks (epidemics) of severe intestinal infectious diseases occur in children's institutions, which are often seasonal. It has been noted that the peak incidence of dysentery occurs in the summer-autumn season, and that of rotavirus infection in the winter.
Forms of flow
Intestinal infection in children can develop in mild, moderate and severe forms. Depending on how pronounced the symptoms are, the course of the disease can be typical or atypical (with erased symptoms).
Pathogens may not affect the entire digestive tract, but only some of its parts. Depending on which part of the gastrointestinal tract the infection develops, the following types of diseases are distinguished:
- gastritis (inflammation of the gastric mucosa);
- duodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum);
- enteritis (damage to the small intestine);
Very often mixed forms of the disease occur, for example, gastroenteritis, gastroenterocolitis.
Phases of the disease
There are 3 phases in the development of intestinal infectious diseases.
Acute phase can last up to 1.5 months.
Protracted called the phase of the disease that does not stop after 1.5 months.
Chronic– this is the phase in which episodes of the disease recur periodically, as the infection continues to remain in the body for more than 6 months.
Video: Causes and types of intestinal infectious diseases
Causes of infection
The causes of infection are usually:
- non-compliance with hygiene rules (the child eats with dirty hands, is not accustomed to washing them after visiting the toilet, playing with a pet);
- consumption of poor quality water and food;
- hiring in children's institutions (especially in the kitchen) persons who do not have a certificate of absence of infectious diseases (not only the intestines, but also other organs and skin);
- poor sanitary living conditions (abundance of flies, cockroaches - carriers of infection, dirt in the premises, poor water supply).
Viruses and bacteria enter the stomach and intestines through the mouth. Contact infection is possible when communicating with a sick person or a virus carrier. There are several sources.
Poor quality food. Eating stale food or expired food is very dangerous for anyone, especially a small child. Proper storage of food in the refrigerator is essential.
Warning: Products that are not heat-treated should not be kept next to raw meat or fish, from where pathogens of severe infections can easily enter them. A child should only be given well-boiled eggs. It is dangerous to buy food for him on the street, in trays and kiosks, where the rules for its preparation and storage may be violated. Acute intestinal infection in children, especially in the warm season, occurs due to the consumption of cakes with cream, in which bacteria multiply very quickly.
Poorly purified water. The quality of raw tap water often does not meet sanitary standards. Drinking poor-quality water is the most common way that intestinal bacteria and viruses enter the body. This often results in mass infection of people.
Household items(dishes, toys) contain many intestinal bacteria on their surface. Once in the child's mouth, they penetrate the gastrointestinal tract.
Complications of infectious bowel diseases
Entering the gastrointestinal tract of children, pathogens of intestinal infections injure the mucous membranes, which leads to their inflammation, digestive disorders, and the release of toxins into the blood. In this case, symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever occur. There is a sharp loss of fluid and salts.
Together with the fluid, potassium, sodium and calcium salts leave the body, without which the functioning of all body systems is impossible. Therefore, dehydration is the most dangerous consequence of the development of infection in the digestive tract in a child. Uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea can lead to his death within a few hours.
Dehydration causes a sharp decrease in circulating blood volume, coagulation disorders, blood clots, pulmonary edema, kidney and heart failure.
Symptoms of individual diseases
It is important to consult a doctor in time, who, based on symptoms and examination, will be able to diagnose the presence of a specific pathogen and take all measures for effective treatment. Various intestinal diseases differ in their course and have specific manifestations.
Dysentery
The infection is localized mainly in the large intestine. Manifestations occur 1-5 days after infection. Severe diarrhea and cramping pain in the abdomen appear, more on the left.
The temperature rises to 39-40°C. The child becomes weaker, vomits, complains of a headache, and is delirious. The baby is shivering, convulsions and fainting may occur. Loose stools mixed with mucus and blood occur up to 15-20 times a day. In severe dysentery, intestinal bleeding occurs.
Young children exhibit more symptoms of body poisoning (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, loss of consciousness) than older children. For older children and adolescents, colitis is more typical (alternating constipation and diarrhea, bloating, intestinal pain).
With timely treatment, the patient’s condition improves on days 4-5, and by day 15 the main symptoms disappear. Full recovery occurs in about 1 month.
Salmonellosis
Bacteria affect the stomach, large and small intestines.
In a mild form, such an intestinal infection in children is accompanied by a rise in temperature to subfebrile levels (37.5-38°C). The stool has a liquid consistency, dark greenish color, and contains blood and mucus. The patient's enlarged liver and spleen are palpable. Vomiting occurs and weakness occurs. After treatment, children most often experience a rapid recovery. For an infant, death is possible due to severe poisoning of the body.
Sometimes the development of respiratory and typhus-like forms is observed, in which the symptoms of intestinal damage are accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat, and cardiac dysfunction (tachycardia, decreased blood pressure and pulse rate). In very rare cases, children a few months old develop a septic form of the disease - the most dangerous. In this case, severe complications develop (pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis).
Rotavirus infection
After an incubation period of 1-3 days, symptoms of gastritis and enteritis develop within 1 day. The child experiences frequent foamy stools, vomiting, and weakness caused by intoxication. The temperature rises to 38°. These symptoms are combined with manifestations of a respiratory disease (cough, throat irritation, runny nose). Recovery usually occurs within 4-7 days.
Video: Treatment for rotavirus
Staphylococcal infection
Manifests itself as severe toxicosis. The stool is watery, green in color, and contains mucus. As a rule, such an intestinal disease manifests itself against the background of bacterial damage to other organs and accompanies pneumonia, purulent otitis, and sore throat. Recovery depends on the severity of the underlying disease.
