Intestinal infections in children. How to help?

Intestinal infections are fairly largea group of diseases that manifest themselves in the form of diarrhea, vomiting, intoxication of the body. Pathogens can be bacteria, viruses, as well as a conditionally pathogenic flora. I must say, intestinal infections in children - a common phenomenon. This is due to the fact that the immune system in children is still imperfect. In addition, young children do not have sustainable sanitation and hygiene skills. The consequences of such diseases are especially pronounced in infants. The disease can provoke the development of dysbacteriosis, eating disorders and the development of secondary enzymatic insufficiency.

In earlier times, intestinal infections in children often ended very sadly. Fortunately, the use of modern methods of treatment practically excludes cases of lethal outcomes in this disease.

Prevalence of intestinal infectionsis caused by the resistance of pathogens to various influences, they persist during drying, exposure to cold, remain viable for a long time in soil and water, and when they get on food or ready meals, they multiply with great speed. Flies play a big role in the contamination of food and ready-made food.

Some infections (eg, dysentery) cantransmitted from sick people or those who are carriers of the disease, while remaining healthy. Most of the infections occur in a contact-household way, so these infections are often called "diseases of dirty hands".

Virtually all intestinal infections in children havea similar clinical picture. Diarrhea, abdominal pain, febrile conditions, vomiting are characteristic of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

The incubation period for this disease, asrule, short. Most often, the disease begins to develop after a few hours or 2-3 days after infection. The combination of various clinical manifestations, as well as their severity, depends on the severity of the disease and the age of the child. In addition, the clinical picture depends on which particular GI tract was affected by the infection.

Parents should remember that acute intestinal infections in children require urgent treatment. The sooner a diagnosis is made and treatment procedures are assigned, the sooner the child will recover.

Especially intestinal infections in newborns are dangerous. Infants most often suffer from colienteritis and salmonellosis, less often from dysentery. Due to the fact that the intestinal microflora in infants is still being formed, they carry the disease more heavily than infants in the second and subsequent years of life. Especially dangerous is the infection for the crumbs, which are fed with artificial substitutes for breast milk, as well as for premature and debilitated babies.

Treatment of infants is carried out in a hospital,so if the first signs of infection occur, you should consult your doctor or call an ambulance. The basis of the treatment is gastric lavage and restoration of the water-salt balance.

Children over one year of age may be offeredtreatment at home if the disease has not taken a severe course. However, such an exit is possible only if it is possible to provide a strict sanitary and hygienic regime, isolating the sick from contact with healthy children. Naturally, it will be necessary to provide the sick child with complete care and treatment. The district doctor will in this case monitor the condition of the sick child daily.

Treat intestinal infections in children by oralrehydration combined with compliance with diet. In some cases, gastric lavage is indicated. And to start taking a glucose-saline solution when revealing an intestinal infection is necessary, as soon as possible, even before the expressed symptoms of dehydration of the body appear.

From the first minutes of the disease, parents shouldbegin to give the sick kid a weakly boiled tea, a broth of dogrose, rice broth, afterwards replacing these drinks with standard solutions for rehydration, which the doctor will write out. If the disease is not very serious, then the treatment solution can be prepared at home on your own. To do this, take half a liter of boiled cold water and dissolve in it half a teaspoon of salt and 4 tablespoons of sugar. If there is glucose in the home medicine cabinet, then sugar should be replaced by it, the dose for the specified amount of water - 2 teaspoons.