Every parent has experienced diarrhea in their child. This phenomenon especially causes a lot of trouble on the road or while traveling.

The danger of loose stools is that it can be a symptom of a serious illness, and also lead the baby to severe and demineralization. We will tell you in this article how to treat diarrhea in a child.

What is considered diarrhea?

Diarrhea in children is called multiple(more than 5 times a day) loose stools. In infants, diarrhea is the constant “leaking” of the anus, accompanied by frequent bowel movements.

In older children, diarrhea may be accompanied anal incontinence, which puts them in an awkward position in front of others if the disease takes them by surprise.

Parents must be able to distinguish loose stools from diarrhea. Loose stools, or indigestion, occur up to three times a day after overeating, drinking heavily, or eating food that activates intestinal motility.

With diarrhea, the child experiences a frequently recurring urge to defecate, which intensifies after eating or drinking.

Causes

The causes are conventionally divided into two groups - external (environmental influences) and internal (disturbance in the functioning of body systems).

TO external reasons can be attributed:

• food products of poor quality;
• eating raw fruits and vegetables that excessively increase intestinal motility;
• drug therapy (after taking antibiotics);
• stress;
• systematic overeating.

Internal reasons- infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

They can be bacterial (dysentery, typhoid fever, etc.), viral () or fungal in origin.

U infants Diarrhea can be caused by the following factors:

• Lactose intolerance (milk sugar in breast milk), that is, a lack of lactase (enzyme) in the body;
• teething;
• violation of the diet by a nursing mother;
• unsuitable milk formula for artificial feeding.

Children under one year old, especially in the first month of life, are characterized by frequent bowel movements (up to 10 times a day). Feces during this period of life have a liquid or mushy consistency.

Therefore, in infants it is important monitor general changes in well-being, as well as the sight and smell of stool.

Kinds

According to the nature of its course, diarrhea can be acute (lasts no more than three weeks) and chronic, which exhausts the child for a long time.

According to the mechanism of formation, diarrhea is usually divided into four types:

How to stop vomiting in a child? Find out about this from ours.

Clinical picture

With normal loose stools, the baby’s stool does not change color or smell . Only the consistency of the discharge changes. Diarrhea, which is a symptom of serious disorders, can be:

What do fever and vomiting mean?

Infantile diarrhea rarely develops without accompanying symptoms.

With temperature Diarrhea occurs with acute intestinal infections and poisoning. In this case, the thermometer rises above 38 degrees.

The temperature during diarrhea associated with teething rarely rises to this figure and does not last long - one or two evenings.

No temperature the disease develops with a lack of digestive enzymes, gastrointestinal pathology, dysbacteriosis, and stress.

In this case, it is important to study the nature of the feces.

Changes in color, rotten smell, and traces of blood are serious symptoms that require you to consult a doctor.

With vomiting diarrhea indicates severe intoxication of the body coming from the stomach. If the condition is also accompanied by a high temperature, then this may be one of the symptoms of an acute attack, or an intestinal infection or poisoning.

No fever, vomiting with diarrhea may be due to indigestion, damage to the pancreas, or kidney failure.

What should parents do? When treating, it should be remembered that diarrhea is only a symptom of the disease, which only a doctor can accurately diagnose. But parents must be able to alleviate the baby’s condition in order to avoid dehydration, demineralization and a decline in immunity as a result.

Children of any age are advised to be hungry (especially on the first day), drink plenty of fluids, and dehydration solutions (Regidron, Citroglucosolan, saline solution, etc.).

Medicines

How to treat the baby? The following groups of drugs are used to treat diarrhea:

For this purpose, phthalazole is prescribed only from the age of six, furazolidone - from the age of five.

1. Probiotics - restore intestinal microflora, treat dysbiosis. For this purpose, children are prescribed Hilak Forte, Normobact, Lactobacterin. The products can be used from birth, according to the instructions.
2. Enzymes. Infants with lactose intolerance are prescribed the enzyme lactase, and older children are prescribed Creon, which restores not only the normal functioning of the intestines, but also the pancreas.
3. Zinc and calcium preparations necessary to prevent demineralization. Children need 10-20 mg of zinc per day, depending on age, and the doctor prescribes calcium carbonate in an individual dosage.

For neurogenic diarrhea, a drug that reduces intestinal motility is prescribed - Loperamide. It can only be used from the age of six.

Until this age, nervous diarrhea can be combated with the help of folk remedies.

Folk remedies

How else can you stop diarrhea in a child? The best folk remedy for diarrhea in children is water infusion of oak bark. The raw materials are bought at the pharmacy and prepared according to the instructions on the box.

For diarrhea in breastfed infants It is recommended to drink the infusion first for a nursing mother. If there is no effect, then you can give it to your baby to drink, diluting it with water in a ratio of 1:3:

• up to three months - 2 ml five times a day for three days;
• up to one year - 5 ml five to six times a day for 3-5 days.

After a year, you can offer a diluted infusion of 15-20 ml three times a day. This safe antimicrobial agent can be combined with any drug treatment.

Enterosorbents can replace oatmeal decoction(20 g per 150 ml of water). A decoction of white rice or blueberry jelly made from potato starch and sugar will slow down peristalsis.

Compote made from dry pears (not fresh!) has a very beneficial effect on the irritated intestinal mucosa. It soothes the mucous membranes and relieves spasms.

Do not use herbal medicine without a doctor's prescription. This can lead to unwanted complications (low blood pressure, bleeding, allergies).

Diet

• the first day is hungry;
• second day - pureed cereal soups;
• third - pureed soups, crackers made from ordinary bread (not rich!), slimy porridge with water;

Beginning from the fourth day in the absence of contraindications, you can offer your baby steamed cutlets, low-fat broth, mashed potatoes without oil, baked apples.

