Intestinal flu symptoms in children 3 years old. Gastroenteritis or intestinal flu in children: symptoms and treatment with medications and diet

Stomach flu - inflammatory disease infectious etiology, which occurs in the mucous membrane gastrointestinal tract.

The disease is contagious and is often confused with ordinary stomach poisoning. In most cases, the infection goes away on its own within a few days.

Taking additional measures precautions by observing personal hygiene rules can prevent the spread of the disease.

Intestinal flu is one of the most common diseases in children.

Research has shown that most children younger age encounter this disease at least once.

Some of the most common causes of infection in a child are:

1. The infection entered the body through contaminated food or water.
2. The child ate from contaminated dishes.
3. Contact with contaminated feces - if, without parental supervision, a child accidentally touches it and then puts his hand in his mouth.
4. Bacterial infections: Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus, Giardia, Campylobacter or E.Coli.
5. Giardiasis.
6. Infection through viruses, including adenovirus, rotavirus, astrovirus and calicivirus.
7. The disease can be caused by certain toxins present in plants and seafood.
8. Using powerful laxatives to treat constipation.
9. Consumption of poisonous heavy metals that entered the body with food.

Intestinal flu - symptoms in children

Depending on the form of the disease and the type of virus, the child may exhibit one symptom or several at once:

• Vomiting/nausea;
• Fever;
• Abdominal pain;
• Body pain;
• Severe chills;
• Diarrhea.

These stomach flu symptoms in children can be moderate to severe.

They usually last from several hours to several days, sometimes a week or two, depending on the severity of the condition.

When should you call an ambulance immediately?

The most a big problem during illness – stomach upset in children, nausea and vomiting. They can lead to dehydration (dehydration) of the child's body, which should be avoided at all costs.

Even if you think that this phenomenon is not considered serious, pay attention to following signs, then immediately call a doctor.

1. If a child aged 0-12 months has intestinal symptoms that persist for more than 2 days.
2. The baby is 2-3 years old and the symptoms do not go away within 3-4 days.
3. The child has severe nausea and vomiting. Sometimes this condition requires hospitalization.
4. The baby does not drink water and does not urinate during the day.
5. After defecation and in the vomit there are blood impurities.
6. High fever does not go away after 2 days.
7. Dry and cracked lips appeared.
8. Excessive sleepiness.
9. Moodiness.
10. Sunken eyes.
11. Colic.
12. Dizziness.
13. Pale and cold extremities.

What can and cannot be given to a child with intestinal flu?

While the child is experiencing discomfort, pain, fever and other symptoms of illness, several techniques can be used.

They will help alleviate the baby’s condition with intestinal flu.

1. Try giving your child water in small portions at regular intervals.
2. Do not give milk or dairy products to a sick child.
3. Don't give him drinks that are high in acid.
4. You should not give your child foods that are heavy on the stomach. Light vegetable soups and soft porridges (not made with milk) are recommended.
5. It is not recommended to give your child medications without the approval of the pediatrician. Sometimes the disease goes away on its own.
6. Some of the liquids, such as soft drinks, sports drinks, Apple juice, tea or chicken broth contain the wrong amount of salt, sugar and water, which can make your condition worse.
7. You should avoid feeding your child any fruit juices or foods high in sugar as they tend to make the flu worse.
8. The child should remain in bed for twenty-four hours until the diarrhea and vomiting stop. If a child has a fever, the temperature should be checked and noted in a log every four hours.

If symptoms persist after therapy, call your doctor again. After 1-2 days, the first results of therapeutic recovery will be noticeable. If one of the signs of the disease does not go away, you may need to be hospitalized with medication.

Intestinal flu - treatment in children

If not treated promptly stomach flu in children, this can lead to the spread of infection, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances in the body.

1. In case of a bacterial infection, your doctor may prescribe special antibiotics, which are directed against bacteria of this type.
2. For viral infections, your doctor may recommend an antiviral drug.
3. For high fever and body aches, your doctor may recommend a dose of baby ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
4. In order to make sure that the child receives enough water, rehydration solutions are prescribed, which should be given to the child regularly. This will help restore the salt and mineral balance of the body.
5. If the diarrhea is mild and there is no vomiting, the doctor will advise you to continue feeding the baby with breast milk or formula.
6. The oxygen level in the baby's blood is checked using a pulse oximeter.
7. If there is significant fluid loss, the child will be taken to the hospital where he will be given solutions such as glucose through an IV to keep the body nourished.

