Antipyretics for children are prescribed by a pediatrician. But there are emergency situations with fever when the child needs to be given medicine immediately. Then the parents take responsibility and use antipyretic drugs. What is allowed to be given to infants? How can you lower the temperature in older children? What medications are the safest?
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.
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.
Rotavirus infection (intestinal or stomach flu)– an infectious disease caused by rotaviruses, characterized by a combination of intestinal and respiratory syndromes.
Pathogen
The cause of the disease is pathogens rotaviruses– viruses of the Reoviridae family, similar to each other in antigenic structure. Under an electron microscope, they look like wheels with a wide hub, short spokes and a clearly defined rim, and have two protein shells. Systematic study of these viruses began in 1973, when they were discovered in biopsies from the small intestinal mucosa of children with gastroenteritis.
rotaviruses under a microscope
Source of infection
The source of infection is a sick person. At a young age, the source of infection for a child is a mother infected with rotavirus; at an older age and in adults, it is children from the group where the child or adults are. Infection can also occur from virus carriers who do not themselves get sick, but infect others. The most dangerous person in terms of transmission of the virus is the person who becomes ill in the first 3-5 days from the onset of clinically significant symptoms of the disease, at which time the concentration of viruses in excreted feces is the highest. No methods of transmission from animals have been identified.
Transmission mechanism
The main mechanism of transmission of the virus is fecal-oral or as it is also called “unwashed hands disease”. The virus can be transmitted en masse through food and water (including holy water, in which the virus thrives), isolated cases are observed through contact and household spread - through viruses located on objects. The spread of the virus through dairy products is especially common, which is due to the peculiarities of milk processing and the cycle of the virus itself.
The virus thrives in a cold environment, in the same refrigerator, where it can persist for a long time and cause illness in humans.
Propagation time
The virus has a characteristic time of spread - autumn-winter period, approximately from November to April inclusive. The rest of the time, isolated cases of the disease may be observed. Since the spread and characteristic symptoms of rotavirus infection usually precede an influenza epidemic, due to a combination of factors, the disease has received the capacious name intestinal flu.
Pathogenesis
Once in the human body, the virus penetrates the cells of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, mainly the small intestine, which leads to the destruction of primarily intestinal villi. And the intestinal villi are involved in the synthesis of digestive enzymes that break down incoming food. Since food cannot be digested normally, plus disaccharide substances accumulate in the intestinal lumen, this leads to the entry of large amounts of water and electrolytes (saline solutions) into the intestinal lumen, and characteristic symptoms form in the form of severe diarrhea (diarrhea) and dehydration of the body.
Symptoms
Stomach flu has cyclic flow. That is, the disease goes through gradual stages of its development, stage by stage. The first stage is the incubation period - lasting 1-2 days, the second - the acute period (from 3 to 7 days, in severe cases of the disease it can take more than 7 days), the third period - recovery (from 4 to 5 days)
The disease usually begins acutely, but a prodromal period (lasting up to 2 days) can also be observed during this period: malaise, general weakness, headache, increased fatigue, decreased appetite, discomfort and rumbling in the stomach. Moderate manifestations of the disease from the upper respiratory tract may also be observed: nasal congestion, sore throat, mild cough.
The clinical picture of the disease includes a combination of gastroenteritis syndrome, intoxication and damage to the upper respiratory tract; secondary lactase deficiency (intolerance to milk and dairy products) may be observed.
Gastroenteritis syndrome is characterized by loud rumbling in the abdomen, pain that is localized in the upper abdomen, but can also be diffuse (over the entire surface of the abdomen), nausea, and vomiting. The main symptom, which determines the severity of the disease, is diarrhea. Stool with rotavirus infection is watery, foamy, yellow or greenish-yellow in color; in mild forms of the disease it can be mushy. The intensity of diarrhea (the number of “effective” trips to the toilet is counted) determines the degree of dehydration and intoxication of the body.
Intoxication of the body is manifested by increased fatigue, weakness, and headache. In severe cases of the disease, dizziness and fainting may occur.
An increase in temperature during intestinal flu, especially in adults, is not always observed. Sometimes there is chills without fever. At the same time, at the height of the disease, the temperature can rise significantly to 38-39 degrees, both in children and adults.
Among the symptoms of damage to the upper respiratory tract, it is worth noting a runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, and cough. There may be hyperemia of the posterior wall of the pharynx, palatine arches and uvula.