Undesirable for diarrhea, dairy products, fresh vegetables and fruits, sweets, confectionery, fast food and canned food.

Complications

TO main complications after diarrhea include:

• dehydration, which can lead to kidney failure;
• demineralization, which can affect the condition of the teeth;
• hypovitaminosis;
• ulcers and fissures of the rectum and anus.

When is urgent medical care needed?

If you have diarrhea, you should call an ambulance at:

• large amounts of blood in the stool;
• abdominal pain, regardless of location;
• high fever and vomiting;
• signs of severe dehydration (red eyes, dry tongue, rapid breathing and heart rate).

Children under one year of age are especially at risk when dehydrated.

Komarovsky's opinion

Pediatrician Komarovsky believes that it is better to prevent diarrhea in a child, observing the rules of hygiene and subjecting products to heat treatment.

For diarrhea, in his opinion, there are two main remedies - hunger and drinking plenty of small portions at a temperature of 36-37 degrees, which ensures instant absorption.

From drugs Evgeniy Olegovich in case of diarrhea recommends Smecta, which, thanks to its unique crystalline structure, is instantly integrated into the intestinal mucosa, completely restoring it.

After first aid, pediatrician strongly recommends contacting specialists to make a correct diagnosis.

Prevention

To stop diarrhea from being a frequent guest in your home necessary:

• teach your child to wash their hands before eating and going to the toilet;
• follow the rules of food preparation and storage;
• eliminate allergens from the diet;
• take tests every six months for timely diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.

Diarrhea in a child is a protective reaction of the body to intoxication or a signal about problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, after parents provide first aid, consultation with a professional is required.

About diarrhea during teething the child in this video:

We kindly ask you not to self-medicate. Make an appointment with a doctor!

The child's body is very sensitive to pathogenic agents. The digestive system immediately reacts to disorders with stool failure and disruption. Often these symptoms are accompanied by fever and vomiting.

In babies under one year old, this triad occurs quite often. It is often caused by teething or a reaction to new foods. But when diarrhea and fever occur in an older child, such an explanation is no longer appropriate.

Fever and loose stools- not independent diseases. These are symptoms characteristic of a wide range of ailments that can affect not only the digestive system, but the entire body.

Causes of diarrhea and fever in children

Two types of factors can provoke unpleasant symptoms.

Non-infectious causes:

• poorly combined products;
• heavy food;
• binge eating;
• drug intolerance;
• teething;
• increased acetone in the blood;
• poisoning.

Such factors manifest themselves in a milder condition, and healing occurs faster.

Infectious causes:

• rotavirus;
• enterovirus;
• intestinal infection;
• swelling, measles, scarlet fever;
• flu, sore throat.

An infectious agent leads to complications of the condition. The child may have a temperature of 38 or more, stools change color, become foamy, and signs of dehydration appear.

If diarrhea is accompanied by a low temperature or does not rise at all, and loose stools persist for several weeks, there may be other reasons for this:

• intestinal pathologies;
• inflammatory processes in the large or small intestine;
• fermentopathy;
• acute form of leukemia;
• dysbacteriosis;
• chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

Almost all of these factors are noticeable in early childhood. Diarrhea in children one to two years old occurs very often, and to determine the nature of the disorder, you should pay attention to the color of the stool.

Types of diarrhea

During an examination of a small patient, the doctor will definitely ask what color and consistency the stool is. These features indicate the causative agent of the pathological condition.

With age, the type of bowel movements changes, this is due to changes in diet. Normally, stool should look like this:

• In infants, stools are yellow, liquid or grainy, homogeneous. Repeated from 15 to 20 times a day.
• In children under 3 years of age, the stool is yellow-brown, mushy in consistency, and partially formed. The frequency of discharge is from 1 to 3 times a day.
• In preschoolers and schoolchildren, stool is brown, dark and light in color. They may be mushy or softly shaped. The process of defecation is repeated once a day.

If the discharge becomes more frequent, changes in consistency, and the child complains of pain, this indicates diarrhea. The doctor should tell you what to do in this case. At an early age, calling a pediatrician is mandatory.

Therapeutic effect

When the cause of poor health is infectious, the symptoms appear one by one. First, diarrhea occurs, then fever develops, then vomiting begins. These are clear signs of an intestinal infection, which are quite difficult to cope with with medication.

High fever and diarrhea in a child are dangerous due to intoxication of the body, which quickly develops into dehydration. Therefore, if negative signs appear, it is necessary to act immediately.

Treatment is based on identifying a more severe symptom, after which it begins to eliminate it. It is mandatory to take antidiarrheal and consolidating agents, as it is necessary to prevent the leaching of important microelements from the body. Before the doctor arrives, the child can be given Smecta, Enterosgel, Regidron, and activated carbon.

If the temperature is 37 and frequent loose stools, it is not advisable to feed the child (except for infants). You need to give your baby a lot of liquid: herbal teas, mineral water, salt solutions. Sorbents and probiotics are acceptable medications; additional medications are prescribed by a doctor.

A medical examination is mandatory for children of any age, since diarrhea and fever are often signs of serious illnesses that are life-threatening to the child.

Diarrhea in children under one year of age is a common problem that brings a lot of trouble to parents, as well as discomfort to the baby.

As a rule, diarrhea itself does not pose a danger to the child, and this phenomenon goes away quickly on its own.

But if a child has diarrhea and fever, then such signs may indicate infection of the body with various infections.

Main reasons

The reasons that result in diarrhea with increasing temperature can be divided into two categories:

1. Infectious.
2. Non-infectious.

If the causes are not caused by infection, then such a symptom is not dangerous and can be easily treated.

The main non-infectious causes include:

1. Digestive upset as a result of incompatible or heavy foods.
2. Diarrhea as a reaction to medications.
3. Acetonemic diarrhea is caused by a lack of carbohydrates, frequent stress or infectious diseases.
4. Teething leads to diarrhea.
5. Insufficient hygiene.
6. The presence of worms in the body.
7. Gastrointestinal diseases, for example, gastritis, dysbacteriosis.