Campylobacteriosis
Transmitted to humans from sick animals through meat and dairy products (zoonotic infection). Preschoolers are most often infected. Bacteria begin to develop in the small intestine, then spread through the lymph nodes to other parts. The incubation period is 2-3 days.
Muscle pain, cramps, temperature up to 40-41°C, diarrhea (frequent, loose, foul-smelling stools), nausea, and vomiting appear. There is severe dehydration, exhaustion of the body, a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood, and an enlargement of the liver.
Frequent complications are appendicitis and gastroenterocolitis. Foci of purulent inflammation may appear in the heart, lungs, and joints.
Video: Symptoms of various intestinal diseases
What to do if there are signs of intestinal disease in a child
Doctors advise taking your baby to the doctor without wasting precious time. It is necessary to remember what he was fed recently, what product could be contaminated.
You should not try to immediately stop diarrhea and vomiting. The body must cleanse itself of toxins. If the child feels nauseous but does not vomit, she should be induced specifically. You can speed up the elimination of toxins with a cleansing enema (boiled water at a temperature of 20° is used).
The occurrence of dehydration can be judged by darkening of urine, infrequent urination, and absence of tears when crying.
It is necessary to immediately call an ambulance if the abdominal pain intensifies, there is continuous vomiting, so that the child cannot be given anything to drink. The patient has signs of severe dehydration: he has not urinated for more than 6 hours, his skin has a grayish tint, dark circles under his eyes, and his tongue is dry. Blood appeared in the stool.
Diagnostics
The main method for diagnosing intestinal diseases is bacteriological analysis of feces, vomit, and blood. In this case, the type of infectious agent is determined.
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent test (ELISA) is performed to identify pathogens based on the presence of antibodies.
Deciphering the coprogram obtained after an extensive stool analysis makes it possible to establish the localization of the infection by the color of the stool, its consistency, smell, the presence of mucus, blood, and undigested food debris.
Intestinal infection in children may have symptoms similar to pathologies such as lactose deficiency and pancreatitis. Tests allow you to accurately determine the nature of the disease and determine the need for treatment.
Note: If there are no complaints of poor health, but bacteria or viruses are detected, it means that the child is a carrier of them, and his immune system copes with the infection, preventing the baby from getting sick. It is contagious to others and treatment is required to neutralize the infection.
Treatment
When a child develops symptoms of an intestinal infectious disease, the first step is to combat dehydration and introduce a strict diet. The patient should be given water not just with water, but with special saline solutions (such as rehydron, gastrolite, humana) to replenish the loss of essential minerals.
At home, in the absence of ready-made preparations, you can give your child a solution prepared from 1 liter of water, 1 tsp. table salt, 1 tsp. baking soda and 2 tsp. Sahara. In order for the liquid to be absorbed faster, it must be heated to the patient’s body temperature. In the hospital, if it is impossible to give the child something to drink in the usual way, he is given intravenous saline with glucose.
Very often, fasting and drinking plenty of medicinal fluids lead to complete recovery within a few days without the use of medications.
The basis of dietary nutrition should be liquid soups with the addition of rice and vegetables, as well as porridges from various cereals cooked in water. It is necessary to follow a diet even after recovery, gradually adding fruit purees, cookies, and boiled lean meat to your food.
To restore intestinal function, enzymes, preparations with lactobacilli, and bacteriophages (dysphag, coliphage, and others) are prescribed. Antipyretics and antispasmodics are used for pain relief.
Treatment with antibiotics (gentamicin, kanamycin), as well as antiseptic drugs (furazolidone, nevigramon) is carried out in cases where there is blood in the stool and vomit, and diarrhea does not stop for several days. Such drugs are necessarily used in the treatment of cholera, giardiasis, and severe forms of other intestinal diseases.
Doctors often prescribe enterosorbents (Smecta, Enterosgel, Polysorb, Filtrum), which can absorb toxins and speed up the cleansing of the body from harmful substances.
Acute intestinal infection is a disease caused by microorganisms that have entered the human intestines. The causative agents of the disease are bacteria, viruses, protozoa or fungi. The source of infection is a sick person, an animal, everyday items and the environment, food, water.
Acute intestinal infections (AI) are characterized by indigestion, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and intoxication of the body. The disease is severe in children: the body quickly becomes dehydrated and has weak immunity.
Intestinal infections are dangerous during pregnancy: dehydration and intoxication of a woman’s body lead to miscarriage or provoke oxygen starvation of the fetus.
According to ICD 10, intestinal infections are in first place in the list, their codes are A00-A09. The most dangerous disease is cholera (ICD code 10 A00). The list of intestinal infections begins with this.
Intestinal infections are characterized by rapid spread. Transmission is by oral-fecal, nutritional and airborne routes. The infection is transmitted from person to person through unwashed hands, household items, poorly washed fruits and vegetables, and by water.
Pathogenic microorganisms are carried by insects (flies, cockroaches), sick farm animals, birds or rodents.
Pathogenic microorganisms choose the human intestine as their habitat.
Intestinal infectious diseases have similar clinical manifestations; etiology and epidemiology are different.
Intestinal infections, a list of which can be found in the medical literature, vary depending on the type of pathogen and the effect on the body. Medical reference books, books, magazines and online publications provide a list of OKIs describing the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Etiology of acute intestinal infections
Types of OKI:
Regardless of what types of microorganisms caused the disease, its symptoms are unpleasant, the treatment period is long, and the outcome is not always favorable.
Epidemiology of AEI
The reasons for the occurrence and spread of acute intestinal infections are that pathogenic microorganisms are quickly transmitted from a sick person or a carrier of infection.
Pathogenic microorganisms are resistant to environmental conditions, retain harmful qualities for a long time in the cold, and remain on objects with which an infected person has been in contact.