Complications and mortality
In severe forms of the disease, cardiovascular failure may develop, even death. According to statistics, the mortality rate from rotavirus is 2.5-3% of cases, especially for people with poor health. In other cases, recovery occurs without health consequences. After suffering from the disease, relative immunity is developed, so adults who suffered from this disease in childhood get sick less often or in a mild form, sometimes they do not even notice their illness. Over time, immunity can weaken and repeated cases of the disease can be observed, that is, it is developed more than once throughout life, and therefore relative.
Diagnosis of rotavirus infection
Diagnosis of rotavirus infection, especially isolated cases, is difficult, since the symptoms, especially in a blurred form, can be characteristic of a number of other intestinal infections and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis, gastroenteritis, enterocolitis, intestinal dysbiosis.
Currently, due to the development of diagnostic systems and laboratory tests for detecting rotaviruses, there is an increase in statistically registered cases of rotavirus infection, but this is nothing more than an improvement in the quality of diagnosis and detection of this infection, and not some kind of epidemic, as the media likes to escalate the situation.
A reliable diagnosis of rotavirus infection can be made only if rotaviruses are detected in humans, and this can now be done using a large number of laboratory diagnostic methods, such as polymerase chain reaction, passive hemagglutination reaction, complement fixation reaction, immunofluorescence and many other laboratory techniques. It is worth noting their high cost even at this stage of medical development, so you should not rush to do these tests with every disorder.
Among the diagnostic tools available in the arsenal, a general blood test can be noted, in which, during the acute phase of the development of the disease, leukocytosis (increased number of leukocytes) with a neutrophilic shift to the left and an increase in ESR are detected. During the recovery period, the blood picture returns to normal. In a general urine test, changes in the form of: protein, leukocyte and erythrocyturia may also be noted; The presence of hyaline casts in small quantities is rarely noted. Changes in urine also disappear with recovery.
Treatment of intestinal flu in adults and children
Currently, there are no specific antirotavirus drugs to combat rotavirus. Therefore, all treatment is aimed at combating the symptoms and manifestations of the disease.
The disease manifests itself most clearly in children, so we will analyze treatment using the example of therapy in a child.
First of all, it is necessary to isolate the child from healthy peers in order to prevent the spread of the disease in the community.
The second thing that needs to be dealt with is dehydration. This is a dangerous symptom that can be fatal. Because with diarrhea a lot of water and salts (electrolytes) are lost. It should be noted that giving a child a salt solution for this disease has a number of features:
- You should not give your child large amounts of liquid - this can lead to vomiting and the effect of such treatment will be negative
- for drinking, it is better to use a special solution of salts, for example, the pharmacy sells rehydron, a powder in bags that contains all the necessary salts (potassium, sodium, etc.), which the body loses during severe diarrhea. Dissolve according to the instructions (1 sachet per 1 liter of cold boiled water) and drink in small doses of 50 ml every half hour until the water runs out
- If there is no rehydron, you can use saline solution (a solution of water with added salt). At home, it is prepared by dissolving 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of boiled water (but this is not a solution for injection, but for drinking the patient). Drinking according to the rehydron regimen (50 ml every half hour)
In the acute period, it is necessary to prescribe enzyme preparations (festal, mezim), since the body does not have enough enzymes to digest food due to the death of the intestinal villi that produce enzymes.
It is also necessary to take adsorbent and astringent agents (activated carbon, polysorb, smecta).
If you have abdominal pain, taking painkillers is prohibited; in this case, call an ambulance, which will provide the necessary assistance.
It is also necessary to monitor the child and if there is a progressive deterioration in the condition, prolonged diarrhea, or the appearance of new symptoms, it is necessary to call a doctor to refer the sick person to the hospital.
In adults, treatment for stomach flu is not required. If symptoms of the disease develop, treatment is similar to that in children.
Features of nutrition (diet) for intestinal influenza
The first thing you need to give up in your diet when symptoms of intestinal flu appear is milk and dairy products, including fermented milk. In addition to increasing diarrhea due to secondary lactase deficiency, which I already mentioned, milk is also an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria, so do not aggravate
If a person can eat, you can feed him liquid chicken broth or rice porridge cooked in water without adding oil. But you need to feed in small portions with breaks, so as not to cause an attack of vomiting.
It is worth limiting your intake of foods rich in carbohydrates.
Stomach flu during pregnancy
A pregnant woman should refrain from visiting places and contacting people with intestinal flu, even if they are her own children. Preventing a disease is easier than treating it later.