As a rule, the described reasons are accompanied by a temperature of up to 37 degrees. In most cases, symptoms disappear within a few hours, but in some situations they may persist for several days.

A baby’s fever, which is caused by intestinal infection, manifests itself in the form of an increase in temperature to 39 degrees and this is not the limit. In this case, you will need to call an ambulance.

The main reasons include:

1. Rotavirus infection that affects the intestines of children.
2. Enterovirus.
3. Rubella or measles.
4. Colds, sore throat.
5. Dysentery.
6. Salmonellosis.

Fever in children and diarrhea should be quickly relieved, since such symptoms do not go away on their own.

The sooner the causes of diarrhea are determined, the faster help can be provided without causing complications.

In some cases, you can try to determine the causes yourself if you know the main symptoms.

Symptoms

High fever and diarrhea in children require observation; it is necessary to examine not only the baby, but also his feces. This will make it possible to determine the approximate cause of the appearance and establish a diagnosis before the doctor arrives.

Regardless of the causes and additional symptoms, diarrhea and fever should be treated by a doctor. Self-medication is not allowed, but before an ambulance visit, you can alleviate the condition of children a little.

First aid

Initially, you will need to take care that the baby does not become dehydrated. To do this, you can use the following recipes:

1. Dilute 1 tbsp in a liter of water. sugar, salt and ½ tsp. soda
2. If the baby normally accepts citrus products, then dilute 8 tsp in a liter of water. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, add juice from 2 oranges.

Such drinks should be given to children in small quantities every 5 minutes. The products will not lead to dehydration, and will also slightly improve the condition of children.

Additionally, you must use the following recommendations:

1. Do not panic.
2. Do not use tablets, especially antibiotics.
3. Until the cause is established, isolate the child from other people so as not to infect them.
4. Carefully examine the baby to roughly determine the cause.
5. Do not use medications to relieve fever.
6. If the baby has a temperature of 38 degrees or more, and the doctor will not be there soon, paracetamol can be used. Giving aspirin to children under 12 years of age is strictly prohibited.
7. Children under one year old can only use candles to reduce fever. If the baby is over 2 years old, then antipyretics in the form of syrups are allowed.
8. You can use sorbents, for example, activated carbon, Smecta.

Using the described help tips, you can alleviate the baby’s condition and wait for the doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Drug treatment

Diarrhea and fever in children require special treatment, which will be aimed at removing the main cause. Acceptable medications include:

1. Adsorbent drugs, after which the diarrhea stops, can be: “Smecta”, “Polifepan”, “Enterosgel”.
2. The stomach is washed with plain water or potassium permanganate.
3. Rehydration treatment – ​​allows you to replenish fluid in the body. For this, the Regidron solution and saline solutions are used. Parents should make and give compotes and mineral waters to drink.
4. To get rid of fever above 38 degrees, paracetamol-based drugs are used.
5. If children have blood in their stool or the child’s condition is serious, then antibiotics are used, as well as other drugs, the treatment of which can only be prescribed by doctors.
6. To normalize the level of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, fermented milk products are used, as well as preparations that contain bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

Medicines are not the only method that will reduce fever and eliminate diarrhea. There are other methods of therapy.

Nutrition and folk remedies

When a high fever appears in children under one year of age, mothers do not need to stop feeding their babies breast milk, but at the time of attacks, such feeding must be stopped.

If the baby is bottle-fed, it is recommended to replace the diet with soy. For children who are over a year old, the menu can be adjusted, which can stop diarrhea.

To do this, the menu includes porridge, carrots, bananas, and only boiled chicken. It is useful to give yoghurts and make jelly.

When using rice broth, you can strengthen the stool, and if soups are introduced, they should be mucous. It is better to make the food pureed, which will be similar to puree. All dishes are steamed, oven-baked or boiled.

If, after adjusting the diet, results do not appear, then traditional methods of treatment can be used.

These are safe ways to eliminate loose stools in children, but it is still better to consult a specialist before use.

Effective means include:

1. Rice broth.
2. Pomegranate decoction.
3. Mint infusion.
4. Eating fresh blueberries.
5. To strengthen stool, dissolve starch in water.
6. To relieve pain, heat is applied to the abdomen.
7. Mint and chamomile tea helps.

If the visit to the doctor is very late, and the problem has acquired other symptoms, then the children may have complications that are difficult to remove even for doctors.

Possible complications include:

1. Cramps.
2. Loss of consciousness.
3. Severe dehydration.
4. Changes in the digestive organs, followed by chronic diarrhea, constipation and bloating.
5. Lactase deficiency is possible if fever and other symptoms appear in babies under one year of age.
6. If a doctor prescribes antibiotics, children may develop dysbiosis.

The worst case of complications is death. As you can see, fever and diarrhea require a quick reaction from the parents so that a critical condition does not appear, and it is easier to cope with the temperature. Diarrhea and fever are not a death sentence.

Preventive measures

After the birth of a child, parents will need to adhere to a number of rules that will help prevent diarrhea and fever in children. After all, preventing a disease is easier than treating it.

