Intestinal infections in children - is always a threat to the life of the child. This is due to the fact that the younger the baby, the more rapidly it responds to any organism infection. Very often, when the intestinal infection in children developing severe dehydration and complications of the central nervous system.

What can be caused by intestinal infections in children

The most common cause of intestinal infections in children are viruses, mainly enteroviruses and rotaviruses, but there may be other viruses such as adenoviruses. Intestinal bacterial infections occur in children less often, they are usually caused by Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli.

Unlike adults children intestinal infections often caused as simple as giardia. Giardiasis can occur in a child with severe symptoms, whereas in adults more frequently asymptomatic carriers of Giardia.

All intestinal infections are transmitted through hands, household items, food and water contaminated with the feces of the patient. Viral intestinal infections can also be transmitted through airborne droplets when coughing, sneezing, talking, since they are usually affected, and upper respiratory tract.

Salmonellosis in children

Salmonellosis - an acute intestinal infection of bacterial origin, caused by a salmonella. Salmonellosis is more common in summer and autumn. The incubation period for salmonellosis lasts from a few hours to three days.

Proceeds salmonella Salmonellosis - features of the disease   children usually quite difficult. Starts disease with nausea, vomiting, weakness and raising the temperature to 39˚S. After a while there pulling cramping pain throughout the abdomen, and copious watery stools greenish up to 10-15 times a day. The disease lasts up to a week or more and may be accompanied by severe dehydration and intoxication.

Salmonellosis can be complicated by the formation of foci of inflammation in the internal organs. In addition, after suffering salmonellosis in children is usually sharply reduced immunity, and they start to get sick often colds, aggravated chronic diseases.

Treat salmonellosis in children are usually in the hospital, the child is appointed by drinking plenty of fluids, light diet, antibiotic therapy. With a significant loss of fluid administered drip with saline.

Enterovirus infection in children

Enterovirus infection - a disease caused by viruses of the genus enterovirus, and manifests itself in the form of a variety of symptoms. Human Enteroviruses are mainly represented by four types (A, B, C, D), each of which has its own specific serotypes (Coxsackie, ECHO, enterovirus 68-95).

The source of infection is a sick person or a virus carrier, the disease is passed through the hands, water or food contaminated with feces or through airborne droplets. Enteroviruses are unstable, are rapidly destroyed by exposure to sunlight, but can permanently stored in the water (tap water survive 18 days).

In a sick child enteroviruses are found in blood, urine, stool and nasopharynx day before the onset of symptoms and continue to stand out during the week of the upper respiratory tract, and within one month from the feces.

The incubation period for enterovirus infection lasts on average - for about a week (from two days to a month or more). There are different clinical forms eterovirusnoy infections, including aseptic meningitis Serous meningitis - a consequence of serious infection   and the intestinal form.

Hydromeningitis Meningitis - an inflammation of the meninges   often it runs hard, but the intestinal form of enterovirus infection usually runs a mild and sometimes asymptomatic. Only in young children it is sometimes hard for.

The onset is usually acute: a fever, a headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms , Flatulence, loose stools from 5 to 15 times per day. Compounded disease (including dehydration) rarely child normally ends recovery.

Treatment of intestinal form of enterovirus infection - light diet, drinking plenty of fluids, interferons (viferon), stimulators of endogenous interferon (tsikloferon), symptomatic treatment.

With dehydration, and to prevent it give the child to drink plenty: weak tea, boiled water with a small amount of salt or pharmacy saline (eg rehydron).

Intestinal infections in children need immediate treatment to the doctor, because at any moment the child's condition can rapidly deteriorate. Infants with an intestinal infection should be hospitalized.

Galina Romanenko

If giardiasis adults in most cases are asymptomatic, the children it can be shown clearly, a number of characteristic features. In addition, giardiasis often masks other, more serious gastrointestinal disease, so children with suspected giardiasis should be fully investigated.

The causes of giardiasis in children

Giardiasis is caused by protozoa - Giardia. Giardia is strictly species of pathogens infection. So, in the human body live Giardia, which can pass only from person to person. Different species have their own kinds of Giardia. Therefore, a person can become infected with Giardia only from another person.

Giardia are excreted in the feces in the form of cysts (in the form of "canned" state), which retain the ability to live outside the host for about three weeks. Infection can occur through dirty hands, contaminated household items (children through toys) and products.

Once in the human body through the mouth in the form of cysts, giardia settle in the small intestine and converted to the active trofozoidy. Recent permanently live in the small intestine and feed nutrients are aspirated from the mucous membrane without damaging it in the process. The life of a trofozoida is three to 40 days, after which it is excreted in the feces in the form of cysts, but it turns out that Giardia live in the small intestine are constantly, as every time happens autoinfection. Hence the way to treat giardiasis: careful observance of hygienic rules.

In adults, giardiasis occurs usually in the form lyamblionositelstva, which does not manifest itself. Children as giardia very active breed and tend to disrupt the absorption of food in the small intestine. As a result, it suffers from the general status and physical development of the child.

Symptoms of giardiasis in children

In children, the presence of large amounts in the intestine lamblia, appears a number of characteristic symptoms of giardiasis:

• constant exhausting diarrhea, sometimes alternating diarrhea and constipation, violation of appetite, bloating;
• cramping abdominal pain Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms ;
• weight loss, retarded child's physical development, anemia, impaired immunity, dehydration, which manifests itself in the form of dry skin;
• the study of feces found a large amount of undigested fat (a consequence of malabsorption of food in the small intestine) and Giardia cysts; warm feces can be found trofozoidy lamblia.

If your child shows signs of the disease, similar to giardiasis, it must undergo a complete examination. The fact that the manifestations of giardiasis often "hide" other, more serious diseases that are from time to time may occur unnoticed. Giardiasis exacerbated during such diseases, while "obscuring" of their manifestation. It may be chronic diseases of the stomach (gastritis, stomach ulcer), pancreas Diabetes and pancreas - the things you need to know   (pancreatitis), large and small intestines (enterocolitis), biliary tract (cholangitis and cholecystitis). If time does not detect such diseases, they can cause a number of complications.

Giardiasis is also often the basis for the development of different allergic diseases that are not treatable as long as the body will not be removed giardia.

Diagnosis and treatment of giardiasis in children

In order to put the child diagnosed with giardiasis, laboratory confirmation is necessary. The material for the study is fresh (warm) cal child - only in this stool can be detected in children trofozoidy lamblia. Giardia cysts can be found in the feces cooled down. In addition, trofozoidy can be seen in the contents of the duodenum, which is taken at the time of sensing.

Confirmed laboratory diagnosis of giardiasis should be an occasion for a full examination of the gastrointestinal tract of the child.

Drug treatment of giardiasis Treatment for giardiasis - if small intestine rebels   It carried out only if the child has severe symptoms of the disease. If they are not (lyamblionositelstvo) or they expressed slightly, treatment is not a reason. Enough is strictly ensure that the child is more likely to wash their hands, did not take them into his mouth, every day to change his underwear. Since Giardia live a maximum of 40 days, this time, is usually enough to get rid of giardiasis.

If lamblia in the small intestine much and they cause indigestion, pain, anemia and a lag in the development of the child, then held medication. To this end, these drugs are assigned as metronidazole Metronidazole - what is it?   (Trichopolum) furozolidon and duration of treatment - from a week to a month.

Appointed as a health food, in which a child excluded from the diet, desserts, cakes, rolls, that is digestible carbohydrates, which are a good food for Giardia. To restore normal intestinal microflora is prescribed probiotics (beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines to help digest food and heals the gut) and vitamins and minerals.