It is worth noting the difficulty of diagnosing rotavirus infection in pregnant women due to the possible masking of symptoms under toxicosis of pregnancy and other conditions.
In general, the therapy does not differ from the standard one given above. More fluid inside to compensate for what is removed from the body (it is necessary to monitor edema), consultation with an experienced therapist for pregnant women in order to exclude possible severe pathology that will be hidden under the guise of intestinal flu, dietary restrictions, taking adsorbent and lactose-containing drugs.
Some doctors and I saw on forums advise drinking Enterofuril, but it only helps against bacteria, which can also cause vomiting and diarrhea; it is useless against rotavirus.
Prevention
For specific prevention of rotavirus infection, there are currently two vaccines, but they are used only in Europe and the USA. They are not used in our country.
For prevention, a standard set of sanitary procedures is used aimed at preventing infection from entering the body (isolation of sick people, washing hands regularly throughout the day and especially before meals, eating proven and high-quality products, especially dairy products that have not expired, using high-quality drinking water , preferably boiled, thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits used for food, perhaps even soaking in a 3% solution of acetic acid for 10 minutes, followed by rinsing in running water if the epidemiological situation with rotavirus in the region is unfavorable). Sanitary control by regulatory authorities over the condition of public catering outlets and products in stores and markets is a matter of course.
This is the detailed study of intestinal flu that I conducted in this article. If you missed something or have questions, you can always consult by leaving a comment below.
Acute intestinal infections – a type of gastrointestinal disease caused by viruses or bacteria. Unfortunately, every second child on the planet faces intestinal diseases that can become a threat to his health.
They worsen in the summer, because this season is favorable for the development of pathogenic microbes. After all, it is in the summer that children spend a long time in the fresh air, and at the same time they have a desire to have a snack on the street, forgetting about dirty hands.
The main factors for introducing infection into the intestines also include:
- flies that carry a huge number of microbes on their legs;
- Improper storage of food products in which microorganisms instantly multiply, thus making your food toxic.
Acute intestinal diseases can be provoked by various pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi).
Bacterial
Bacterial intestinal infections are most often caused by bacteria such as dysentery bacillus, salmonella, escherichia.
Dysentery
Often, a child gets sick in July-August. The causative agents of dysentery are Shigella, which penetrates the child’s body when drinking contaminated water, food, or simply through dirty hands.
Salmonellosis
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Signs of adenoviral infection include runny nose, conjunctivitis and loose stools, since the child’s small intestine is affected. The acute stage of the disease lasts about 2-3 days. A baby is considered contagious if 10 days have not passed since the initial symptom of infection appeared.
Infection of bacterial etiology is characterized by elevated temperature (up to 38C), vomiting, changes in stool (stool becomes frequent with a greenish tint, sometimes with mucus and blood).
Treatment
Therapeutic therapy can be carried out both in a hospital and at home. Children are hospitalized in a hospital if a moderate or severe form of the disease is detected (with convulsions, loss of consciousness and signs of dehydration).
First aid
Parents should provide first aid to the child - call a doctor who will correctly assess the symptoms and identify the causative agent of infection. Before medical help arrives, try to lower your baby's temperature. You can wipe it with a weak alcohol solution, and then put on cotton socks. There is no need to wrap the little ones in a warm blanket, just cover them with a sheet.
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If the baby does not have gag reflexes, you can give an antipyretic based on Ibuprofen or Paracetamol. An antipyretic suppository is used if there is no diarrhea.
It is allowed to use enterosorbents(if you follow the instructions) - medications that bind toxins and remove them from the body:
- Smecta;
- Enterosgel.
Rehydration
Rehydration (soldering) – restoration of fluids and minerals after vomiting and diarrhea. As soon as you notice signs of dehydration in your baby, start dehydration. Many parents believe that he should be given as much water as he wants. You can drink in small portions (5-15 ml) from a spoon.
The serving for a one-year-old baby is 1 teaspoon at a time, toddlers from 1 to 3 years old can be given 2 teaspoons, and older children can drink a tablespoon at a time. The proportion per day should be 100 ml per 1 kg of baby’s weight - this is the required rate of fluid intake.
In case of need for rehydration, parents' first aid kit should contain the following solutions:
- Oralit;
- Glucosalan.
- ready-made carrot-rice broth, which is available in the pharmacy chain.