Below are the main factors that lead to diarrhea:

1. Food quality. Any child’s menu should contain exclusively high-quality products. It is forbidden to use cheap ingredients that contain preservatives and dyes. You also need to exclude fast food and carbonated drinks from your child’s menu.
2. Age-related nutrition. Feeding children should be age appropriate. It is forbidden to give children smoked meats, chocolate, mushrooms and seafood. A child's stomach is not able to withstand such stress, and there may be fever and diarrhea after consumption.
3. The menu for children should be balanced so that it contains enough vitamins and other substances, especially carbohydrates.
4. Measures should be taken to strengthen the immune system in order to protect children from infections.
5. You need to create a favorable environment in the house and not expose your child to stressful situations. This condition often causes loose stools and fever.
6. Be sure to keep your hands, food, and mouth clean. You will need to be taught to always wash your hands before eating, and to thoroughly wash plant foods before eating.
7. It is not recommended to give raw water to children; it must be boiled.
8. It is better not to bathe children after one year in lakes and rivers, where the condition of the water and the number of microbes in it are unknown.
9. To avoid treatment, children should be protected from communicating with sick people, especially during epidemics. Diarrhea and fever can be stopped only by distancing from the object of the disease.
10. When breastfeeding children, you need to monitor the mother's nutrition.
11. Meat, fish, eggs and milk must be processed using temperature; this is a prerequisite.

By providing proper care for the baby from the first days, as well as controlling nutrition, you can forget about fever, diarrhea and other diseases, the treatment of which can only harm the overall health of the child.

After all, many drugs have similar actions and complications.

Useful video

Diarrhea in a child can accompany a wide variety of diseases. However, this symptom is dangerous in itself, especially when it comes to young children. The famous doctor and author of books and articles on children's health, Evgeny Komarovsky, tells us what the danger of diarrhea is and what parents should do if such a “trouble” happens to their child.

About the problem

Diarrhea is a manifestation of the body’s ability to get rid of bacteria and viruses, of which there are a great many around the child. Neither the water that the baby drinks, nor the food, nor the air is sterile. What can we say about playing in the sandbox, crawling on the grass, on the floor, etc. Humans have several such protective “systems”: saliva is designed to destroy microbes at the stage of entering the mouth, bronchial and nasal mucus protect the respiratory organs from getting into them bacteria and viruses, gastric juice effectively destroys those microorganisms that managed to enter the body through the mouth and reach the digestive organs unharmed. Bacteria, which are the indigenous inhabitants, await “uninvited guests” in the intestines. Their task is to prevent malicious agents from taking root.

Diarrhea in a child can be caused by an intestinal infection that enters the mouth through unwashed hands, poorly washed vegetables and fruits, through water, or with food. Often these are bacteria.

Some viruses, such as rotavirus, also cause diarrhea. The intestinal mucosa is an excellent breeding ground for their reproduction, and therefore digestion is disrupted, the intestinal mucosa is irritated and diarrhea occurs.

Danger of diarrhea

The most serious danger of diarrhea lies in the possibility of dehydration.. The younger the child, the higher this risk. Potassium, calcium, and sodium salts, which are extremely important for life, are released with feces. Fluid is rapidly lost. Therefore, it is not as scary if a 3-year-old child goes to the toilet five times a day and does not show signs of dehydration as if five times diarrhea happened to a 6-month-old baby. After all, the baby’s reserves of water and mineral salts are much more meager, and he loses them at a faster rate.

Severe dehydration can cause serious problems with the nervous system and can also be fatal for an infant.

Treatment

If diarrhea is caused by a viral infection, and in addition to frequent trips to the toilet, there are all the signs of a viral illness, you should not feed the child antiviral drugs, they do not help and their effectiveness has not been clinically proven. Antibiotics are also inappropriate because they have no effect on viruses. No special treatment is required; it is enough to provide the child with the right help and prevent dehydration. If diarrhea is the result of food poisoning or intestinal infection, the treatment approach should be the same.

First of all, you should make sure that the baby is not dehydrated.

If a child does not pee for 6 hours, if he cries with dry eyes, without tears, if he has blue circles under his eyes, sharpened facial features, dry lips, tongue, dry mucous membranes - these are very alarming symptoms. Immediate medical attention is required, you need to call an ambulance.

To prevent such a dangerous condition, parents’ actions in case of diarrhea must be coordinated and clear:

• The child definitely needs to drink. And drink a lot. All drinks should be warm, about 20 degrees, so that the liquid is absorbed and absorbed by the body as quickly as possible. If a child refuses to drink from a cup, he should be fed with a spoon, little by little but often. If he does not drink from a spoon, as children under 7-9 months often do, then you need to draw the liquid into a disposable syringe without a needle and drink from it drip-wise. If the baby resists this method, you should not wait and persuade, you should immediately call an ambulance so that you can administer liquid to the child by drip.
• The child needs to restore the balance of salts. To do this, Komarovsky advises using ready-made pharmaceutical sachets with oral rehydration products. "Smecta" is suitable, you can buy "Regidron" or "Humana-Electrolyte". These drugs must be in every family's home medicine cabinet. If diarrhea has already occurred, and there are no such drugs, you can use a recipe that has received full approval from the World Health Organization: add a teaspoon of salt and the same amount of soda to a liter of water. You can also give your child this solution.
• Need control over secretions. What you drink should stand out. As long as the baby, who has not yet reached the age of one, wears diapers, the mother has nothing to worry about. At any time, she can measure the amount the child drinks, and after 3 hours weigh his used diaper on an electronic kitchen scale to understand whether the water is being excreted normally. If the child is already using the potty, control will also not be difficult. But a 2-year-old child, who has most likely already mastered the toilet, will have to follow on his heels.
• The child does not need food. You should not try to feed him at any cost. Diarrhea will go away much faster if the baby is hungry. You should give food only when he asks for it. If you have diarrhea, you should not eat fatty or sweet foods, drink carbonated drinks and milk. It is better to give porridge, mashed potatoes, crackers from yeast-free bread, vegetable soup with lean broth.
• Activated carbon - in the correct dosage. Another useful drug that should be in your home medicine cabinet. Parents should remember that activated carbon is dosed at 1 tablet for every 10 kilograms of body weight at a time. Thus, a child weighing 10 kilograms is given 1 tablet, and a baby whose weight is 15 kilograms is given 1.5 tablets. Modern medicine recommends modern enterosorbents, which are easier to take. If the financial capabilities of the family allow, you can buy and keep Enterosgel in the first aid kit for such cases.