Prevention of intestinal flu infection

1. Make sure your child follows good personal hygiene and washes his hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap or after each visit to the toilet and outside. Parents themselves should wash their hands after going outside, working, or going to the toilet.
2. Sterilize your child's utensils properly before use - bottles, plates and spoons. Maintain safe food preparation practices. Choose clean dishes fresh vegetables and fruits, veterinary-tested meat and fish.
3. It is recommended to vaccinate the child against infection. Typically three doses of immunization are given: when the baby is 2 months old, when he is 4 months old, and when he is 6 months old.

If the child is in the hospital, there are a number of preventive measures, helping to communicate correctly with a sick child to avoid infection.

1. The child may be placed in a separate room and will not be able to visit the playroom until he feels better. Ask the medical staff to bring the baby toys and give him the necessary things.
2. Wash your hands often before and after touching the baby, and before leaving the baby's room. Hospital staff are also required to wash their hands on a schedule.
3. If a child has stomach flu symptoms and is in the hospital, all staff should wear gloves and a gown when caring for the child.

Video - Intestinal flu: symptoms and treatment in children (Dr. Komarovsky)

So, when intestinal flu occurs in children, it is necessary to pay attention to dehydration of the child’s body, which occurs due to nausea and vomiting that accompany this disease.

Intestinal flu is diagnosed in children quite often. At the same time, than younger child, the more difficult it is for him to endure the disease. After all, the baby’s body is not yet fully formed to adequately withstand the onslaught of viruses. Namely, they provoke the occurrence of illness in the body. Let's look at what intestinal flu is, what its symptoms are and how to deal with the pathology.

Characteristics of the disease

Acute viral pathology, affecting the gastrointestinal tract, is called intestinal flu. The disease is very common. The peak incidence occurs in autumn or winter. The disease is most often diagnosed in children preschool age. Teenagers practically do not suffer from intestinal flu.

Pathology is caused by viruses. There are many known pathogens of intestinal influenza.

But often the disease is caused by:

• rotaviruses;
• astroviruses;
• caliciviruses;
• noroviruses;
• adenoviruses.

All of them lead to inflammation in the digestive tract. The symptoms of the disease, if you exclude intestinal problems, are very similar to the flu.

Routes of infection

The infection penetrates exclusively through the gastrointestinal mucosa. The rate of development of pathology and the severity of the disease depend on the concentration of the pathogen in the body and the state of immunity.

Since intestinal flu is an infectious disease, it is easy to understand how it is transmitted:

1. Food route. The pathogen enters the body with unwashed fruits, vegetables, and low-quality dairy products. Intestinal flu is considered a disease of dirty hands. Water plays an important role in infection.
2. Airborne. An infected person can release viruses into the air when they talk, cough or sneeze.
3. Contact and household. The causes of infection can be quite commonplace. Sometimes it is enough for a child to pick up a sick person’s toy, and he already runs the risk of getting an unpleasant disease.

The causative agent of the pathology is very viable. It easily withstands impact detergents, freezing, heating to 60 C. It can be destroyed only with concentrated chlorine-containing agents.

Symptoms of the disease

Parents need to know how the disease manifests itself.

Initially, the child has:

• runny nose,
• slight cough
• a sore throat.

These symptoms go away quickly. After them, literally a few hours later, dyspepsia occurs - a gastrointestinal disorder. It is this course that distinguishes intestinal flu from other pathologies of the digestive tract, which initially begin with diarrhea in a child.

Characteristic signs of the disease:

• a sore throat;
• catarrhal symptoms (minor runny nose, sneezing, cough);
• redness in the throat;
• diarrhea (about 5-10 times a day, stools are copious, clay-like, gray-yellow in color, with an unpleasant pungent odor);
• abdominal pain, periodic rumbling;
• temperature (high or low-grade);
• increasing weakness;
• nausea, vomiting;
• dehydration in case of severe illness.

Types of pathology

Depending on the severity of the disease, intestinal flu can occur in:

• mild form;
• moderate;
• heavy.