Pathogens leave the body infected with an intestinal infection along with feces and vomit and are transferred to surrounding household items, water, food with the help of hands, insects, and end up with sewage in water bodies. Transmission of the pathogen is “along the chain”, which leads to the emergence of an epidemic.
Classification of epidemics depending on the source of infection:
- Water epidemics. Characterized by mass infection of people using a water source. When the use of water from the source or its disinfection is stopped, the epidemic subsides.
- Food epidemics. As a result of eating foods that have not undergone heat treatment, or the ingestion of pathogenic microorganisms.
- Household. A large number of sick children. Infections are transmitted through toys and household items.
Epidemics vary in intensity and seasonality.
Children who are unable to follow the rules of hygiene are susceptible to intestinal diseases.
If one child gets sick, the entire group of children is at risk.
Clinical picture of OKI
Intestinal infections are common diseases.
The clinic of all acute intestinal diseases is characterized by common manifestations:
The first symptoms of the disease appear 6-48 hours after infection.
Intestinal flu is the most common intestinal infection
Intestinal flu affects children from six months to two years. The nature of the disease is viral, the causative agent is rotavirus - a pathogenic microorganism that has a three-layer dense shell and a “wheel” shape.
Pathways and mechanism of infection with rotavirus
Rotavirus intestinal infection is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Trillions of bacteria leave in the stool of an infected person, while a hundred units are enough to infect others. Rotaviruses are tenacious, resistant to low temperatures and remain on household items with which the patient or carrier of the virus has come into contact.
From these objects they are transferred through poorly washed hands into the oral cavity of a healthy person and settle on the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. In close contact, rotavirus is transmitted through the saliva of an infected person.
Rotavirus enters through unboiled water and food that is poorly washed or has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.
In the event of mass infection, a rotavirus epidemic occurs. An outbreak of the disease occurs in late autumn and winter. Foci of infection are in crowded places - kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, dormitories.
In order to prevent the mass spread of intestinal infections in schools, preschool institutions, groups, and enterprises, an “Operational Action Plan for the Prevention of Acute Intestinal Infections” is being drawn up.
Sources of infection
Sources of infection are sick adults and children who have already shown symptoms of the disease, or virus carriers - persons in whose body there is a virus, but there are no signs of the disease.
Rotavirus gets into the water supply system and water bodies with wastewater, where swimming leads to infection.
Incubation period and duration of the disease
The incubation period lasts up to six days.
The duration of illness for intestinal rotavirus infection is 2 weeks. The disease goes through two phases: acute and convalescent phase. The first phase lasts 7 days: the body fights the infection, the symptoms are severe. During the second phase, the body develops immunity, and gradual recovery begins.
Symptoms
Clinical manifestations of intestinal flu are similar to acute respiratory viral infections in the first days of the disease:
- temperature rise to 39 degrees;
- headache;
- sore throat and redness,
- runny nose, cough, headache;
- pain in the abdominal area;
- diarrhea;
- bouts of vomiting;
- lack of appetite;
- lethargy and weakness.
The absence of high temperature distinguishes food poisoning from intestinal infections caused by pathogenic bacteria or viruses.
A dangerous manifestation in the acute phase of the disease is dehydration. The patient must be given water.
Features of the course of the disease in adults and children
The three-layer shell makes rotaviruses invulnerable to the environment of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal enzymes. During the course of the disease, the virus infects enterocytes - intestinal epithelial cells - and leads to their death, modifying the epithelium. Severe diarrhea and severe dehydration of the body occur; This is the pathogenesis of the disease.
Rotavirus in children
Intestinal infections are dangerous for children, which is due to the characteristics of the child’s body and immunity. OCI is a common disease among children from six months to two years.
Enterovirus and rotavirus infections often occur in childhood and are similar to each other. At first, parents confuse them with acute respiratory infections, as there is a jump in temperature, cough, watery eyes, and runny nose. Then vomiting and diarrhea follow.
For both enterovirus and rotavirus infections, the symptoms are high fever, diarrhea and vomiting, abdominal pain, lack of appetite, and weakness.
Unlike rotavirus, enterovirus affects, in addition to the gastrointestinal tract, the liver, heart and nervous system of the child and affects vision.
Dehydration and intoxication are manifestations of the disease. Dehydration of the body occurs so quickly that the child does not produce urine or tears. The pain disrupts the baby's sleep patterns.
Treatment boils down to drinking salted water or administering fluids intravenously.
Breastfed children are less susceptible to gastrointestinal infections due to the quality of mother's milk.
Due to the high infant mortality rate due to intestinal infections, pediatrics pays special attention to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of acute intestinal infections in children.
Today, there are manuals and scientific articles devoted to the problems of child nutrition, methods of feeding them safely, methods of treating and preventing intestinal infections, and the development of the immune system.
Rotavirus in adults
Features of the manifestation of intestinal flu in adults are that the course of the disease occurs with less pronounced symptoms. This is due to the protection of the adult organism - the acidic environment of the stomach and the content of immunoglobulin A in the secretion produced by intestinal enterocytes.
The manifestation of the disease in an adult is intestinal disorder. A person is a carrier of infection, not suspecting that an intestinal disease is hidden behind the mild symptoms.
Rotavirus in pregnant women
Rotavirus infection during pregnancy does not pose a danger to the fetus. Dehydration of a woman’s body provokes oxygen starvation of the fetus. Therefore, it is important to prevent dehydration and maintain bed rest at the first signs of intestinal flu. Preventive measures and hygiene will help reduce the risk of intestinal infection.
Diagnosis of rotavirus infection
Identification of signs of disease - through examination of the patient and conversation. Data on body temperature is recorded, blood pressure is measured, and the abdominal area is palpated. They conduct examinations of the patient’s urine, feces and blood, and examine the mucous membranes of the rectum.
