What to do if your child has enteritis and diarrhea? Three common clinical methods

Enteritis is a common disease in children. In life, when a child suffers from enteritis, parents should take him to the doctor for treatment as soon as possible. Generally speaking, if a child suffers from frequent diarrhea, parents should be careful that it may be related to enteritis after ruling out factors such as diet. So, what should we do if our children have enteritis and diarrhea?

Pathogen treatment

Viral enteritis generally does not require pathogen treatment and can heal on its own. Antibiotics are generally not used for enterotoxigenic bacterial enteritis. For invasive bacterial enteritis, it is best to select antibiotics based on the results of bacterial drug sensitivity tests. When suffering from bacillary dysentery, because Shigella dysenteriae is widely resistant to commonly used antibiotics, co-trimoxazole (cotrimoxazole), pipemidic acid, gentamicin, amikacin, etc. can generally be used. Campylobacter jejuni enteritis can be treated with erythromycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, etc. Yersinia enterocolitica enteritis is generally treated with gentamicin, kanamycin, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, etc. Patients with mild Salmonella enteritis may not need antibiotics, while patients with severe cases can use chloramphenicol or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Invasive Escherichia coli enteritis can be treated with neomycin, colistin and gentamicin with good results. Amoebic dysentery, enteritis caused by Giardia lamblia and Trichomonas can be treated with metronidazole (Flagyl). Schistosomiasis can be treated with praziquantel. Oral nystatin is effective in treating Candida albicans enteritis. Patients with systemic fungal infection need to be treated with amphotericin B.

Fluid replacement and correction of electrolyte and acidosis

For those with mild dehydration and not severe vomiting, oral rehydration can be given. The WHO recommended oral solution formula is 3.5g sodium chloride, 2.5g sodium bicarbonate, 1.5g potassium chloride, 20g glucose or 40g sucrose, added to 1000ml water. For patients with severe dehydration or vomiting, normal saline, isotonic sodium bicarbonate and potassium chloride solutions, and glucose can be given intravenously.

Drugs that reduce intestinal motility and secretion

Atropine, belladonna, and propantheline can be used in small amounts to reduce intestinal motility, relieve pain, and stop diarrhea. Chlorpromazine can also be used. It has a sedative effect and can inhibit excessive secretion of intestinal mucosa caused by enterotoxins, thereby reducing the frequency and amount of bowel movements.