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Pediatric diarrhea
Can children with diarrhea eat mangoes?
When a child has diarrhea, it is essential for the diet to be light and easy to digest. If the child is breastfed, the mother's diet should also be light and easy to digest. If the child is fed with cow's milk, consider temporarily switching to a special formula for diarrhea. When introducing solid foods, provide items that are easy to digest, such as thin porridge, noodles, or rice mush. Mangoes, being tropical fruits, tend to be cooling and should be avoided during diarrhea. Mangoes are rich in proteins and can also trigger allergies in some babies. Therefore, children who are allergic should not eat mangoes. Wait until the diarrhea has resolved before considering introducing mangoes.
Clinical Manifestations of Childhood Diarrhea
Childhood diarrhea is caused by multiple pathogens, characterized by an increased frequency and change in the nature of bowel movements. The primary clinical manifestation in children is an increased number of bowel movements. In cases of mild diarrhea, the child may experience some vomiting, then a low fever, pale complexion, with no increase or decrease in weight. Generally, the condition resolves within 3 to 7 days. In cases of severe diarrhea, the frequency of bowel movements can reach more than ten times per day, with a high water content and occasionally mucus. Under these circumstances, the child's appetite is very poor, often accompanied by vomiting and high fever, rapid weight loss, significant emaciation, and visible symptoms of dehydration. In severe cases, complications such as acidosis, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, and hypomagnesemia can occur.
What are some medicines for pediatric diarrhea?
Pediatric diarrhea primarily refers to changes in the frequency and characteristics of stool due to various causes. Active treatment is necessary for pediatric diarrhea, starting with infection control as the initial step in pharmacological treatment. If the diarrhea is confirmed to be caused by a bacterial infection, antibiotics should be used under the guidance of a hospital physician. Secondly, treatment of the intestinal microecosystem is essential, commonly involving the administration of probiotics to children to help restore the ecological balance of normal intestinal flora, inhibiting the colonization and invasion of various pathogens, thus treating the diarrhea. Additionally, intestinal mucosal protectants, such as commonly used smectite powder, can enhance the barrier functions of the intestine to prevent pathogenic microorganisms from attacking the intestine and intestinal mucosa. Another treatment is anti-secretory therapy, frequently using racemic cadozetrack, along with zinc supplementation. Zinc supplements should be given to children with acute diarrhea to promote the repair of intestinal mucosa and prevent future mucosal damage, which can lead to acute diarrhea.
What foods are good for children with diarrhea?
Children's diarrhea can be classified into infectious and non-infectious types. Generally, if it is infectious diarrhea, the diet should be light and easy to digest, avoiding greasy, spicy foods. Most cases of infectious diarrhea can be controlled within about a week with anti-infection and symptomatic fluid replenishment treatments. However, for non-infectious diarrhea, such as allergic diarrhea, milk allergy, or egg allergy, it is necessary to avoid allergenic foods and also focus on a diet that is light and easy to digest, avoiding spicy and greasy foods. If lactose intolerance causes the diarrhea, then intake of lactose-containing foods, especially lactose-containing milk, should be avoided; lactose-free formula should be used instead, and treatments like lactase may be added.
Symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration in children
Children with symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration are categorized into mild, moderate, and severe dehydration. Generally speaking, with mild dehydration, there is slight dryness of the mouth, not very severe. With moderate dehydration, the dryness of the mouth becomes quite noticeable, and with severe dehydration, there is extreme dryness of the mouth. In terms of mental state, those with mild dehydration generally feel okay, while those with moderate dehydration have poorer spirits, and those with severe dehydration appear very listless. Regarding urination, those with mild dehydration experience a slight decrease in urine output, those with moderate dehydration have a reduced urine output, and those with severe dehydration show a significant reduction in urine output, or even no urine at all. Another symptom to consider is skin turgor; in mild dehydration, skin elasticity is still acceptable, in moderate dehydration skin elasticity worsens, and in severe dehydration, skin elasticity is significantly impaired. For instance, the dryness of mucous membranes, including the oral mucosa, shows slight dryness in mild dehydration, dryness in moderate dehydration, and obvious dryness in severe dehydration. Therefore, dehydration should be assessed from multiple aspects.