Nutrition after diarrhea

When the diarrhea is safely over, there is no need to immediately cook all those cutlets for your son or daughter and carry all the cookies that the child did not eat while he was ill. You should stick to a gentle diet for a few more days. The diet of a child from 1.5 years old can include porridge, tea, vegetable soups without meat. For a child over 2 years old, you can add one small curd to tea without additives, pieces of fruit or food coloring.

Then the diet should be increased gradually, adding new products to the toddler’s menu every day, starting with boiled meat, steamed cutlets and ending (last) with a piece of chocolate or his favorite candy.

Advice from Dr. Komarovsky

Safe ways to treat diarrhea at home are by fasting and drinking. Everything else, including the use of antidiarrheal drugs in children, must be agreed with the doctor.

If diarrhea occurs in a baby under one year old, you should definitely consult a doctor. For children under one and a half years old, the rule is exactly the same, provided that the baby does not feel better within 24 hours. Urgent hospitalization is required by the presence of bloody impurities in the stool.

When visiting a doctor, be sure to remember what the child ate over the last 24 hours and what changes there were in his behavior. It would be great if the doctor could personally evaluate the appearance of feces on the diaper: their color, smell, consistency.

In case of an intestinal infection, the sick little one should immediately be given separate dishes, towels and bed linen. It can be extremely contagious, and therefore it is worth protecting other family members, especially children, from possible infection.

Folk remedies that “experts” recommend on the Internet to treat diarrhea, especially garlic or onion enemas, can be extremely dangerous for a baby. If you drink enough water and compensate for the lack of mineral salts, then diarrhea will subside without complications quite quickly (1-2 days). If diarrhea continues, alternative medicine will not help, but going to a completely traditional doctor will help.

How to treat diarrhea in a child, see the program of Dr. Komaorovsky.

Every mother in the process of raising a child is faced with such an unpleasant phenomenon as diarrhea, otherwise uncontrollable loose stools, in which the process of defecation without the ability to restrain the urge to defecate occurs more than 5-6 times a day. The total number of acts of defecation depends on the age of the baby and the reasons that caused this process in the body.

Is diarrhea in children so harmless?

What does the famous pediatrician Komarovsky think about this? Diarrhea in children, in his opinion, at first glance may seem like a very harmless phenomenon, so to speak, a temporary misunderstanding.
However, parents should not be mistaken about this, because certain health problems can be a provocateur for the anxious state of the child’s body. Therefore, mother and baby must consult a doctor in order to determine together the reasons that caused the child’s diarrhea.

Komarovsky - the most famous pediatrician

Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky is a doctor of the highest category, the author of a large number of scientific works and books, the host of his own television program, who has received a large quota of trust from millions of parents. I have been associated with the healthcare field for more than a quarter of a century. Since 1983, after graduating from the Kharkov Medical Institute, he worked in the regional infectious diseases hospital. In 2000 he moved to a private clinical center as a leading pediatric consultant. Since 2006, he has been receiving patients in his own private clinic.

A wide parental audience is familiar with the famous pediatrician from the television show “Doctor Komarovsky’s School,” which started in the spring of 2010 on the Ukrainian TV channel “Inter.” Also, Evgeniy Olegovich often takes part in television programs devoted to medical topics, and inspires maximum confidence in issues related to children's health.

Diarrhea while breastfeeding

According to Dr. Komarovsky, diarrhea in children can be caused by breast milk, into which substances that irritate the newborn’s digestive organs have entered with the mother’s nutrition. The baby’s still developing stomach cannot cope with them and signals problems with diarrhea. What should mom do? Identify an unfavorable product and stop using it for a while, and also adhere to a diet in which breast milk will only benefit the baby.

Maybe the cause of diarrhea is in baby formula?

How else does Dr. Komarovsky explain the reasons for the deterioration of well-being in children? Diarrhea in children can be caused by individual intolerance to foods received both through breast milk and during complementary feeding. It has been noticed that infants fed on mother's milk suffer from stomach upsets less often than children growing up on artificial feeding. After all, loose stools are often provoked by feeding mixtures with which the mother tries to diversify the baby’s diet. If a child has diarrhea, what to do? Komarovsky advises, at the first signs of its manifestation, to abandon the mixtures that provoked intestinal upset and return to a more adapted diet.

Causes of dehydration

Overfeeding, inflammatory processes in the body, infectious diseases, pathologies of the internal organs of the gastrointestinal tract are also provocateurs of uncontrolled bowel movements, says Dr. Komarovsky. Diarrhea in children, even the most common one, can cause dehydration, causing anemia, weight loss, decreased immunity and other negative consequences.

When is diarrhea harmless?

Komarovsky considers diarrhea in a child to be a normal phenomenon if frequent loose stools are associated with a change in diet, physical processes occurring in the body (for example, teething), as well as the baby’s experiences.
In very young children, loose stools can be observed about 20 times during the day, which is considered quite acceptable. After reaching 3 years of age, stool is usually characterized by a mushy consistency, yellow or brown color, and a bowel movement frequency of 1 to 3 times per day.

If a child’s loose stools have not stopped by the age of 3 and bother him with the same intensity, he should urgently contact a pediatrician, who will try to identify the causes of the disease as accurately as possible to make a correct diagnosis.

The doctor will be interested in the duration of the intestinal disorder, the frequency of bowel movements and urination, the consistency of stool, weight loss, tears during bowel movements, blood and mucus in the stool, as well as associated symptoms: vomiting, rash, fever, abdominal pain. Information about the child’s visits to childcare facilities, illnesses among family members at the time of the examination, sources of drinking water, etc. is also important.

