Doctor Komarovsky advises: diarrhea in children than to treat?

Each mother in the process of raising a child is faced with such an unpleasant phenomenon as diarrhea, otherwise - an uncontrolled liquid stool, in which the process of defecation without the possibility of containing a urge to feces occurs more than 5-6 times a day. The total number of acts of defecation depends on the age of the baby and the causes that caused the process in the body.

Is it so harmless in children?

What does the famous children's doctor Komarovsky think about this? Diarrhea in children, in his opinion, at first glance may seem quite harmless phenomenon, so to speak, a temporary misunderstanding. However, parents should not be mistaken about this, because a provocateur of the anxious state of a child's body may be certain health problems. Therefore, the mother and baby are required to consult a doctor to identify the causes that caused diarrhea in the child.

Komarovsky is 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, leading his own program on television, which received a large quota of trust of millions of parents. More than a quarter of a century has been associated with the healthcare sector. 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, patients have been admitted to their private clinic.

A wide parental audience is familiar with the famous pediatrician on the television show "The School of Doctor Komarovsky", which took its start in the spring of 2010 on the Ukrainian television channel "Inter". Also Evgeny Olegovich often takes part in TV programs devoted to medical topics, and causes maximum confidence in matters related to children's health.

Diarrhea with breastfeeding

According to Dr. Komarovsky, diarrhea in children can be triggered by breast milk, into which substances that irritate the digestive organs of the newborn have got into the mother's diet. Only the developing stomach of the baby can not cope with them and signals the problems that have arisen with diarrhea. What should mom do? Identify an unfavorable product and stop using it for a while, as well as adhere to a diet in which breast milk will only benefit the baby.

Maybe the cause of diarrhea is in children's mixtures?

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 of foods coming in with both breast milk and during complementary feeding. It is noticed that infants, feeding on mother's milk, suffer from stomach disorders less often than children growing on artificial feeding. After all, often provocateurs of a liquid stool are feeding mixtures, with which the mother tries to diversify the baby's diet. If a child has diarrhea, what should I do? Komarovsky advises, at the first signs of its manifestation, to abandon the mixtures that provoked intestinal distress 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 emptying of the intestine, says Dr. Komarovsky. Diarrhea in children, even the most common, can cause dehydration, causing anemia, weight loss, decreased immunity and other negative consequences.

When is diarrhea not dangerous?

Komarovsky considers diarrhea in a child to be normal if frequent liquid stools are associated with changes in diet, physical processes in the body (eg, teething), and the baby's experiences. In very young children liquid stool can be observed throughout the day about 20 times, which is considered quite acceptable. After reaching 3 years of age, the stool is usually characterized by a mushy consistency, yellow or brown, and a bowel movement frequency of 1 to 3 times a day.

If the liquid stool of the child has not stopped by the age of 3 and pierces it with the same intensity, it is necessary to urgently contact the pediatrician who will try to determine the causes of the disease as accurately as possible in order to make the correct diagnosis.

Doctors will be interested in the duration of the bowel disorder, the frequency of stool and urination, the consistency of stool, weight loss, tears during defecation, blood and mucus in the stool, and also accompanying symptoms: vomiting, rash, fever, abdominal pain. Also important information is about the child's visit to children's institutions, illnesses among family members at the time of the survey, sources of drinking water, etc.

Provocative diarrhea in older children

Diarrhea in older children can be caused by:

• Low-quality or prohibited products;
• Infectious lesions and acute inflammations;
• Lack of food enzymes;
• Inflammatory processes;
• Helminthic invasions;
• Poisoning;
• Chronic diseases of the digestive system;
• Acute leukemia;
• Use of antibiotics that cause intestinal and dysbacteriosis disorder;
• Stress;
• Strong emotional tension.

What should mom do if there is diarrhea in a child without temperature for some time? Komarovsky on this occasion says that, most likely, there is a violation of the digestive function, and this can be associated with both physiological and psychological factors. Change in the consistency and color of feces, their acquisition of wateriness, the presence of impurities with an acidic odor can be observed against the background of the expansion of the baby's menu.