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If it is not possible to purchase medicine, prepare a decoction of rice or raisins, or simply use boiled water. It is forbidden to give your child sweet liquids (sweet tea, carbonated water, etc.)
If, after all the above procedures, restoration of the normal state is not observed, they resort to hospitalization. In stationary conditions, special solutions are infused intravenously. When restoration and stabilization of the functioning of the body has occurred, they then return to soldering.
Antibiotics
Because, basically, the antibiotic acts in a wide spectrum, that is, it affects all pathogenic microbes and kills the intestinal microflora. In no case, do not use dietary supplements, all kinds of herbs and grandma’s recipes, especially antibiotics, without the advice of a doctor!
All medications, excluding sorbents, are prescribed only by a doctor. When talking with parents about examining the baby, he will correctly determine the source of infection and prescribe therapy. You should not use the experience of your neighbors whose baby suffered from a similar disease, much less add the antibiotic that was recommended to you to the treatment list!
An antibiotic is not prescribed for mild and moderate forms of intestinal infection, only for invasive diarrhea:
- typhoid fever;
- dysentery;
- salmonellosis;
- campylobacteriosis;
- enteroinvasive escherchiosis.
The largest group of antibacterial agents are beta-lactams. It is effective to use an antibiotic that is resistant to beta-lactamases. These drugs include:
- sulbactam (+ beta-lactamase inhibitor);
- augmentin (+ clavulanic acid);
- 3rd generation cephalosporins.
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An aminoglycoside group antibiotic is prescribed for severe and septic forms of acute intestinal diseases. Netromycin is also most often recommended, but these drugs are characterized by side effects.
If treatment is repeated with an antibacterial drug that was used previously, then resistant strains of microorganisms arise. Therefore, a reserve antibiotic is prescribed (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin).
In medical practice, a fluoroquinol antibiotic is used in case of prolonged absence of results from previous treatment. Also recommended are nitrofuran antibiotic, nevigramon, kanamycin monosulfate.
Diet
Medical nutrition is one of the main components in the treatment of intestinal diseases. The diet is aimed at restoring the functioning of the digestive tract processes. The diet should exclude “hunger” and “water-tea breaks”, since in severe cases of infection, digestive functions remain, and a “starvation diet” weakens the immune system.
The diet should be designed taking into account the following requirements:
- food should be easily digestible and varied;
- the menu should consist of boiled, steamed and pureed products;
- the diet excludes fats, carbohydrates, calories and table salt from the diet;
- you need a diet rich in protein;
- the diet includes low- and lactose-free products, a fermented milk menu enriched with bifidobacteria;
- food should be reduced in quantity by 15-20% when primary symptoms appear;
- food is prescribed in 5 or 6 doses.
The diet prohibits the consumption of sour berries and fruits, juices, raw vegetables, butter and vegetable oils. The diet does not include whole milk. Nutrition during acute infection consists of dairy products. When the consequences disappear, the diet allows the use of cottage cheese, meat, lean fish and steam omelet.
The diet for the baby’s recovery includes the consumption of fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots and potatoes). Infant nutrition consists of mother's milk up to 10 times a day (50 ml every 2 hours). The diet is prescribed by the doctor taking into account the child’s age and the severity of the disease.
Prevention
Intestinal infection in children is a problem that can be avoided. Indeed, in 90% of cases of illness, the cause is the consequences of parents’ failure to comply with basic hygiene standards and improper supervision of the child. It's very simple - keep yourself and your baby clean and tidy. These preventive measures will help you keep your family healthy!
Intestinal infection in children is one of the most common groups of diseases.
After all, it is children who most often neglect hygiene standards, and their immature immunity is not able to repel bacteria and viruses.
Intestinal infection is a disease characterized by disruption of the gastrointestinal tract and general intoxication of the body. The causative agent of the disease, entering the human body most often through the fecal-oral or airborne route, begins to multiply in the intestines, causing inflammation and interruptions in its functioning. Hence the typical manifestations of such infections: diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain.
Classification of intestinal infections
A bacterial intestinal infection is characterized by a severe course of the disease, characterized by high fever, nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea and, as a result, dehydration.
Viral is usually caused by rotaviruses and enteroviruses and is much more common, because it is transmitted by airborne droplets, and the patient releases the virus for another 2-4 weeks after recovery. Despite this, viral infections are much easier to treat, have less severe symptoms and are less dangerous for the child.