Causes of diarrhea in older children

Diarrhea in older children can be caused by:

• low-quality or prohibited products;
• infectious lesions and acute inflammation;
• lack of food enzymes;
• inflammatory processes;
• helminthic infestations;
• poisoning;
• chronic diseases of the digestive system;
• acute leukemia;
• the use of antibiotics that cause intestinal upset and dysbacteriosis;
• stress;
• strong emotional stress.

What should a mother do if her child has diarrhea without fever for some time? In this regard, Komarovsky says that, most likely, there is a dysfunction of the digestive system, and this may be associated with both physiological and psychological factors. A change in the consistency and color of stool, its becoming watery, and the presence of impurities with a sour odor can be observed as the baby’s menu expands.

Parents are often concerned about the question: “If a child has diarrhea, how to treat it?” Komarovsky advises giving a sick child a medicine that slows down intestinal motility (Loperamide, approved for use from 6 years of age) and supports his microflora (Linex). Before taking medications, you should always consult your doctor. In simple cases, a medical specialist will recommend drinking plenty of fluids instead of anti-diarrhea medications.

Diarrhea and fever in a child

Komarovsky explains to his patients that sometimes, against the background of diarrhea, an elevated temperature can be observed, which parents of infants often associate with the eruption of the baby’s first teeth. Indeed, for young children, the growth of new teeth is stress, to which the baby’s body reacts with frequent loose stools. If parents are sure that indigestion is due to this particular reason, then they can give the baby a medicine that slows down intestinal motility. At the same time, it is recommended to use fastening products: raisin drink or rice water. The main thing is that these products are suitable for the child’s age.

The danger of rotavirus infection

Also, unfavorable symptoms may indicate the presence of rotavirus infection in the body, which was discovered as recently as 1973. Translated from Latin, the word rota means “wheel”, since the virus under a microscope is shaped vaguely like a wheel.

Rotavirus infection spreads through food, as well as through household contact. Regardless of living conditions and the degree of hygiene, almost all children suffer from rotavirus. The highest percentage of infection with this infection is among children aged 2 to 6 years. Rotavirus may cause vomiting and diarrhea in a child without fever. Komarovsky recommends that you definitely visit your doctor and take the tests prescribed by him, on the basis of which the causative agent of the disease will be identified. Guided by an accurate diagnosis, the pediatrician will be able to prescribe effective treatment. As a rule, antimicrobial drugs (Enterofuril) are prescribed. Parents are not recommended to give their child any medications on their own. The most they can do to help their child is to give them plenty of fluids to drink to stop dehydration, sorbents (activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb).
To normalize the child’s condition, it is recommended to use medications that lower the temperature (Paracetamol) and provide dietary nutrition selected by the attending physician according to the child’s age and the course of his disease.

If diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting

Intestinal disorders accompanied by vomiting symptoms, as well as pain in the abdomen (determined by palpation in the epigastric zone), indicate possible poisoning or the presence of harmful microbes in the intestines, causing the development of harmful infections.
The manifestation of vomiting and diarrhea is a kind of attempt by the body to protect itself and get rid of pathogenic microbes that destroy the microflora. The real cause for concern is the unnatural color of stool: green indicates bacterial pathology, black indicates internal bleeding. You should be alarmed if you find bloody discharge or a large amount of mucus in your stool. Vomiting without diarrhea in a child is also very dangerous. Komarovsky claims that the painful condition will not go away on its own, so the child should be urgently hospitalized. No self-medication is allowed: only consultation with a doctor and use of prescribed medications.

At such moments, parents need to give their child plenty of liquid (you can give Regidron) and not force them to eat a lot, since for a weakened body, eating in the usual amount will be a heavy burden. After 8-12 hours, after the end of rehydration therapy aimed at replenishing fluid in the body, you can gradually introduce foods that are easy to digest into the diet: rice, bananas, crackers, dried bread.

When is hospitalization necessary?

If vomiting is observed against the background of other unfavorable symptoms, you should consider hospitalization of the child, because food poisoning should be treated only under the supervision of experienced doctors. This is exactly what Dr. Komarovsky advises to do in doubtful situations. Vomiting and diarrhea in a child cause the loss of a huge amount of fluid, which entails dehydration for 2 days. It is quite difficult to make up for its losses, because during this period the baby refuses water and food due to poor health. The most dangerous manifestation of such symptoms is considered to be in children under 1 year of age. Doctors first cleanse the stomach by lavaging it, after which they use symptomatic therapy aimed at alleviating the condition of the sick child. During such treatment, doctors must be able to determine the cause of the disease and prescribe appropriate medications.

What should parents do? You should definitely contact a medical specialist for treatment measures aimed at replenishing the electrolyte composition of the blood and replenishing fluid reserves.

The child’s good health, his excellent mood and joy in his eyes are the best gift in the life of parents. But any errors in behavior or food intake can sometimes negatively affect his health.
The most common symptom is diarrhea. Even in the first days of life, children have loose stools. The reason for this is the mother’s poor nutrition during breastfeeding or an allergic reaction of the intestines to a particular product during artificial feeding. And if at an early age the causes of loose stools in most cases are considered to be the above reasons, then at the age of 2 years, diarrhea in a child is often accompanied by fever. What can cause diarrhea, what precautions should be taken into account, and what the famous doctor Komarovsky says about this.

Diarrhea or diarrhea - what is it?

Diarrhea is frequent bowel movements (more than 2-3 times a day). In this case, the consistency of the stool takes on a liquid consistency, which provides the child with a lot of inconvenience. At two years of age, diarrhea can be caused by several provocateurs, including:

Allergic reaction of the body,
medications, neurogenic factor,
poor nutrition.

Causes of diarrhea at two years of age

In pediatrics, the following types of diarrhea are distinguished:

Medication,
infectious,
dyspeptic,
neurogenic,
nutritional.