Differential diagnostics – for salmonellosis, cholera, dysentery, food toxic infections.
Determining the virus based on the analysis of RSC or RTHA in the first days is impossible: antibodies are produced in an adult after a few days, in a newborn - after a few months. The diagnosis is confirmed based on the epidemiological situation and seasonality.
Features of care for patients with acute intestinal infections in a hospital setting
In severe cases of illness or when it is not possible to isolate the patient at home, a patient with intestinal infections is admitted to a hospital.
During the treatment process, care for patients with acute intestinal infectious diseases is important.
Prevention of complications of intestinal infections is an integral part of nursing care on the patient’s path to recovery.
Nursing interventions provide:
- isolation of the admitted patient from those recovering;
- control over regular wet cleaning with bleach in the patient’s room and ventilation of the room;
- feces disinfection;
- support for rehydration regime;
- control of diet and hygiene;
- control of body temperature, pressure, condition of mucous membranes and skin.
Care must be taken to care for patients with severe symptoms (fever, delirium, clouding of consciousness) and for children.
An intestinal infection, or as it is often called “dirty hands disease,” is a separate subgroup of gastrointestinal diseases that are transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route. The most common are dysentery (caused by bacteria of the genus Shigela), salmonellosis (most often caused by Salmonella typhimurium), escherichiosis (caused by Escherichia coli) and rotavirus infection.
Symptomatic picture of OKI
Signs of an intestinal infection increase very quickly. Usually the first symptoms appear within a few hours after infection. The clinical picture consists mainly of obvious signs of damage to the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, which are combined with clear dehydration of the child’s body.
Common signs of acute intestinal infections, regardless of the type of pathogen, are vomiting, diarrhea and severe abdominal pain. In this case, the signs of gastrointestinal disorders are determined by the location of the inflammatory process, and not again by the bacterium that caused the disease. In view of this, with an intestinal infection, an exacerbation of one of the diseases is possible:
Gastritis. Clinical manifestations of OCI will be concentrated at the level of the stomach. That is, the main symptom of the disease will be repeated vomiting, which is accompanied by constant nausea. This condition is usually caused by staphylococcus.
Enteritis. The inflammatory process affects the small intestine, so the defining signs are: frequent bowel movements, stools that are profuse and watery, cutting pain in the intestinal area, bloating.
The nature of the stool indicates the causative agent of acute intestinal infections:
- copious foamy discharge is a sign of infection with rotavirus;
- with salmonellosis, stool has a greenish tint;
- clear mucus is not a defining sign, as it can indicate any ailment.
– inflammation of the colon mucosa. Signs: small liquid bowel movements, blood streaks and cloudy mucus are often found, attacks of cramping pain in the abdomen, tenesmus (false urge to defecate, accompanied by new attacks of pain). Such symptoms are defining for dysentery.
Gastroenteritis combines the symptoms of gastritis and enteritis, that is, frequent vomiting is combined with frequent copious liquid bowel movements.
With enterocolitis, frequent defecation with liquid feces that have a specific odor and admixtures of blood, greenish mucus, and frequent false urge to defecate are observed.
The baby experiences repeated vomiting, diarrhea, and mucus and blood are noticeable in the stool.
With ACI, signs of central nervous system dysfunction quickly increase. This is due to the fact that bacteria, in the course of their life, release toxins that have a negative effect on the central nervous system. Such violations include:
- high body temperature is often above 39;
- weakness, severe headache, dizziness, rapid deterioration of health;
- the baby’s anxiety quickly gives way to apathy and depression, which can even lead to loss of consciousness,
- the appearance of hallucinations and delirium, convulsions (against the background of general intoxication of the body and high temperature);
- There is a change in skin color: from unnatural pallor to the appearance of “marbling” (skin
- acquires a grayish tint, on which the capillary network is clearly visible, forming a marble pattern);
- the baby's hands and feet are cold to the touch;
- increase or decrease in blood pressure;
- severe shortness of breath.
In addition, dehydration is no less dangerous for the baby. Together with vomit and feces, he loses a huge amount of fluid, as well as sodium and potassium, which ensure the normal functioning of the central nervous system and heart.
Important! Dehydration is extremely dangerous for young children because it occurs almost instantly (usually within 3-5 hours), and rehydration can only be done in a hospital.
In view of this, it is necessary to note the first manifestations of dehydration:
- strong thirst;
- dryness, flaking of the skin (especially noticeable on the lips, where the skin is very delicate and begins to
- “crack” at the slightest lack of moisture);
- weakness and lethargy;
- drowsiness;
- The baby urinates rarely, and the urine is very concentrated and has a rich color.
If you do not provide timely assistance, signs of dehydration will only increase:
eyeballs sink;
- in infants there is retraction of the fontanel;
- the child’s facial features become sharper;
- body weight decreases;
- pressure drops, arms and legs become literally “ice-cold”, a rapid decrease occurs
- body temperature;
The severity of certain signs is determined by the severity of the disease. There are severe, moderate, and mild forms (in which you can do without hospitalization).
The severity of the symptoms of the disease is determined by several main factors:
1.
type of pathogen (dysentery and escherichiosis, cholera and salmonellosis occur in extremely severe forms, as a result of which effective treatment is possible only in a hospital setting);
2.
the duration of the asymptomatic course of the disease, during which there was active proliferation of microorganisms that cause acute intestinal infections;
3.
the age of the baby (the disease is most severe in newborns and children under 2 years of age);
correct assistance in the first hours of infection.
Causes of intestinal infection
The causative agents of acute intestinal infections are ubiquitous, and therefore it is very easy to become infected with any of them. Children are especially susceptible to this type of disease. This is due to low immunity and immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract. Even after an intestinal infection, stable immunity is not formed, and therefore there is always a risk of re-infection.
