Treating Gastroenteritis in Children

 Gastroenteritis in children is a condition that affects the digestive system, causing symptoms such as watery stools, vomiting and stomach cramps. Often referred to as stomach flu, it is an illness that frequently afflicts children around the world and more severely affects those who have little or no access to quality medical care.

Gastroenteritis in Children is quiet are common. Anything from swimming in contaminated water to touching animals with diarrhoea can transmit the pathogen to the child. This pathogen can be a virus, bacteria, or parasite.

Common Symptoms

Symptoms of gastroenteritis in children can range from mild to severe depending on the individual. It is known that it usually lasts 2-3 days. Sometimes, however, they can persist for about 10 days longer. Common symptoms of gastroenteritis include:

  • Watery stools
  • Nausea, vomiting, or both
  • Abdominal cramps and pain
  • Occasional muscle aches or headaches
  • Low-grade fever
  • Coping With Symptoms

Treatment

The treatment process for gastroenteritis in children simply involves treating individual symptoms as they arise and waiting for the disease to resolve. For a healthy adult, recovery will be relatively fast without any complications. However, it may take a little longer for children to recover from the disease. It is important to note that the disease can quickly turn into complications if adequate care is not taken.

You should take your child to the doctor if you notice the following symptoms:

  • Fever of 102 F or higher
  • Extreme drowsiness or irritability
  • Extreme discomfort or pain
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • Dehydration

Children often do not realize that they are dehydrated. As a caregiver, pay attention to signs of dehydration by comparing how much water they usually drink and how much they consume when they are sick. The same goes for toilet habits. Decreased urination is a sign of dehydration.

If you have a baby suffering from gastroenteritis, you may notice symptoms of vomiting. It is important not to confuse vomiting with spitting. Spitting is common and can be a daily occurrence, but vomiting in babies often requires immediate medical attention.

Contact your pediatrician right away if your baby has been vomiting in the past few hours, has no wet diapers for six hours, or has severe diarrhea, has a dry mouth or cries without tears, and is unusually sleepy or unresponsive.

Precautionary Measures

Gastroenteritis can be distressing for your child. Taking the right precautions will help keep your child safe. Here are a few steps to follow.

Teach your child the habit of hand washing

Teaching your kids to wash their hands can go a long way towards ensuring they don’t swallow harmful microbes that can cause gastroenteritis. Make sure they wash their hands before eating their food and after using the toilet. Use a bar of soap or hand wash and rub vigorously for at least 20-30 seconds while washing your hands. Don’t forget to wash your cuticles and under nails thoroughly. If you don’t have access to water and soap, a hand sanitizer can help.

Disinfect and clean your home

Sometimes your children catch a specific virus or bacteria from a source object inside the house. This could be from a dirty shoe, faucet, doorknob, a toy lying on the floor, or even a pet. Keeping your home environment clean and germ-free will help prevent infections such as gastroenteritis. You should also go one step further to ensure your child’s school or daycare center is well-groomed and germ-free.

Avoid close contact with infected people

It goes without saying. A good tip to keep in mind is that everyone in the household should use their own towels, cutlery and clothing. Sometimes even a sick pet may be carrying a virus or a bacteria that can infect your child. Therefore, pay attention to what your child is exposed to.



Dealing with gastroenteritis can be quite easy for a person with a healthy immune system. However, the disease can be fatal for infants and older adults with limited immunity. Besides the tips suggested above, consider drinking only clean boiled water, cooking food, and avoiding raw and undercooked foods. For those already affected by gastroenteritis, perhaps the most important symptom to watch out for is dehydration.

Visit us at Kids Docs Speciality Clinics for the best possible comprehensive pediatric services for children in Hyderabad. With the best pediatrician in Hyderabad, we offer a wide range of specialized healthcare for newborns and children up to the age of eighteen.

For more information,

Call us on +91 9059543782

Write to us at drbabumedehal@gmail.com

Visit Us at: Pillar number 1484, 8-3-318/10/2 Adj. Radha Nursing Home, Yousufguda Main Rd, Opp. Allahabad Bank, Hyderabad, Telangana 500073

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jaundice in Newborns: Causes & Treatment

Image
Newborn or Infant Jaundice is the name given to yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. It is very common in newborns. Usually, the jaundice of the newborn does not need any special treatment and will heal on its own within about two weeks. Causes of Jaundice in Newborns Newborn babies produce large amounts of bilirubin due to the breakdown of red blood cells. A baby’s liver is not mature enough to process bilirubin and pass it through the intestines. The increased amount of bilirubin in the bloodstream causes yellowing of the newborn skin and eyes. The good news is that most babies do not need any treatment or monitoring for jaundice. The infant jaundice disappears on its own as the baby’s liver develops and the baby begins to feed, which helps bilirubin to pass through the body. In most cases, jaundice disappears within 2 to 3 weeks. Jaundice that lasts longer than 3 weeks can be a symptom of an underlying condition. When babies develop high levels of bilirubin, it can be harmf
Read more

BEST CHILD SPECIALIST/PEDIATRICIAN IN HYDERABAD- KIDS DOCS CHILDREN'S CLINICS

Image
Are you are looking for the best children’s Clinic in Hyderabad? You will find the best possible comprehensive pediatric services for children at Kids Docs Clinic. With the best pediatrician in Hyderabad, we provide a wide range of specialized healthcare services for newborns and children till eighteen years of age. What is a child specialist/pediatrician? A   child Specialist or pediatrician in Hyderabad specializes in providing medical care to children. A child specialist/ pediatrician understands the issues of family members about their child's problem and the impact of the problem on the family. They help the family understand how to help their children overcome the problems they are dealing with. If there is an obstacle to the physical and mental development of the child, then it can lead to many problems in the child's life. Therefore parents often seek help from a pediatrician to learn about tips and tricks for proper upbringing. Child development includes physical
Read more

Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children FAQs

Image
Growth hormone deficiency occurs in roughly 1 in 7,000 births. The condition is also a symptom of several genetic diseases, including Turner syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. If your child doesn’t meet height and weight growth standards, you may be worried. Children who are diagnosed early usually recover very well. If left untreated, the condition can cause below-average height and delayed puberty. We understand that when your child is diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, you may have many questions. Is it dangerous? Will it affect my child in the long term? What do we do next? We tried to give some answers to these questions here and our experts can fully explain your child’s situation. G rowth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a rare condition where the body does not produce enough growth hormone (GH). Growth hormone is a protein produced by the pituitary gland located near the base of the brain and linked to the hypothalamus (part of the brain tha
Read more