Parents are often concerned about the question: "If diarrhea in a child, than treated?" Komarovsky advises to give the sick kid a medicine that slows the bowel motility ("Loperamide", is allowed to use from 6 years old) and supports its microflora ("Linex"). Before taking medication, always consult a doctor. In simple cases, the medical specialist will recommend a copious drink instead of diarrhea.

Diarrhea and temperature in the child

Komarowski explains to his patients that sometimes, against the background of diarrhea, there may be a fever that parents of infants often associate with the eruption of the baby's first teeth. After all, for young children, the growth of new teeth is a stress on which the baby's organism reacts with a frequent liquid stool. If the parents are sure that intestinal indigestion is associated with this cause, they can give the baby a medicine that slows the intestinal motility. In passing, the use of fastening products is recommended: a drink made of raisins or rice broth. The main thing is that these funds are suitable for the age of the child.

The risk of rotavirus infection

Also, unfavorable symptoms may indicate the presence in the body of a rotavirus infection, discovered only recently - in 1973. In Latin, the word rota means "wheel", since the virus under the microscope resembles a wheel remotely.

Rotavirus infection spreads through food products, as well as by contact and household means. Regardless of living conditions and the degree of hygiene compliance, virtually all children are affected by rotavirus. The highest percentage of infection with such an infection is among children of the age category from 2 to 6 years. With rotavirus, vomiting, diarrhea in a child without fever may occur . Komarovsky recommends to visit the attending physician, hand over the tests prescribed by him, on the basis of which the causative agent of the disease will be identified. Guided by the exact diagnosis, the pediatrician will be able to prescribe an effective treatment. As a rule, antimicrobials are prescribed (Enterofuril). Parents are not recommended to give their child any medication. The maximum of what they can help your child, is to drink plenty of fluids to stop dehydration, sorbents (activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb). To normalize the child's condition, it is recommended to use temperature-lowering agents (Paracetamol), and to provide dietary nutrition selected by the attending physician according to the child's age and the course of his illness.

If diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting

Intestinal disorders accompanied by vomiting and abdominal pain (determined by palpation in the epigastric zone) indicate a possible poisoning or presence in the intestine of harmful microbes that cause the development of harmful infections. The manifestation of vomiting and diarrhea is an original attempt of the body to protect itself and get rid of pathogenic microbes that destroy the microflora. The real reason for concern is the unnatural color of the feces: green indicates a bacterial pathology, black - for internal bleeding. It should be worried when there is spotting in the stools of bloody discharge or a lot of mucus. Vomiting without diarrhea in a child is also very dangerous. Komarovsky argues that the morbid state itself will not pass, so the child should be urgently hospitalized. Do not allow any self-medication: only a doctor's consultation and the use of prescribed medications.

Parents at such times need to milk their child with a lot of liquid (you can give "Regidron") and do not make much to eat, because for a weakened organism, eating in the usual volume will be a heavy load. After 8-12 hours, after completion of rehydration therapy, aimed at replenishing the fluid in the body, you can gradually introduce into the diet products that are characterized by easy digestion: rice, bananas, crackers, dried bread.

When is hospitalization necessary?

If the manifestation of vomiting is observed against the background of other adverse symptoms, you should think about hospitalization of the child, because to treat food poisoning should only be supervised by experienced doctors. This is how Dr. Komarovsky advises to act in questionable situations. Vomiting, diarrhea in the child cause loss of a huge amount of fluid, which entails dehydration of the body within 2 days. It is quite difficult to repair its losses, because the kid at this time refuses water and food because of poor health. The most dangerous is the manifestation of such symptoms in children under the age of 1 year. Physicians first carry out purification of the stomach by washing it, after which symptomatic therapy is applied, aimed at alleviating the condition of the sick child. In the process of such treatment, doctors should be able to determine the cause of the disease and prescribe the appropriate medications.

What should parents do? Be sure to contact a medical specialist for medical treatment aimed at replenishing the electrolyte blood and replenishing fluid reserves.