Factors contributing to the development of ACI include:
- poor water supply with poor quality treatment of water supplied to consumers;
- poor sewage system;
- poor sanitary and hygienic conditions, which are excellent for the development of pathogens of acute intestinal infections;
- failure to comply with personal hygiene rules (washing hands before eating, washing fruits and vegetables);
- drinking water from open reservoirs without pre-treatment (at least by boiling);
- swimming in open waters not intended for this purpose;
- improper storage of food (especially in summer);
- refusal to breastfeed newborns. If a young mother observes the rules of personal hygiene, milk always remains sterile and therefore cannot cause OKI in the baby;
- the lack of a balanced diet leads to the child’s exhaustion, as a result of which his immunity weakens and the baby becomes defenseless against aggressive pathogens of intestinal ailments.
Parents should remember that in summer the risk of contracting dysentery, escherichiosis and salmonellosis especially increases, but in winter you can “catch” rotavirus.
Diagnosis of the disease
Diagnostic measures to identify the causative agent of the disease in children combine several areas.
Conducting bacteriological cultures of stool and vomit is the main diagnostic method, which allows you to quickly identify and determine the cause (the causative bacteria) of the disease.
To analyze stool, a scraping is taken from the baby's anus. The biomaterial is sown on a specific nutrient medium. After 6-7 days, the bacterial colonies grow and can be studied in more detail by examining them under a microscope.
(stool analysis) allows you to determine the area of damage to the gastrointestinal tract by the degree of digestion of various foods, detect blood streaks, the nature of the stool and identify the causative agents of the disease from the order of protozoa (giardia, amoeba).
TA blood test, or determination of the number of antibodies formed to a specific pathogen microorganism. The doctor, having studied the baby’s medical history, and taking into account the defining manifestations of the infection, indicates several possible pathogens. After this, according to the analysis, an increase in the number of antibodies to a specific pathogen of acute intestinal infections is noted, and therefore it will be possible to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment. However, this analysis is performed very rarely in medical practice.
How to treat an intestinal infection
If you detect signs of OKI in your baby, you should immediately consult a doctor. The following are subject to immediate hospitalization in the infectious diseases department:
- children of any age with a severe form of the disease;
- newborns and babies up to 1 year;
- children under 2 years of age with a moderate form;
- if you suspect infection with cholera or typhoid fever;
- children in closed institutions (sanatoriums, orphanages);
- children whose parents are food industry workers.
Treatment of acute intestinal infections in children combines adhering to a certain diet, etiotropic (identification of the pathogen and prescribing appropriate drugs) and symptomatic therapy.
When carrying out etiotropic therapy, antibiotics, antibacterial drugs, specific bacteriophages (as monotherapy for the treatment of mild forms of acute intestinal infections), enterosobents (prescribed for secretory diarrhea, which is a symptom of rotavirus infection) are prescribed. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs are: nevigramon, ersefuril, nifuroxazide, furazolidone, kanamycin.
To eliminate and alleviate symptoms, oral rehydration (Rehydron, Gastrolit) and correction of dysbiosis (Linex, Bifidumbacterin) are carried out, enzyme-containing drugs (Pancreatin, Creon, Pangrol, Mezim Forte), antihistamines (Enterosgel is recommended both as a sorbent and as an antiallergic drug) are prescribed. action). It is also possible to symptomatically prescribe antipyretic drugs (nurofen, panadol, efferalgan) and antispasmodics to relieve pain (drotaverine, no-shpa, spasmomen).
Important! Antidiarrheal (such as Imodium) and antiemetic (Cerucal) drugs are not recommended for children, and if dysentery is suspected, it is completely prohibited!
Diet
It is necessary to feed a baby with OKI. The food should be light and as gentle as possible. For newborns who are bottle-fed, lactose-free or low-lactose formulas are indicated.
Children after 1 year of age with an acute course can eat:
- vegetable puree prepared in water with the addition of vegetable oil;
- as bread - crackers;
- vegetable and rice soups;
- lean boiled meat, chopped in a blender;
- low-fat fermented milk products (ryazhanka, natural kefir or yogurt);
- fresh berries and fruits (melon, cranberries, watermelon), but apples should be baked in the oven or grated on a fine grater;
- rice or buckwheat porridge, cooked only in water;
- freshly prepared fruit and/or fruit and vegetable juices, which can be diluted a little with boiled water, but it is better not to add sugar.
To prevent dehydration, the child should be constantly watered. You need to drink slowly, in small sips: 1 sip every 5 minutes. After loose stools or vomiting, a newborn should drink 50 ml of liquid, but an older baby should drink 150-200 ml.
As a drink, you can offer your child a saline solution (hydrovit or rehydron, available in any pharmacy) or non-carbonated mineral water such as Borjomi. In addition, tea with lemon, but without sugar, chamomile infusion, and cranberry juice are suitable.
Prevention of acute intestinal infections
Prevention of intestinal infections in children is based on early teaching them the rules of personal hygiene, which includes mandatory hand washing after walking outside and visiting especially crowded places, washing fruits and vegetables. If the child has already fallen ill with ACI, he is immediately isolated in a separate room and thoroughly disinfected.
The patient is provided with separate dishes, towels and other personal items. You also need to treat the toilet and children's potty with any disinfectant, not forgetting the places where bacteria accumulate the most - door handles and switches.
All members of the patient’s family, and even the child after recovery, should definitely undergo a bacteriological examination of stool to identify the causative agent of the disease.
When the first manifestations of an intestinal infection are detected in a baby, there is no need to self-medicate. You should definitely consult a pediatrician who, if necessary, will prescribe appropriate examination and adequate treatment.