According to the manifestations of symptoms, the disease is classified into:

• typical (the signs described above are observed);
• atypical (erased form or subclinical).

At home it is allowed to fight only a mild form of intestinal flu. In other cases, the baby needs hospitalization.

Possible complications

Intestinal flu is one of the few pathologies that does not cause serious complications. But provided that adequate therapy is started on time. Very young children and children with weakened immune systems may face unpleasant consequences.

• dehydration (sometimes this can be fatal);
• hemodynamic disorders;
• renal failure.

Avoid such development unpleasant consequences is possible only by following the prescribed drug treatment and dietary nutrition.

Diagnosis of the disease

Fighting the disease on your own is strictly contraindicated. It is necessary to call a pediatrician at home. The doctor will refer the baby for treatment to a gastroenterologist or recommend treatment in a hospital.

Already by external symptoms and with a careful study of the course of the disease, the doctor is able to suspect intestinal flu. However, the symptoms of the pathology are similar to other, sometimes even dangerous, ailments such as dysentery, salmonellosis, cholera, and food poisoning. Therefore you will need laboratory diagnostics to exclude serious illnesses.

The most reliable analyzes are:

• immune fluorescence technique;
• linked immunosorbent assay.

But these studies are complex and expensive. Therefore, they are used only in cases of severe stage of the disease.

• general clinical blood test;
• Analysis of urine.

Such studies can exclude the presence of a bacterial infection in the body.

Treatment of the disease

There is no specific therapy for intestinal flu. Treatment is based on the following areas:

• reduction of intoxication;
• protection against dehydration;
• restoration of the urinary system;
• cardiovascular support;
• preventing bacterial infection.

It should be recalled that only a doctor can recommend how to cure the pathology. It is very dangerous to fight the disease on your own.

First aid

However, before the doctor arrives, parents are able to slightly alleviate the unpleasant symptoms.

1. Drink plenty of fluids. As a result of diarrhea and vomiting, the child rapidly loses fluid. This is especially dangerous for infants. For them, this process develops at lightning speed. To protect the body from dehydration, you should provide your child with warm drinks ( boiled water, tea, compote).
2. Correct position in bed. It is important to protect your child from the risk of choking on vomit. This is especially true for infants. It is recommended to turn the child's head to the side and not leave him alone.
3. Temperature. Be sure to keep an eye on the indicators. For hyperthermia, it is recommended to give an antipyretic. It is best to use paracetamol medications. Paracetamol suspension can be given to a baby who is 1 month old.
4. Nutrition. If your baby asks to eat, do not starve him. But give only natural, boiled products. Can be steamed. Water porridges or light soups are recommended.

Drug therapy

Drugs are selected depending on the body, the patient’s age and the severity of the pathology.

Treatment is based on the use of the following medications:

1. Rehydration drugs. They help you avoid dehydration. Such medications are prescribed for any intestinal ailments. Medicines may be recommended: Regidron, Enterodes, Tsitroglukosolan.
2. Antidiarrheals. To neutralize the harmful effects of toxins, the child is prescribed enterosorbents: Polyphepan, Filtrum, White Coal, Lactofiltrum, Enterosgel. The following medications will be beneficial: Hilak-Forte, Smecta, Baktisubtil.
3. Probiotics. The drugs allow you to normalize the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. The following products will provide an excellent effect: Linex, Bion 3, Acipol, Atsilact, Bifiform, Bifistim, Bifidumbacterin forte.
4. Antipyretic. In case of hyperthermia, it is advisable to give the child medications: Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Nurofen, Panadol, Calpol, Cefekon D.
5. Enzymes. Medicines are aimed at reducing the load on the gastrointestinal tract and facilitating the digestion process. The following medications are recommended for use: Pancreatin, Mezim, Creon, Ermital, Micrazim.

Diet food

During illness, it is important to ensure a correct and gentle diet. It is recommended to adhere to diet No. 4.

Foods that are good for your child:

• slimy soups;
• pureed meat;
• weak broths;
• boiled fish;
• stale bread;
• omelettes, porridges;
• unhealthy cookies.

During illness you should avoid:

• dairy products;
• smoked meats, canned food;
• seasonings, spices;
• green onions, garlic, radishes.