Protozoal intestinal infection occurs much less frequently in children, since infection occurs when drinking water from reservoirs or very dirty vegetables and fruits, but its course can be longer than bacterial and viral ones, up to chronic forms.
It is noteworthy that the disease is seasonal: in the summer, children are most often susceptible to bacterial infections, since in the heat microorganisms multiply especially quickly in some products. In winter, children are most susceptible to rotavirus and enterovirus infections in closed areas of kindergartens and schools.
Pathogens and clinical manifestations in children
The causes of intestinal infections in children are varied. Once entering the body, infectious agents actively multiply in a favorable environment, causing inflammation of the cells of the intestinal mucosa. As a result, diarrhea occurs - the main symptom of intestinal infection in children. Other manifestations of the disease - vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea, fever, general weakness - are not mandatory symptoms of the disease.
Dysentery, or shigellosis, is the most common bacterial infection among children, which is manifested by a sharp increase in temperature, frequent stools with mucus or pus (from 4 to 20 times a day), tenesmus, antispasmodic pain in the iliac region, as well as intoxication and weakness. The younger the child, the stronger the intoxication of the body.
Salmonellosis most often has a gastrointestinal form with low fever, loose and copious stools. Influenza-like, septic and typhus-like forms are also isolated. Flu-like is manifested by rhinitis, pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, typhoid - by a long period of fever. The septic form of salmonellosis occurs in newborns, premature babies and children under one year old and is accompanied by the appearance of purulent foci throughout the body and is extremely difficult.
Escherechiasis develops as a result of infection with an enteroinvasive, enterotoxigenic or enteropathogenic bacillus. This disease is characterized by fever, weakness, lethargy, regurgitation, flatulence, watery diarrhea, possibly even bloody. Children under 2 years of age are more often infected with the enteropathogenic eschecheriasis bacillus, and the disease is severe.
Yersiniosis is most often infected from animals. The manifestation of the disease begins with an increase in temperature. There are localized and generalized forms of the disease. Localized is manifested by loose, foul-smelling stool, gas formation in the intestines and the presence of first white and then crimson coating on the tongue. The generalized form is notable for a rash, damage to the liver, spleen, and enlarged lymph nodes.
Staphylococcal infection can be primary when consuming contaminated food or secondary when the infection spreads from other sites in the body.
The disease is manifested by frequent stools, intoxication, and in case of secondary infection it occurs simultaneously with the main disease: sore throat, pneumonia, etc.
Rotavirus intestinal infection in children begins acutely, often with an increase in body temperature, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. It is the most common among children.
Adults get it much less often, since after one illness, immunity to a specific virus is formed. The disease may also be accompanied by rhinitis, sore throat, cough and conjunctivitis.
Enterovirus infection in a child occurs mainly in infancy. Clinical manifestations depend on the location: sore throat, myalgia, conjunctivitis, myositis, meningitis. In the gastrointestinal form, the disease occurs in the form of enteritis.
Manifestations of the disease in children
First of all, it should be noted that intestinal infections in infants are most often accompanied by a violation of the general condition and dehydration. Therefore, it is advisable to treat them in a hospital setting.
Since a group of diseases is accompanied by damage to the intestines, the general symptoms of intestinal infection in children can be grouped and designated as characteristic:
- diarrhea;
- vomit;
- temperature;
- nausea;
- flatulence;
- lack of appetite;
- pain and cramps in the abdomen;
- general weakness;
- dehydration.
The main symptom is diarrhea, which causes severe dehydration. If an intestinal infection is diagnosed in an infant, it is necessary to especially carefully monitor signs of dehydration:
- dry mouth;
- decreased frequency or absence of urination;
- sunken eyes or fontanel;
- dry skin.
Diagnostics
A pediatrician or an infectious disease specialist can assume the disease based on examination and clinical manifestations. But determining the type of infection and choosing the right treatment is possible only after identifying the pathogen.
According to statistics, acute intestinal infections in children are caused by rotaviruses in 80% of cases. Today, many pharmacies can offer a test for determining rotavirus, which greatly simplifies diagnosis and treatment.
With a bacterial etiology of the disease, the main method of diagnosing the disease in children is bacteriological examination. In some cases, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and determination of antibody titer are also used. A scatological examination can help determine the affected area of the gastrointestinal tract.
When diagnosing ACI in children, it is important to exclude diseases such as acute appendicitis, lactase deficiency, pancreatitis and others. Therefore, during hospitalization, an examination is carried out by a pediatric surgeon, gastroenterologist, and in some cases, ultrasound diagnostics are prescribed.
