Symptoms of stomach flu in children

Many people will find in life that children’s gastrointestinal health is not very good, and not as perfect as that of adults. In addition, children now often eat snacks, which will gradually cause the stomach and intestines to become very uncomfortable, mainly showing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and pain, and diarrhea. This is a gastrointestinal cold. Gastrointestinal colds are different from common colds. Most of them are bacterial infections and require special attention.

Introduction

Basic Overview

Gastrointestinal cold is a type of cold that manifests as gastrointestinal discomfort, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. [1]

Symptoms

The most common causes of "gastrointestinal cold" are viral infections and allergic reactions to food. After bacteria and viruses implant in the throat and cause inflammation, they will be swallowed into the stomach and intestines along with saliva, causing gastrointestinal discomfort. The symptoms are as follows:

1. Vomiting: Pathogens or other toxic substances enter the stomach, causing the stomach muscles to contract and expel the stomach contents from the body.

2. Diarrhea: It is mainly caused by irritation of the intestines, which leads to a large increase in secretions, affecting the absorption function, causing excessive water in the intestinal cavity, and increased intestinal peristalsis, so the stools discharged are all loose stools.

3. Abdominal pain: Pain is felt because intestinal peristalsis is twice as fast as normal, or the mucosa on the intestinal wall becomes red, swollen and painful due to inflammation. Although the redness and swelling cannot be seen, the pain can be felt.

Signs

1. Routine blood test: increased white blood cells and granulocytes can be seen.

2. Increased body temperature: Increased body temperature at this time indicates the severity of the inflammation.

Causes

Gastrointestinal cold is mainly caused by a virus called "Coxsackie", accompanied by mixed bacterial infection. Gastrointestinal cold is also known as "vomiting upper respiratory tract infection" in medicine. Its main symptoms are: bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, multiple bowel movements a day, feeling weak, and in severe cases it can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and damage to the immune system. At this time, if antidiarrheal drugs are used for treatment, it will not only not relieve the symptoms, but also reduce the risk of diarrhea.

Understanding the condition may also delay the disease. The main causes of gastrointestinal colds come from external stimuli and other factors, and they occur more frequently when the weather changes from cold to warm. This is due to the irritation of the stomach and intestines by cold air, coupled with abnormal living habits and poor diet. Gastrointestinal cold is different from gastroenteritis. The main difference is that patients with acute gastroenteritis often have a history of unclean food, nausea and vomiting are more severe, and the vomitus often has a pungent odor, but generally have no fever symptoms. Many people often mistakenly treat gastrointestinal cold as acute gastroenteritis at the beginning of its onset.

Preventing gastrointestinal colds is actually very simple: drink plenty of water, preferably not refrigerated drinks, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, eat more easily digestible foods, ensure good air circulation in the room you live in, and avoid crowded public places.

Medical experts advise patients with gastrointestinal colds that "colds are afraid of entering the internal organs." If the virus affects organs such as the liver and kidneys, it will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys. If the virus invades the heart and brain, it will lead to other diseases such as viral myocarditis and viral encephalitis. Therefore, when symptoms worsen, seek medical attention promptly to avoid delayed treatment and other complications.

Disease diagnosis and treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs

If the gastrointestinal effect is ideal, ciprofloxacin and lijunza can be used. If there is a concurrent viral infection, ribavirin and morphine hydrochloride can be used. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) can be used to reduce fever. If the condition is severe and causes gastric cramps, dexamethasone can be used for emergency treatment.

The effect is better when used in combination with other medications such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Tablets and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. [2]

Take rest

The treatment of gastrointestinal cold mainly focuses on rest. On the one hand, patients should rest more to reduce physical exertion and enhance the body's ability to fight the disease.

On the other hand, the gastrointestinal tract should be given sufficient rest. The purpose of reducing the burden on the stomach and intestines is to restore the digestive function earlier so that the amount of food intake can be increased. On the contrary, it will only increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and eventually turn into chronic gastroenteritis.