The return to a normal diet should be gradual. It usually takes about 4 weeks.

Prevention of the disease

How to protect a child from pathology? Exists specific prevention- This is vaccination. This method is very effective in combating the disease. But, unfortunately, it can only protect against rotavirus infection. Vaccination is powerless against other pathogens.

• maintaining hygiene;
• distance towards sick people;
• disinfection of premises and household items;
• thorough washing of food (fruits, vegetables);
• drinking purified water;
• food products that have undergone deep heat treatment (fish, meat).

Doctor pays attention

1. Symptoms of dehydration may be masked by fever. Parents often mistake dryness, pallor, and rapid heartbeat as manifestations of hyperthermia. These guys are admitted to the hospital already in serious condition. Therefore, if the baby loose stool observed more than 10 times a day, you should definitely contact a doctor and not reject the offer to be treated in a hospital.
2. With intestinal flu, there should be no streaks of blood in the vomit and stool. If you observe such symptoms, this is a rather alarming sign. Contact your doctors immediately. Possibly in a child bacterial infection. And it requires a completely different approach.

Intestinal flu, despite its high contagiousness, is not a dangerous illness. The disease begins with symptoms reminiscent of ARVI. And only after several hours signs of dyspepsia appear. Timely treatment allows you to avoid dangerous complication– dehydration.

Video for the article

Often, a patient has to hear from a doctor a diagnosis such as intestinal flu. Many are skeptical about the verdict, because the flu is essentially an infectious disease respiratory tract. If you are faced with this pathology, then you need to start treating it as soon as possible. Intestinal flu is especially severe in children. You should not self-medicate. Take your child to the doctor and find out what the symptoms and treatment of intestinal flu in children are.

Intestinal flu is severe in children

An acute infectious disease affecting the digestive tract is called intestinal flu. But not all gastrointestinal infections can be called this term. It can be quite difficult to figure out on your own what exactly you are faced with. In medicine, this pathology may be called gastroenteritis or rotavirus infection. This doesn't change the essence.

The disease most often occurs in children of school and kindergarten age. It can also appear in infants, which can be very dangerous. Old people and people with weakened immune systems are at risk of infection. In a healthy adult, the symptoms of the disease may be so small that the patient does not notice the deterioration of the condition. After suffering a pathology, immunity is developed.

Infection and incubation period

Stomach flu in children it can be transmitted in several ways. This pathology is also called the disease of dirty hands, which speaks for itself. You can pick up an infection through poor-quality food or by getting pathogens from your palms into your mouth. Viruses infect humans through the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Infection can also occur through the airborne droplet method, which is standard for ARVI. The viral infection is transmitted through household items: dishes, towels.

The infection can be transmitted through towels and household items

The incubation period varies widely. Signs of intestinal flu in children may appear as early as 16 hours after the viral infection enters the body. If the patient’s immunity is stronger, then the pathology appears after a few days (up to 5 days).

Symptoms of the disease

For what reasons is the disease called “intestinal flu”?? The first symptoms to appear in children will be: cough, pain, sore throat, runny nose. All this is very similar to the classic course of infection. That is why the pathology was called the flu. In the future they will join additional signs diseases that indicate an intestinal infection.

Secondary manifestations

If the stomach flu progresses, the following symptoms appear in children:

• Catarrhal phenomena(runny nose, cough, sore throat). As you already know, they disappear literally the next day without any treatment.
• Increased body temperature. In young children who have not previously experienced infectious diseases digestive tract fever is quite pronounced. Body temperature reaches 39 degrees. For stronger children, the thermometer readings stop at 37.5-38 degrees.
• Loose stool. The urge to defecate is present during the day as well as at night, which is especially exhausting for a depleted body. Stool from 5 times a day with pieces of undigested food.
• Abdominal pain. The children complain of boiling, bloating, and discomfort. There is a tendency to flatulence.
• Nausea, vomiting. These signs may be absent. Vomiting occurs more often when consuming large amounts of food or drink, and can occur from one to several times a day.
• Weakness, tearfulness. If intestinal flu occurs in an infant, the child becomes very restless and cries all the time. The baby still cannot talk about what hurts him.

