Clinical Manifestations of Childhood Diarrhea

Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
Updated on June 16, 2025
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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.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
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Can children with diarrhea eat noodles?

Children experience diarrhea because various factors cause disturbances in their gastrointestinal function, leading to malabsorption of nutrients. This manifests as a significant increase in the frequency of defecation and a noticeable change in the nature of the stool, even resulting in watery stools. When children have diarrhea, it is recommended to eat easily digestible, bland foods; noodles and porridge are good dietary options.

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Can children with diarrhea eat grapes?

Pediatric diarrhea is a digestive syndrome characterized by an increased number of bowel movements and a change in the nature of stools, caused by multiple pathogens and factors. When a child has diarrhea, his gastrointestinal function is weak, and the absorption of nutrients is significantly reduced compared to normal. There is also significant intestinal dysfunction or clear intestinal infections causing the diarrhea. Grapes have a notable effect in promoting digestion; however, if a child with weak spleen and stomach functions consumes grapes, it could potentially worsen the situation by increasing the frequency of bowel movements. Therefore, it is advisable to minimize grape consumption in children with diarrhea.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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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.)

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Written by Feng Ying Shuai
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Which area is used for moxibustion to treat diarrhea in children?

For clinical pediatric diarrhea, moxibustion is mainly applied to the abdominal area. Moxa sticks can be used, starting with moxibustion at the Shenque point around the navel for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, moxibustion can be performed at the Tianshu points on both sides of the navel, which are on the abdomen, as well as the Guanyuan point on the lower abdomen and the Zhongwan point on the upper abdomen, achieving the purpose of astringing the intestines to stop diarrhea and relieve pain. In addition to moxibustion on the upper and lower abdomen and center of the navel, moxibustion can also be applied to some distal points on the limbs of children, such as the Zusanli and Shangjuxu points on the lower limbs, which can achieve a very good effect in stopping diarrhea.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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There are several types of childhood diarrhea.

If there is a change in frequency and characteristics of a child’s stool compared to usual, it could indicate the occurrence of diarrhea. Diarrhea can be classified into: 1. Acute diarrhea, which lasts for up to two weeks. 2. Persistent diarrhea, lasting between two weeks and two months. 3. Chronic diarrhea, lasting for more than two months. Based on the severity, it can be divided into: 1. Mild, generally without dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, or acid-base imbalances. 2. Moderate, accompanied by mild to moderate dehydration, or mild electrolyte disturbance. More severe cases involve severe dehydration and obvious symptoms of acid-base imbalance. Symptoms in children include lethargy, irritability, drowsiness, pale complexion, no fever, and a significant increase in white blood cell count. Causes of diarrhea can be divided into: infectious diarrhea, caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc., and non-infectious diarrhea, including foodborne diarrhea, symptomatic diarrhea, allergic diarrhea, and other types of diarrhea.