The most common is infectious diarrhea. As a rule, it begins after food poisoning, with salmonellosis and dysentery. The disease begins acutely and is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. In this case, the child does not complain of pain in the abdomen, and the temperature remains within normal limits.

Such diarrhea in children under 2 years of age is dangerous due to a sudden loss of fluid from the body, which leads to dehydration. That is why, in case of diarrhea, you should always give your child plenty of water. This will compensate for fluid in the body and the presence of salts.

Medications are given to children under 2 years of age only if recommended by the attending physician.

No less often, children under 2 years of age experience diarrhea of ​​a nutritional nature. The reason for this pathology is an improper diet. This term should be understood as:

Unbalanced diet
overfeeding a child,
allergenic factor to one of the products.

The dyspeptic nature of diarrhea can be caused in a child due to dysfunction of the stomach, pancreas or liver. As a result of such pathological changes, minimal secretion of intestinal enzymes is observed, which provokes digestive disorders.

The neurogenic nature of diarrhea in a child under 2 years of age as a result of stress or severe anxiety.

As you can see, there are several reasons that can cause diarrhea in children. Therefore, before starting treatment, it is important to accurately establish the cause of the pathology. Otherwise, there is a risk that the diarrhea may become chronic, causing the child to vomit after every meal.

Often, diarrhea in a 2-year-old child can be accompanied by vomiting, and sometimes even an elevated temperature is observed. In most cases, this is a symptom of rotavirus infection, which we will discuss separately.

Diarrhea in children under one year of age can be caused by teething. If there is an admixture of mucus in the stool, then doctors already suspect that pathogenic bacteria have entered the body.
In addition to all the above factors, diarrhea in children under one year of age and above can begin as a result of climate change.

Important! Often, if a child’s diarrhea is accompanied by a temperature of 38°C, parents regard diarrhea as a side factor and confuse the disease with ARVI. The first symptoms of the disease are really similar. Therefore, it is very important to establish the true cause of diarrhea, especially if it concerns children under one year old.

Never self-medicate. At the first complaint of a child about a headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever, you should immediately consult a doctor, and only after an examination treat the child according to his recommendations.

Food poisoning

It is generally accepted that the combination of vomiting, diarrhea and fever is poisoning.
Poisoning of the body in children at any age can be caused by:
stale or dirty food. Often children under one year old can put into their mouths everything that doesn’t fit right. Therefore, diarrhea and fever are most common in children under 2 years of age.
medications. There are a number of medications that, if taken incorrectly, can cause diarrhea.
chemical substances.

If during diarrhea the body temperature rises to 38°C, then most likely this indicates that an inflammatory process is occurring in the body, and it is localized in the gastrointestinal tract.

Similar symptoms may also be present with intestinal infections, otitis media and pharyngitis.
Therefore, it is very important to establish the real cause of the disease. If a child really has simple food poisoning, then the next day all symptoms disappear, and his body is completely restored. Otherwise, for example, if an infection has entered the body, then it is difficult to cope with this problem without the help of a doctor.

Rotavirus infection

Rotavirus infection can develop in children, no matter how old they are. It is accompanied by diarrhea, cough, and vomiting. Sometimes there is an elevated temperature (38°C and above), and a runny nose is possible. In most cases, doctors talk about low acidity of gastric juice.

The first symptoms of this disease are:

Redness of the throat
temperature 38°C and above,
headache,
loss of appetite,
weakness,
darkening of urine.

Only on the second day, diarrhea joins all the above symptoms. All these symptoms strongly resemble banal food poisoning. But the temperature can remain elevated for 5 days. In addition, the symptoms of respiratory disease remain pronounced.
In this case, treatment is carried out under the strict supervision of a pediatrician, especially in children under one year of age. The main danger of this pathology is dehydration. As a result, patients experience cessation of urination and poor circulation.

Symptoms of an intestinal infection should not go unnoticed, no matter how old your child is. Even before the doctor arrives, parents are obliged to give first aid to the baby:

Provide plenty of fluids,
ventilate the room.

Under no circumstances should you lower your body temperature until a doctor arrives. If a child has vomited, it is advisable to save the vomit, just like feces. This will make the doctor’s life easier, and he will be able to more accurately determine the cause of the ailment.
You cannot give your baby medications on your own, much less treat them according to traditional medicine prescriptions.

In order to minimize the risk of developing an intestinal infection, parents are required to:
1. Teach your child to keep his hands clean.
2. Food products must undergo heat treatment.
3. Do not take children to cafeterias of dubious reputation.
4. Give milk to your child to drink only after boiling.

If parents follow these recommendations, it will help them keep their child healthy and strengthen their immune system. The child should understand from an early age that eating unwashed foods is extremely dangerous. It is necessary to raise a child correctly from the moment of his birth, and not after a year or two.

When diarrhea and fever are observed simultaneously in a child, in most cases an acute gastrointestinal infection is diagnosed.

This usually happens during the hot season. Unwashed berries, fruits, vegetables, hordes of insects are the main cause of gastrointestinal disorders. Children have high mobility, it is difficult to keep track of them, but care must be taken that they do not drink raw water or accidentally swallow it while swimming in reservoirs. Newborns are at increased risk. Their gastrointestinal tract is still developing and slowly adapts to food. Therefore, infants more often suffer from problems with bowel movements, they have flatulence, diarrhea, and constipation. If there is a complication in the form of elevated temperature, you should immediately contact your pediatrician.

Most acute intestinal problems are caused by rotaviruses. They are widespread in the surrounding area and are transmitted through the fecal-oral mechanism. If the virus has entered the body, it multiplies rapidly, and the disease is acute.

Abdominal pain and diarrhea occur, leading to loss of moisture in the body. To carry out appropriate treatment, it is important to correctly determine the diagnosis, since similar symptoms appear with other ailments:

• inflammation in the ear;
• exposure to E. coli;
• sore throat;
• infection with worms;
• respiratory tract diseases.
• infectious diseases (measles, scarlet fever).