A child with stomach flu may have a stomach ache

If you notice the described manifestations in a child (single or all at once), then you should see a pediatrician or infectious disease specialist as soon as possible. Remember: the younger the patient, the more dangerous this disease is for him.

Danger for small children

Intestinal flu in children under one year of age occurs especially acute form . Frequent vomiting With severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration within a few hours. Needed here correct tactics, fast treatment. Dehydration in children is manifested by the following symptoms:

• crying without tears;
• dry lips or mucous membranes, dry palms;
• apathy, drowsiness;
• no urination or very concentrated urine;
• bruises under the eyes;
• weight loss.

If you see such manifestations, then throw away all principles and urgently call an ambulance. Inaction can have disastrous consequences, including fatal outcome. If vomiting occurs more than 5 times a day, and stool more than 10 times, then the little patient is urgently hospitalized.

This infection is very dangerous for young children.

To treat or not to treat?

If intestinal flu appears in children, the symptoms and treatment should be determined and, accordingly, prescribed by a doctor. Many parents believe that there is nothing wrong with what is happening. They prefer to hope for a lucky break and trust that everything will go away on its own. This opinion is a big misconception. It is imperative to treat intestinal flu that appears in children. For this purpose, the most modern and safe medicines are selected.

How to treat stomach flu in children? There is no specific therapy for this disease. In most cases, symptomatic medications are prescribed that restore salt and water balance, prevent further dehydration, reduce body temperature, and also normalize well-being. When prescribing such medications, the doctor must take into account the patient’s age and pay attention to the clinical picture.

What can you do yourself?

If stomach flu starts in children, treatment involves a certain diet. All dairy products should be excluded from the patient’s diet. dairy products. Such food creates favorable conditions for the proliferation of pathogens. Do not give your child baked goods, sweets or chocolate. Carbonated drinks are strictly prohibited.

If the baby doesn’t want to eat, don’t force it. You can abstain from food for several days. During this period, all the body’s forces are aimed at fighting the infection. But drinking plenty of fluids is recommended for the child. Let's clean water, herbal infusions or strong unsweetened tea.

A sick child can eat rice porridge cooked in water.

If the baby asks to eat, then prefer to feed him rice porridge cooked in water. It's acceptable to eat boiled egg, banana. Crackers and a slice of low-fat cheese are allowed. Jelly-like soups and low-fat broths will help improve your well-being.

Use of medications in outpatient settings

Intestinal flu in children is most often treated on an outpatient basis. Children in severe and moderate condition are hospitalized. If the little patient feels well, then get a doctor’s prescription, and then go home to bed rest.

Any medications should be given strictly according to the instructions or following the doctor’s individual recommendations.

Antiviral agents

Treatment and prevention of intestinal flu in children may include taking safe antiviral agents. Most often, children are prescribed medications based on interferon or interferon inducers.

• "Ergoferon" are lozenges that can fight infection and enhance innate immunity. The drug copes with viruses that affect the upper and lower respiratory tract and digestive tract. Can be used in children from six months.
• "Kipferon" is an effective immunomodulatory and antiviral drug in the form of suppositories. Just one candle a day will help you recover from illness faster. The drug is used from the first days of life. It contains a complex immunomodulatory component and recombinant interferon.

Kipferon is an effective immunomodulatory and antiviral drug

Antiemetic compounds and antidiarrheals

If your child has reached the age of six, he can be given a loperamide-based antidiarrheal drug: Loperamide or Imodium. Please note the contraindications: the drugs are not used for acute colitis and intestinal obstruction.

For severe vomiting, remedies such as Cerucal or Motilium are suitable. The latter in the form of a suspension can be used in children from the first days of life. If you see blood in the vomit, then do not give the little patient anything, but immediately call an ambulance.

Enterosorbents

How to treat stomach flu in a child? Alleviate the baby's condition short time Detoxification and cleansing products will help you. Enterosorbents are presented on pharmaceutical market in a large assortment. You can choose whatever you like. Such drugs cannot harm the body unless the pathology is complicated by intra-abdominal bleeding. The most popular and potent medicine is Polysorb. Some kids refuse to take it because bad taste. You can alternatively choose sweet Enterosgel or Smecta. Please note that enterosorbents must be taken separately from other medicines. The break between compositions should be at least 1-3 hours.

