Diarrhea management in children
Passage of 3 or more loose stools in 24 hours period is considered diarrhea. A change in consistency and frequency of stool pattern is noticed by parents. It is estimated that on average a child under 5 years of age will have approximately 3.2 episodes of diarrhea per year. The loss of liquids caused by diarrhea can lead to dehydration and disturbances in body electrolytes which may require medical treatment.
What causes diarrhea in children?
Gastrointestinal tract infections – Mostly Viral, also bacterial and protozoal are the cause of diarrhea. Many a times there may be a non-infectious cause of diarrhea (antibiotic induced, lactose intolerance, etc.)
Additional complaints
Child having diarrhea can also have Vomiting, Fever, Abdominal Pain and Decreased Appetite.
What can parents do at home?
ORS (Oral rehydration solution) should be started for child having loose motions. Parents can also start with home available fluids like dal water, sugar-salt solution (Half teaspoon salt+ 8 teaspoon sugar added to a liter of clean 1 liter water). Parents should consult doctor urgently if:
1. Child is becoming very sleepy or irritable
2. Child is having multiple vomiting and is not able to drink ORS
3. Eyes of child look sunken into the orbit.
4. Child is passing blood in stools
Medical management of diarrhea:
World Health Organization emphasizes on 3 points in management of any acute childhood diarrhea. These are ORS, Feeding and Zinc supplementation. Since most of diarrhea episodes are due to viral infections most children recover with ORS and Zinc therapy. Feeding should not be stopped during diarrhea. Doctor examines the child to look for any dehydration (decrease in body water), rule out possible bacterial cause of diarrhea (which might require antibiotics), other causes of loose motions (transitional stooling in newborns, increased gastro colic reflex, toddlers diarrhea etc.). Antibiotics are not required for every case of diarrhea. Stool or blood tests are not required usually but doctor may decide to perform some tests if diarrhea gets prolonged to more than 2 weeks and in some other conditions.
How to Prevent Diarrhea:
1. Hand washing - after playing outdoors, after going to toilets, before having meals.
2. Prevent eating out at places that seem to have doubtful hygiene standards.
3. Exclusive breast feeding for first 6 months of life prevents diarrhoea episodes in young infants; Bottle feeds can prolong a diarrhoea episode and can be a cause of recurrent loose motions in a child
4. Vaccine: Vaccine to prevent diarrhea caused by Rotavirus is available.