If your child has vomiting and diarrhea, he may have an intestinal infection: symptoms and treatment in children are severe, depending on the pathogen and the body’s reaction. The two main types into which the disease is divided are viral and bacterial; treatment will differ.
Why do children get sick?
The child’s body does not know many of the bacteria that live everywhere: the baby is born “sterile”, he has a minimum set of bacteria for the full functioning of the body.
During the first days - with mother's milk, through the air and other ways, the baby "absorbs" a new environment - along with numerous bacteria, many of which are necessary for his life.
But unfavorable organisms live in our environment: the world around us and the human body is filled with hostile viruses and microbes that cause disorders.
Microorganisms are transmitted mainly through dirty hands Unfamiliar with aggressive influences, the child’s body is unable to overcome infection with the help of immunity, which is still poorly developed in the child: he receives immunity from mother’s milk, which contains many antibodies to diseases and infections.
The causative agents of intestinal infections enter the external environment from the body of carriers - animals and humans.
After exiting, they live mainly in human waste, in water bodies, soil, and other places where a virus or bacteria can be transmitted by the fecal-oral route (through dirty hands, dishes, swimming in a dirty pond, etc.).
Therefore, prevention of intestinal infections in children consists of personal hygiene and isolation of the patient.
Aleksandrova Zh. A., pediatrician, Minsk
The paradox of treating intestinal infections lies primarily in the fact that a strict diet, replenishment of fluid and salt losses, plus time and patience are almost always sufficient conditions for recovery (compliance with hygiene rules is implied).
Symptoms of intestinal infection in children, main points
Intestinal infection in children, the symptoms of its manifestation differ in two types:
- bacterial intestinal infection;
- viral intestinal infection.
The first type is less common and is more severe. But intestinal viral infection in children affects the child’s body most often.
Most often, the so-called “plagues”, that is, mini-epidemics of such diseases, occur in the cold winter season.
A doctor can determine the severity of the disease. A dangerous disease or a common “craze” - you will find out after medical tests.
Signs of an intestinal infection in a child will alert you to the fact that his supply of microelements is small and with severe diarrhea, hours are counting. Replenish fluid loss with mineral water or other drink that is on hand. There is a way to make sure that there is enough fluid in the body - this is to look at the color of the urine - if it is light, then there is no threat of dehydration.
The causative agents of bacterial intestinal infections, depending on their type, can enter the body in different ways - some spread through water, others through vegetables, and others through meat or eggs. Remember what low-quality product the child ate - this information will be very useful to the doctor.
Seeing a doctor is mandatory for diarrhea in children of the first year of life, and regardless of age, if there is no tendency to improve within 24 hours.
Acute intestinal infection in children, the symptoms of its manifestation are given in tabular form for clarity.
| Bacterial | Viral |
|
|
| The rapid development of the disease, the main and first sign is diarrhea with severe dehydration that is life-threatening, as the body rapidly loses fluids and salts. Additionally, high fever, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite are possible. | Characteristic symptoms of intestinal disorder are vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. One or more symptoms are present. Attacks of vomiting/diarrhea are repeated after 1-2 hours, abdominal pain. |
Diagnostics and first steps
What to pay attention to: according to medical practice, preventive examinations are carried out, for example, before visiting a kindergarten, to detect intestinal microbes.
Sometimes the body of a healthy person contains some bacteria that do not harm him. If there are no symptoms, but the child is a carrier of a certain harmful bacteria, he is not allowed into the children's group, and he undergoes a course of treatment.
Whatever the type of intestinal infection, the incubation period in children is 1-4 days.
Let us consider in detail the diagnosis of common intestinal infections, such as rotovirus and norovirus.
Rotavirus intestinal infection in children is determined by collecting vomit and feces for rapid testing - this method is the fastest and, if the laboratory has equipment, results will be available within an hour.
If a rapid test for this infection does not produce results, the doctor uses a more in-depth microbiological analysis of the masses using the PCR method for certain microorganisms that have been infected in a particular region. Blood must also be taken from a vein., the analysis of which is done by the RPGA method.
Sometimes rotavirus is called because of the possible manifestations of characteristic flu symptoms - cough, runny nose, red throat. Such symptoms may appear before the illness, during, or after. They are not obligatory companions of the disease and may not appear at all. Do not rely on these symptoms to determine the disease.
Zhilina A. B., pediatrician, Moscow
There is no specific treatment for rotavirus.
The only indication is to treat symptomatically: treatment of diarrhea with rehydration, enzymes. Don't force your child to eat if he doesn't want to.
Rotavirus intestinal infection in children under one year of age is a common occurrence; a child at this age learns about the world through licking objects that are unclean. After infection, you begin to feel unwell within 3-4 hours. The temperature rises and frequent regurgitation begins. An effective way to help before the first tests arrive is to give water in small portions.
Norovirus intestinal infection in children has similar symptoms to rotavirus. These two diseases are diagnosed and treated in the same way.
During an intestinal infection, a child’s temperature often rises, but bringing it down to 38°C is not recommended. What to do at high temperatures.
Treatment in hospital and at home, 3 stages
Intestinal infection symptoms and treatment in children includes a set of measures:
- therapeutic nutrition;
- pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy;
- etiotropic therapy.
Medical nutrition
What to feed a child with an intestinal infection is the first question mothers ask doctors. The future prognosis depends on nutrition.
Intestinal infection and symptoms in children under one year old include a number of features - breast milk and lactose formulas are not digested, and gradual dehydration occurs.
First of all, provide your child with a sufficient amount of clean drinking water - a couple of glasses a day.
They drink using a syringe without a needle: draw water into the syringe, and one drop at a time, without unnecessary effort, the child voluntarily swallows water little by little. Take small doses of a few grams - your baby won’t drink too much at once.