What's going on with a child's diarrhea being watery?
In cases where a child's diarrhea is watery, it is generally considered that a viral infection could be the cause, such as rotavirus enteritis, which can produce yellow, watery stools. Exposure to cold leading to diarrhea can also result in watery stools; additionally, some intestinal bacterial infections may present with watery diarrhea. Therefore, it is important to analyze each specific situation. Using probiotics to regulate intestinal flora, and employing montmorillonite powder to protect the gastrointestinal mucosa can be considered. It is also advisable to visit a hospital to conduct routine stool tests, and if necessary, complete stool culture to guide further medication and treatment. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
What is the cause of a child's diarrhea being watery?
Diarrhea is characterized by an increase in the frequency of a child's bowel movements and a change in the nature of the stool. When children have diarrhea, their stool can be watery, often caused by rotavirus infection resulting in seasonal diarrhea. The stool may resemble egg drop soup and can even be sprayed out. In such cases, it is recommended to administer montmorillonite powder and probiotics to the child, as well as to supplement with oral rehydration salts. For children with moderate to severe dehydration, intravenous rehydration is necessary to correct dehydration. Another scenario involves diarrhea caused by invasive bacterial infections in children, where the stool is also watery. Symptomatic treatment and correction of dehydration are required in such cases. If systemic bacterial infection symptoms are present, antibiotics should be administered under the guidance of a hospital doctor. This is mainly because the bacterial or viral invasion affects the intestinal mucosa, causing changes in osmotic pressure within the intestinal cavity, leading to the occurrence of watery stools. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)
How to guide diet for children with diarrhea
Childhood diarrhea is often an inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Therefore, during this process, it is necessary to ensure the diet is light and easy to digest. If the child is breastfed, the mother's diet should also be light and easy to digest, avoiding greasy, spicy, and irritating foods. Meanwhile, if the child is formula-fed, it is recommended to use diarrhea-specific formula. This is because many babies' diarrhea is related to lactose intolerance, poor protein digestion, or milk protein allergies, among other causes. Therefore, if considering these factors, it is advised to feed hydrolyzed protein formula or diarrhea-specific formula, and supplementary foods like thin porridge, noodles, or rice paste can be added. Avoid greasy foods and eggs temporarily.
Child diarrhea test items
Pediatric diarrhea is a common disease in children characterized by an increase in stool frequency and specific stool shapes, caused by multiple pathogens and factors. Common tests for children with diarrhea start with routine stool tests. Stool culture is meaningful for identifying the pathogens causing diarrhea, and the latex agglutination test has diagnostic value for viral gastroenteritis. The stool-reducing sugar test primarily assesses malabsorption of disaccharides, lactose intolerance, etc. Counting and classifying white blood cells mainly clarify the presence of bacterial infections. Since diarrhea often accompanies electrolyte disturbances and dehydration, biochemical blood tests are necessary, and sometimes, X-rays of the abdominal plain film, ultrasound, endoscopy, and other examinations are needed.
What medicine is used for enema in children with diarrhea?
Childhood diarrhea is a common symptom in children, characterized by an increase in the frequency of bowel movements and unformed stools. Enema is a common treatment method in pediatric clinical practice, where the medication is absorbed through the rectal veins to achieve therapeutic effects. The medication used for the enema should be based on the cause of the child's diarrhea. For instance, if the diarrhea is due to indigestion, medications for indigestion should be used for the enema. If the stool is watery, astringent and antidiarrheal medications should be administered. If the child’s diarrhea is caused by enteritis due to inflammation, anti-inflammatory medications are required for the enema. If it is caused by a viral factor, antiviral medications should be used. Therefore, the specific medication for the diarrhea enema needs to be adjusted according to the actual symptoms of the child.