Antibiotics: pros and cons

Many parents mistakenly believe that using antibiotics will alleviate the child's condition. In fact, this is a misconception. Antibacterial agents prescribed only for complications. But you can use intestinal antiseptics, which have an antimicrobial effect and only work in the digestive tract. Trade names of such drugs: “Stopdiar”, “Ersefuril”, “Enterofuril”. Furazolidone is prescribed less frequently. It is advisable to give the drug in the form of a suspension to children under three years of age.

Antibiotics don't always help

In the event that intestinal flu is complicated bacterial diseases, antibiotics are prescribed wide range actions, for example, penicillins or macrolides. Be prepared for the fact that their use may provoke another diarrhea.

Additional funds

Depending on the symptoms of stomach flu, treatment in children should be appropriate. High body temperature allows the body to independently eliminate viral infection, so it is not advisable to take antipyretics before the thermometer reaches 38.5 degrees. The exception is children with congenital pathologies nervous system, as well as babies prone to seizures. The most popular safe medicines to reduce temperature - Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Paracetamol, Panadol. For uncontrollable vomiting, you can use rectal suppositories or solutions for injections.

During intestinal infection rehydration therapy is necessary. For this you can use the drug "Regidron". Dilute one sachet in a liter of warm water, give the child one sip every 5 minutes. Please note that the closer the solution temperature is to body temperature, the faster the saline solution will be absorbed.

Summarize

Intestinal flu in children usually occurs in outbreaks. All the children around one infected person get sick. An adult with strong immunity can be a carrier of infection, but not get sick himself. Intestinal influenza viruses die at temperatures above 60 degrees. To prevent infection, treat dishes hot water, disinfect with chlorine-containing solutions.

To prevent infection, treat dishes with hot water and disinfect with chlorine-containing solutions.

The disease in mild and moderate form lasts from 5 to 12 days, ends full recovery. Proper therapy and timely treatment will help shorten this gap. A child becomes contagious from the first hours of penetration of the pathogen into the body. For the entire period of illness, the little patient must be isolated from contact with other children: he should not attend school and kindergarten. At the end of the illness, doctors prescribe the child a course of probiotics and prebiotics.

Rotavirus infection is called intestinal flu. This disease is caused by rotaviruses that enter the body through contact and household contact. The disease is characterized by an acute onset. Patients experience symptoms of enteritis and gastroenteritis, which are usually mild. At the initial stage, a combination of respiratory and intestinal symptoms. Rotavirus infection requires timely diagnosis And proper treatment, only effective measures can eliminate the complications that the disease causes.

Causes

Infant can get an intestinal infection in different ways:

• by airborne droplets,
• through saliva,
• personal hygiene items.

As a rule, the most common way of infection is from a sick adult through close contact with a baby.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of intestinal flu appear about a day after infection. The disease in children begins rapidly and immediately in an acute form. Parents need to be attentive to the appearance of some particularly characteristic signs:

• the child is weak, tired, capricious,
• the baby refuses to eat because he feels unwell and has a stomach ache,
• the baby develops a cough and runny nose,

• you can hear the patient’s stomach growling, the baby begins to feel sick, then vomit,
• diarrhea appears, stools may be watery and foamy, greenish-yellow or yellow in color, with mucus included, with more mild form During the course of the disease, the stool has a mushy consistency. Diarrhea may continue for 5-7 days.

Sometimes the symptomatic picture of this disease allows it to be confused with food poisoning, but if the signs persist for more than 2-3 days, we have to talk about rotavirus infection in the baby. An increase in temperature usually allows one to suspect the development of intestinal flu in a child.

Diagnosis of intestinal flu in a newborn

The doctor examines a sick child, studies the history of the disease, asks about the development characteristic symptoms, presence of stool, behavioral characteristics, temperature.

Diagnosing intestinal flu using clinical data is not easy. The complexity is due to the fact that others have similar symptoms. intestinal diseases, for example, ordinary dysbiosis.

Of the common diagnostic methods for newborns, it is usually used general analysis blood in which Special attention focuses on the presence of leukocytosis, increased ESR values, a general urine analysis is also carried out, it shows changes in the form of: protein, leukocyte and erythrocyturia. All indicators return to normal after recovery.