The food will consist exclusively of a lactose-free mixture - this is a reliable option to quickly and easily cope with the disease, since the virus that causes childhood intestinal infections multiplies in a lactose environment.
After the third day of illness, if there is no improvement, start using mixtures with a high protein content to restore the body's strength. Intestinal infections in children under one year of age can only be completely controlled by a doctor.
Diet for intestinal infections in children, menu
What can a child eat after an intestinal infection after one year: any products except dairy products and those that cause fermentation (bread, apples, grapes, etc.). The priority is light, easily digestible food with dry bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, vitamin complexes.
About what to give a child with an intestinal infection? In the first days of illness, it is not recommended to feed anything; the child may not have such a desire. Try safe foods - rice porridge with water, boiled vegetables.
Diet for intestinal infections in children:
- chicken broth, chicken egg;
- boiled poultry meat;
- crackers;
- dried fruits – raisins, dried apricots, drink dried fruit compotes;
- porridge with water;
- boiled vegetables;
- some fruits: bananas.
The diet after an intestinal infection in a child includes fermented milk products and cereals with milk no earlier than when vomiting and diarrhea stop.
How long an intestinal infection lasts in children largely depends on the correct approach. Do not stop vomiting or diarrhea with medication - this will make the disease worse.
Usually the illness lasts 4-7 days, after which complete recovery occurs. If there are no special orders from your doctor, help your child by supporting his body functions. More on this below.
Osipova G. A., pediatrician, Voronezh
After improvement, do not start feeding your baby heavily.
Food is given in minimal quantities - a day or two of fasting is healthier than any food. Acceptable: low-fat cottage cheese, rice and oatmeal.
Pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy: 5 measures for baby’s health
Various excipients that help the body cope with the disease:
- Oral rehydration products: Regidron, Oralit, Gastrolit. After dehydration of the body, a sharp loss of minerals occurs, which mineral concentrates help restore. As a substitute for medications, some pediatricians (for example, E. O. Komarovsky) advise giving children Essentuki with a high degree of salinity.
- Enzyme therapy: Mezim-Forte, Smecta, drugs with the active ingredient “pancreatin”. Enzymes similar in molecular composition to human enzymes help the stomach digest food and are harmless.
- Correction: Linkas, Normobakt.
- Antispasmodics: No-shpa and others, based on drotaverine.
- Vitamin therapy.
Intestinal infection in children: treatment at home is possible provided the baby’s safety is observed– providing his body with fluids and salts.
If for some reason replenishment of fluids at home does not occur, go to the hospital, the patient will be given a drip.
Regarding intestinal infections in children, pediatrician E. O. Komarovsky says that there are two safe ways to cure an intestinal infection on your own - fasting and drinking plenty. Any medications will lead to undesirable consequences, sorbents are indicated.
Note to parents: how to start treatment correctly if they are found in a child.
If a child has vomiting and diarrhea, but no fever, you can find out from this article.
What to do if a child has vomiting and fever, but no diarrhea? to the essence of the symptoms, and then engage in treatment.
How to treat intestinal infection in children? The difference between a viral intestinal infection and a bacterial one is that if the first is practically not treatable and goes away on its own, a person only helps the body in the fight against the disease, then bacterial infection does not always go away without drug treatment.
To cure it, antibiotic therapy is used.
For viral infections, antibiotic therapy is not used - it will only further weaken the body.
Etiotropic therapy
Is to use:
- antibiotics;
- chemotherapy drugs;
- specific bacteriophages;
- enterosorbents;
- enteral immunoglobulins;
- lactoglobulins.
Antibiotics for intestinal infections in children are prescribed with active ingredients: quinolone derivative, nitrofuran, nifuroxazide.
Not every acute intestinal infection in children requires treatment with antibiotics and chemotherapy. You need to consult a doctor, perhaps more than one, to conduct such a course.
The disease is most severe in children, causing fever and signs of intoxication in the gastrointestinal tract Remember that bacterial intestinal infection in children is diagnosed in the laboratory, after a series of tests for various microorganisms.
No one, even an experienced doctor, can determine “by eye” the presence of a particular infection in a child.
Do not give your child strong medications until the diagnosis is confirmed.. Sometimes doctors, wanting to help, do not wait for the results of examinations and prescribe heavy medications. This is done to save time and so that the disease does not have time to develop.
Weigh the risks carefully before giving your child a potent drug that has a number of side effects.
But in certain cases, emergency help is needed. You should urgently go to the medical department at your place of residence if you see that:
- the child suffers most from abdominal pain;
- the child cannot drink due to vomiting;
- does not walk “small” for more than 6 hours;
- the skin is gray, the eyes are sunken, the child’s tongue is dry;
- there is blood in the stool;
- after the diarrhea stopped, the vomiting increased, the temperature increased, and the stomach hurt.
Take care of your kids.
Acute intestinal disorder in a child is manifested by vomiting and loose stools, and a sharp increase in temperature. Against the background of a preliminary healthy state, this phenomenon indicates that the rotavirus has become more active. There are good ways to treat intestinal infections in children at home.
Important! Rotavirus pathogens multiply in the gastrointestinal tract. Nausea begins, which is accompanied by vomiting. In infants, the virus manifests itself as fever. In this case, the stomach hurts, there is a general state of lethargy, severe weakness, and there is no appetite.
What is important to know about rotavirus infection
The development of such an infection is especially dangerous in children who are still fed breast milk. The virus multiplies in the walls of the small intestine, its cells help digest carbohydrates. The villi that are located on these cells are damaged due to the active development of the virus. As a result, the process of digesting the sugar contained in milk is disrupted. That is, with rotavirus infection, milk absorption decreases.
The consequences of the virus are the most difficult to treat.
Symptoms of intestinal infection
Other clinical symptoms that accompany an intestinal infection (vomiting, profuse loose stools, intoxication of the body) require immediate treatment.
