Acute Gastroenteritis Treatment in Child
Acute Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) in Children
- Passage of 3 or more abnormally loose or liquid stools per day.
- Vomiting with loose motion
- Mostly due to viral infection, sometimes bacterial and parasitic infections.
- All gastroenteritis doesn’t need antibiotics.
- ORS or Electral solution is the first treatment.
- All babies will suffer up to 3-5 diarrhoeal episodes/year.
- Most complications are due to inadequate ORS intake leading dehydration.
- Nutrition should be maintained with continuation of normal food during these period.
- Diarrhoea of viral origins are self limiting and can prolonged up to 5-7 days.
- Bacterial diarrhoea are associated with high grade fever and pain abdomen.
- Diarrhoea or Dysentery, when associated with blood in stool and high grade fever.
- Cramping abdominal pain with fever.
- Nausea with vomiting associated with dysentery.
- Visible blood in stool.
- Descriptions of stool – Frequency, amount, present of blood or mucous.
- Fever- duration and magnitude.
- Vomiting- onset, amount and frequency.
- Amount of food intake (solid and liquid) during these period.
- Urine output- number of wet diaper and time since last urination.
- Activity of child and taking ORS vigorously
- Past medical history with co morbidities.
- Most acute gastroenteritis don’t require laboratory testing.
- Few cases require stool R/M and Culture.
- When Associated with other toxic features require evaluation of blood parameters.
- Maintenance of hydration by Oral rehydration salt solution (ORS).
- Continue breast feeding
- Referring with normal diet that child was before as soon as dehydration improves.
- Zinc supplementation
- Probiotics
- Antibiotics is required when the diarrhoea is bacterial or parasitic origin.
- Improvement of water and sanitary facilities
- Promotion of personal and domestic hygiene
- Oral Vaccination against Rotavirus, which is one of the most important cause severe diarrhoea.