Complications

Intestinal flu in children is primarily dangerous because a condition such as dehydration, which is dangerous for the first years of children’s lives, can occur. Children do not have a lot of fluid in their bodies, so this process can happen quite quickly. It disrupts the work of many internal organs, the child may die.

In general, with adequate timely and effective treatment This disease leaves no consequences or complications.

Treatment

What can you do

If you notice that your child is clearly unwell, he has a fever, there is diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, he is capricious and refuses to eat and drink, cries without tears, you need to urgently consult a doctor. It is highly not recommended to self-medicate your baby; you may give a drug that will not be effective.

It is necessary to give the child more to drink to avoid dehydration. The baby may refuse water, sour drinks, and even breast milk, here parents will have to try. Infants become dehydrated very quickly, which is noticeable by dry mucous membranes.

What does a doctor do

First of all, measures are taken to isolate the infected infant from healthy people. In severe cases of dehydration and high temperature the child is admitted to the infectious diseases department of a children's hospital, and treatment is carried out in a hospital setting. If the disease occurs in a milder form, then treatment occurs on an outpatient basis.

The doctor prescribes antiviral drugs and strives to prevent the baby from dehydration, which can occur due to frequent loose stools, vomiting and refusal to drink. Therefore, remedies are indicated that can prevent this symptom, which is dangerous for intestinal flu. You can reduce the temperature different ways, How by physical methods(wiping with vinegar), and chemical ones, mainly giving preference to rectal means due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract and the presence of vomiting in the baby.

IN acute stage For diseases, enzymes are prescribed to help digest food in the intestines.

The doctor prescribes the use of sorbents and lactobacilli.

During treatment and immediately after treatment, dietary nutrition is indicated.

Prevention

Many parents ask how to prevent the development of intestinal infection in a baby. Unfortunately, vaccination against rotavirus infection, which is often a form of intestinal flu in children, is used in Europe and the USA. In our country, such vaccinations are not given.

Preventive measures include a standard list of typical procedures regarding personal hygiene and performance sanitary standards. It is necessary to monitor what foods you give to your baby if the process of complementary feeding has already begun. A newborn can be given boiled or purified water to drink. If this is a baby, then before breastfeeding, you need to ensure the cleanliness of the mammary glands. Of particular importance is attention to what the baby puts in his mouth; he must have clean hands, clean and short-cut nails.

Caution should be exercised in allowing the presence of a newborn in places where there are large crowds of people, as there may be infected people among them.

The tense epidemiological situation is due to a sharp change in the antigenic structure of viruses. This pathological process also called stomach flu, rotavirus infection. The disease is often misdiagnosed by parents. The pathology is easily confused with poisoning.

Pathogens and routes of infection

The disease in question can be contracted at any time of the year. The main cause of intestinal flu in a child is the penetration of calivirus, rotavirus, and norovirus into the body.

The danger of these microorganisms lies in their ability to multiply quickly and adapt to new environment. At improper treatment pathological microflora becomes resistant to active substances drugs. Therefore, only a doctor should select therapy.

Several routes of transmission of the virus have been identified. You can become infected through contact with a sick person or with contaminated household items. Infection also occurs through consumption of low-quality food.

In the first case, direct infection is implied healthy child during hugs or handshakes with a sick person. In the second case, the intestinal flu virus enters the body through toys, towels, surfaces of door handles and furniture.

Quite often, children become infected through dairy products. Their contamination is explained by the processing features of this type of product. In addition, pathological microflora is able to maintain vital activity at low temperatures, in the refrigerator.

The carrier of the virus may not yet feel it acute manifestations disease, but is already a source of infection for other people.

Signs

The symptoms of stomach flu generally develop gradually, which cannot be said, for example, about. The incubation period is up to 5 days, acute - from 3 to 7 days. It takes about another week to recover.

The symptoms of this virus are not typical of the symptoms of regular flu. A sick child has the following symptoms:

• a sharp increase in temperature;
• repeated vomiting;
• cramping abdominal pain;
• diarrhea;
• weakness and malaise;
• due to lack of appetite, refusal to eat or drink liquids.

In addition to manifestations of digestive tract dysfunction, patients are bothered by a runny nose, sore throat, sore throat, and cough.