Important! At the first symptoms of an intestinal infection, a doctor is urgently called, but while the doctor is on the way, parents should properly treat intestinal infections in children at home.
Signs in children
During illness, body temperature may rise, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, pale complexion, constant desire to sleep, diarrhea, and loss of appetite may appear. If your child develops these symptoms, consult a doctor immediately to prevent dehydration.
Home help for intestinal infections
Before answering the question of how to treat intestinal infection in children, the doctor will advise you to adhere to certain rules.
Nutrition
First of all, you need to start following a diet for your child:
- For the reasons described above, consuming dairy products is strictly prohibited.
- It is necessary to exclude from the diet foods that cause fermentation processes in the stomach. These are fruits, juices, various fruit-based purees.
- During the peak of the disease, you should eat more porridges cooked in water; liquid mashed potatoes and a small amount of boiled pureed meat are suitable for nutrition.
What to do before the doctor arrives
What to do if a child has a severe intestinal infection:
- Drink a lot. With vomiting and diarrhea, electrolytes and mineral salts are washed out of the body. This can lead to dehydration, so your child should drink plenty. In addition to water, you should give weak tea with sugar to drink.
- Take Regidron. This is a powder that contains mineral salts and individual vitamins to maintain the strength of the child’s body at critical moments. The sachet is diluted (one quarter for infants) with a liter of water.
- Give activated carbon or another sorbent to drink (at the rate of one tablet per 10 kg of weight). Sorbents are needed to absorb toxins.
- Stop feeding the baby. The break lasts from 6 to 12 hours. Solid food with an intestinal infection will cause new vomiting.
What to do is strictly prohibited
When treating intestinal infections in children at home, it is strictly forbidden to give the child anti-diarrhea medications. If the diagnosis is not specified, they can worsen the patient's condition.
It is not recommended to give children a solution of potassium permanganate. The effectiveness of the drug against a viral infection is low, but a large volume of liquid increases vomiting and provokes dehydration. In addition, a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate leads to burns of the mucous membranes of children.
For acute intestinal infection in children, drugs such as Linex, Hilak-Forte are not suitable for use in the described situation. While the stool is loose and vomiting continues - these are symptoms of an acute intestinal infection, there is no point in taking all bacteria-based drugs. You should not give him anything to eat, not even crackers.
Important! If the body temperature is elevated, and this often happens with intestinal infections in children, it is forbidden to rub the child with vodka or vinegar. For an organism that is sick, this will be a strong toxic blow (toxins will penetrate the body through the skin).
How to treat an intestinal infection in a child
Treatment of intestinal infections in children must be agreed with the pediatrician.
In children under one year old
If your child is breastfed, there is no need to switch him to artificial nutrition. It is necessary to feed the same volume, only in smaller doses and more often, so that the food is better digested and vomiting is not provoked. Antibiotics are not recommended for children with rotavirus infection. You can use Smecta.
Desoldering
How else is intestinal infection treated in children? It is necessary to give a lot of water, despite the fact that he does not want to drink. With the help of liquid, it will be possible to remove toxins from the body, as well as replenish lost vitamins and microelements. Drinks should be offered in small portions - teaspoons or dessert spoons, so as not to increase vomiting.
Additionally, you need to take special medications in the form of powders that will help maintain the body’s strength. The most popular remedy is Regidon. The powder is diluted in a liter of water, drinking will compensate for the loss of water and salts, and eliminate sudden loss of fluid.
Gastrolit will help to quickly relieve the symptoms of an intestinal infection. The product contains not only salts, but also chamomile extract (additional anti-inflammatory effect). The powder is diluted in a glass of water. If you don’t have any necessary medications at hand, you can simply give the child a drink based on salt and sugar. Dissolve 1 tsp in 1 liter of water. salt, half a dessert spoon of soda and eight small spoons of sugar.
Diet
If the doctor determines that hospitalization is not required, then further home treatment falls on the parents. For infants, you need to give up complementary foods (introduce them a few days after the symptoms have stopped). For older children, you can give porridge (not wheat), cook vegetables, puree boiled meat. Eating baked apples, fermented milk foods and drinks is allowed.
Food should be given often and in small portions. Make sure that the condition does not worsen after eating. You shouldn’t force your child to eat: if he eats a couple of spoons after such a severe infection, that’s already good. It is not necessary to eat crackers, dryers or cookies. The first few days (with the exception of infants) the child may go hungry. It is recommended to give him rice or oatmeal broth for 2-3 days, and then begin to diversify his diet.
Treatment with antibiotics
Some intestinal infections in children are treated with antibiotics. Here are medications for intestinal infections for children:
- Metronidazole;
- Ciprofloxacin;
- Norfloxacin.
Such drugs should be used strictly as prescribed by a doctor, with a confirmed bacterial infection. Other medicines you can use:
- Regidron;
- Enterosgel;
- Smecta or activated carbon.
To restore the microflora, use: Linex, Canadian yogurt, Acipol.
Treatment after an intestinal infection
After the course of treatment, children need to have their stool tested again to make sure they are not carrying the infection. During treatment, the child is on a diet; after recovery, you should not interrupt it immediately. In this way, you can only make it worse - the body is not ready to eat different tasty foods, it may not have time to digest it. Also, the child’s body must be provided with enzymes.
Prevention
The most effective way of prevention is vaccination. It is also necessary to follow the rules of hygiene: wash your hands before eating, after using the toilet, thoroughly wash food, handle newly purchased toys, monitor the quality of drinking water. It is necessary to accustom the child to sanitary and hygienic rules.
In order not to treat intestinal infections in children at home, you need to know how to avoid this condition. It will not be difficult to protect your child completely from sources of infection.