Loose stools in these circumstances are considered to be associated complications. Diarrhea is caused by infections and causes not related to the activity of dangerous microorganisms, for example, dysbacteriosis. For non-infectious disorders, there is no need for specific therapies.

For infants, additional circumstances may apply. They may experience diarrhea and fever when teething. In this case, an antipyretic drug should be given. When the teeth erupt, the baby will feel good again. Sometimes children suffer from allergic reactions to antibiotics and medications containing iron.

Therapeutic measures

Whatever the answer to the question of why children have diarrhea and fever, no matter what painful microorganisms enter the body, no matter how severe the illness is, the effectiveness of treatment is determined by the correctness and timeliness of the measures taken.

• Selection of medications. It is necessary to take medications with adsorbing properties. The simplest remedy available is activated carbon. In pharmacies you can buy Smecta, Neosmectin, and other medications. But in case of severe diarrhea, adsorbents are not used; they additionally dehydrate the body.

• Stomach detoxification. Even if there is no vomiting, gastric lavage should be performed. A weak solution of potassium permanganate is suitable for this, boiled water will help. This will bring down the temperature, the children’s body will get rid of toxins, and the breakdown products of harmful substances will be eliminated.

• Rehydration measures. During treatment, it is necessary to restore the water-salt balance. Drinking plenty of juices, mineral water, and tea will help with this. Infusions of blueberries, bird cherry, and chamomile decoction help.

• Medicines to restore electrolyte balance(“Regidron”, “Glucosolan”). Salt solutions are taken after each bowel movement. The liquid is taken from a teaspoon; for babies it is instilled from a pipette. There is no better way for infants than to feed them breast milk more often.

• Application of enveloping agents. When caring for a child, it is effective to use medications with astringent properties in treatment. Even simple jelly, thanks to starch, will create a protective film on the gastric mucosa and relieve pain. Among herbal remedies, oatmeal works well. Pharmaceuticals offer many useful enveloping drugs, from Almagel to De-Nol.

• Antibiotics. Prescribed for severe disease. Children, especially under 12 years of age, may have allergic reactions to them.

Various infectious and non-infectious diseases are accompanied by similar symptoms. Healing from these illnesses requires different approaches. Only a practicing pediatrician can competently understand possible diagnoses and choose a treatment method. Do not self-medicate, be critical of “folk” methods, and under no circumstances trust charlatans, healers, or other dubious people.

Diet

Nutrition for diarrhea with high fever is designed to prevent dehydration, help cleanse the body of pathogenic factors, and restore the functioning of the stomach and intestines.

Main principles of feeding

1. Reduce the amount of food, but give food 5 times a day or more.
2. The diet should include a large volume of liquid, finely chopped boiled vegetables, and porridge.
3. Carefully diversify your dishes by adding lean fish, dietary meat, and dairy products.

Sample menu for diarrhea

• First day . The food is gentle. In the morning, give rice water and jelly. In the afternoon tea, crackers. For lunch, rice soup with meatballs, tea, dried bread. In the evening, mashed potatoes, steamed fish, still mineral water.

• Second day . Start the day with oatmeal porridge with water, tea, and crackers. For lunch, noodle soup and steamed fish. As a fruit, you can treat your child to a banana. For dinner, offer boiled potatoes, fish cake, tea.

• The third day . For breakfast, rice porridge cooked in water, a soft-boiled egg, freshly brewed tea. During the day, give jelly with breadcrumbs. In the afternoon, rice with chicken fillet, tea. At 17 o'clock baked apple. For dinner, buckwheat porridge with chicken breast, jelly.

• Fourth day . In the morning prepare an omelette, bread, tea. At noon, chicken broth. For lunch, rice, beef meatballs, jelly, bread, but not soft. Towards the evening, have a snack of baked pear. For dinner, carrot puree, boiled fish, tea.

There are different points of view on feeding children up to a year after the onset of dyspepsia with fever. Traditionally, pediatricians advise not to feed the baby in the first days of illness. Nowadays there is a popular opinion that the baby needs nutrients and feeding should not be interrupted.

1. The volume of food should not exceed ½ of the usual amount. Replenish what is missing with saline solutions.
2. Eliminate foods if the child has never eaten them. The menu should be the same as the last 2-3 weeks.
3. If possible, feed only breast milk and mucilaginous porridges from other foods.

Attention to temperature

Diarrhea does not indicate the severity of the disease. But already at a temperature of 37° you need to be wary. There is a high probability that the temperature will rise. This may indicate impending threatening measles, scarlet fever or rubella. If red spots are noticeable, you should immediately contact a medical facility.

If the temperature continues to reach 38°C, the child should be put to bed and the temperature should be measured more often, monitoring its changes. If the temperature reaches 39°, diarrhea cannot be stopped, symptoms continue the next day, calling a doctor is an urgent requirement.

Often, parents with an elevated temperature of 38, especially 39°, include Aspirin in treatment. This is strictly forbidden for children under 12 years of age. You can use Paracetamol. It is better in the form of syrup, for children under one year old half a teaspoon 3 times a day, from one year to 6 years 1 tsp. 2-3 doses per day, and up to 15 years, 3-4 tsp. You can read more about Paracetamol dosages in this instruction.

Summary

Humanity has accumulated vast experience in dealing with diarrhea and high fever in children. Modern medicine, the experience of pediatricians, and effective pharmacology guarantee a cure for unpleasant, often dangerous diseases. The main thing is not to let things take their course, not to waste time, and to consult a doctor.

Don't neglect simple prevention. Make sure your child maintains hygiene, wash fruits and vegetables, and drink clean water. Your child will be healthy, full of strength, develop normally, and show energy.