Intestinal diseases in children are manifested primarily by vomiting or diarrhea. This is how the body’s defense reaction manifests itself. If you know that the child has eaten something that can cause poisoning or infection, you need to induce vomiting and give a cleansing enema.
Parents should not forget that children have a much lower supply of fluid and salts in the body than an adult, therefore, when treating intestinal infections, first of all, it is necessary to provide the child with fluid, preferably mineralized.
Treatment
Treatment of acute intestinal infection in children involves the use of comprehensive measures.
Because it is necessary:
- ease bowel function;
- remove intoxication;
- neutralize the pathogen;
- relieve symptoms of the disease.
You can ease intestinal function by following a special diet using enzymes (for children over 3 years old).
When an intestinal infection is diagnosed in children under one year of age, fermented milk mixtures, mixtures with bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, as well as low-lactose and lactose-free mixtures are introduced into the diet.
It is advisable to puree food and not consume dairy products, vegetables and berries, or bread in the first days of illness.
Before making an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to remove intoxication and replenish fluid losses using oral rehydration medications. If such drugs are not available, you can use decoctions of dried fruits or green tea. In extreme cases, ordinary mineral water without gas will do.
To optimally restore the balance of salts and water, the temperature of the liquid should be as close as possible to body temperature. Only in this case does the absorption of liquid occur as quickly as possible.
Children should be given liquids often, but in small portions of a few milliliters every 5-10 minutes. When treating intestinal infections in newborns, infusion therapy (intravenous fluid infusion) in a hospital is recommended.
To relieve intoxication, any pharmacy can offer a lot of enterosorbents in the form of tablets, suspensions and powders.
The use of drugs to reduce the number of bacteria, viruses and their metabolic products - toxins - is called etiotropic therapy.
This stage of treatment involves the use of antibiotics, bacteriophages, sorbents, immunoglobulins, lactoglobulins. Today, new drugs have been developed - eubiotics, which allow you to get rid of pathogenic bacteria without disturbing the intestinal microflora, as antibiotics do.
Unpleasant symptoms of the disease: cramps and abdominal pain are relieved with antispasmodics (drotaverine, papaverine), and the use of antidiarrheal and antiemetic drugs is agreed with the doctor, since there are strict age restrictions when using these medications.
Nutrition for intestinal infections
The first rule: feed the child as desired in the first few days of illness and in small portions.
If infants become infected, it is advisable to switch them to feeding exclusively on breast milk in small portions and additionally supplement with prepared water-salt solutions. For bottle-fed children, the use of low-lactose or lactose-free formulas is recommended.
For children under one year of age who are on complementary foods, it is recommended to reduce food intake in the first days of illness. First, dairy-free porridge is introduced: rice or buckwheat. Then, if the dynamics are positive, you can add low-fat cottage cheese, fermented milk products, pureed meat or low-fat fish, as well as berry or fruit puree in small quantities. Among vegetables, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower are the most suitable for the diet.
Fruit jelly, oatmeal, and biscuits are also very useful during the recovery period.
Depending on the age of the child, after a week you can return to your usual foods, with the exception of fatty, fried and confectionery products.
During the recovery period, the diet is cut by 30-50%, so it is necessary to organize a gradual increase in food volumes.
A very important factor in recovery is the drinking regime: in the first days of the disease, the child needs to consume fluids of at least 100 ml per 1 kg of weight.
Preventive measures
The main cause of intestinal infection in children is still violations of hygiene rules and pollution of water bodies. Insects (most often flies) can also be carriers of pathogens. Therefore, the prevention of acute intestinal infections in children lies precisely in compliance with hygiene standards.
Prevention of intestinal infections in children in the first years of life involves keeping bottles, pacifiers and toys clean. Outdoors, you should only use toys that can be treated with antiseptic solutions. Bottles and utensils must be washed thoroughly.
Food products must be stored according to the conditions indicated on the packages, especially dairy and meat products. Vegetables and fruits should be washed well with water. All food and water for children must undergo sufficient heat treatment.
If someone in the house is sick, it is necessary to isolate him, if possible, or at least allocate separate dishes and a place for storing them in order to avoid infecting others.
Intestinal infection in children is a very unpleasant and dangerous disease, therefore, at the slightest suspicion, it is necessary to stop visiting the kindergarten or school to avoid the spread of infection (especially rotavirus).