The main signs of intestinal flu in children appear a day after completion of incubation period. On the first day - loose stools yellowish color, on the second - already yellow-gray. The consistency of feces is clay-like. Then the situation worsens with the addition of other symptoms of infection.

Diagnostic methods

Stomach flu in children is not so easy to identify, especially in isolated cases. Modern laboratory research allow you to identify the pathogen by conducting several types of analysis. However, these studies are quite expensive. Therefore, when the first symptoms of intestinal flu appear, doctors recommend submitting materials for examination.

The following tests are carried out:

• blood test for general indicators;
• general urine analysis;
• bacteriological examination of stool.

Based on the data obtained, the doctor can already diagnose intestinal flu and prescribe therapy. But, if confirmation of the presence of rotavirus in the body is required, then innovative diagnostic methods cannot be avoided. In the laboratory, a polymerase chain reaction is carried out, complement fixation is determined, the indicator passive hemagglutination, immunofluorescence.

Treatment methods

Treatment of intestinal flu in children involves taking medications to relieve symptoms. If the disease has a bacteriological etiology, then antibacterial agents are used.

First aid

If you have intestinal flu, it is prohibited to give your child painkillers without a doctor’s prescription. At the first suspicion, you should call your treating pediatrician.

To relieve intoxication and restore water balance, rehydration therapy is used. Experts recommend drinking water, or better yet saline solutions. Take them in small portions, every half hour.

You can prepare your own rehydration solution. For 1 liter of water 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. soda To stir thoroughly. While taking the product, watch your urination. A sick baby should go to the toilet at least once every three hours.

Provide your child with bed rest. Severe forms stomach flu requires hospitalization.

Drug therapy

Medicines for stomach flu reduce toxicity, restore digestive system, prevent dehydration. Let's look at the most commonly used drugs for stomach flu:

• Antipyretics rectal suppositories(Ibuprofen, Paracetamol). Tablets in in this case are not used because the gastrointestinal tract is not able to absorb active substances.
• Antidiarrheal drugs (Loperamide, Enterofuril, Enterol).
• Sorbents (, Enterosgel,).
• To stabilize digestion, preparations with enzymes (,).
• To maintain water balance, Regidron is prescribed.
• Antiviral drugs (Viferon, Acyclovir).
• If needed antibacterial therapy for intestinal flu, Tinidazole, Metrinidazole, Vancomycin are prescribed.

The regimen is selected by the doctor, taking into account the severity of the disease, the patient’s age and others. individual characteristics patient.

Nutrition

When the disease occurs, appetite decreases, but there are exceptions. Doctors recommend reducing food intake by more than half. During treatment of intestinal flu in children, it is important to follow a special diet.

To avoid vomiting, there is no need to give liquid immediately after eating. Canned food, smoked meats, vegetables and fruits are strictly prohibited. Sweets, baked goods (fatty, rich), dairy products.

Possible complications

In case of severe pathology and incorrect therapy, there is a possibility of developing unpleasant and sometimes dangerous consequences:

• Dysfunctions in the cardiovascular system.
• Development of hypovolemic shock.
• Pathological changes in the liver, kidneys.
• Urogenital infections (cystitis).
• Otitis.
• Pneumonia.

Intestinal flu in a baby can cause an exacerbation chronic diseases. Lack of treatment is dangerous as there is a possibility of death.

Prevention

With basic hygiene rules, the spread of intestinal flu can be prevented. The carrier of the infection must be isolated from healthy family members. For prevention, they can use simple sorbents, for example, activated carbon, once a week.

General rules warning infectious diseases digestive tract:

• Balanced diet. In addition to vegetables and fruits, the children's diet should contain yogurt, kefir, and fermented baked milk (they form microflora in the intestines).
• Keep an eye on product expiration dates.
• Drink quality water.
• Do not allow your child to touch unwashed objects; hands should always be clean.
• When swimming, be careful not to swallow water.
• Meals are organized in exclusively designated areas.

Having information about the routes of infection, manifestations, and prevention of intestinal flu in children, parents will be able to protect their child from infection. Correct behavior when the first symptoms appear and timely assistance ensures fast recovery baby.

Useful video about intestinal flu