Symptoms of intestinal flu in children and methods of treating viral infection of the tract. Symptoms of intestinal flu and its treatment Intestinal flu in children symptoms and treatment

Intestinal flu in children is a consequence of infection of the body by various viruses. It most often affects children aged 2–3 years. Viral enteritis is a dangerous disease. It causes complications such as chronic colitis, hypovolemia, ulcers and gastric erosions. The adverse consequences of pathology also include dehydration.

Types of intestinal influenza viruses

Modern doctors know about one hundred varieties of intestinal flu. The most common strains are:

Rotavirus, dangerous for newborns and children under 1.5 years of age. The virus contributes to the development of gastroenteritis - stomach flu. If a baby gets sick after 2 years of age, but receives adequate treatment, he quickly recovers and avoids consequences.
Adenovirus. This strain usually affects children from birth to 4 years of age. The infection occurs hidden. In rare cases, the child may experience nausea and malaise.
Astrovirus. The infection is dangerous for both children and adults. A variety of symptoms of virus infection appear throughout the week.

Children's doctor Evgeniy Komarovsky reminds children that children should not consume raw milk and water, poorly processed meat, dirty vegetables and fruits. From an early age, it is important to instill hygiene skills in children and not allow them to sit at the table with unwashed hands. This is the only way to protect yourself from intestinal flu.

Symptoms of viral enteritis

The child’s body encounters the first symptoms of intestinal flu a day after infection. The child experiences abdominal pain, weakness and nausea. Vomiting begins before 15 p.m. per day. The baby refuses to eat, his body temperature rises to 38 - 39°C.

Intestinal symptoms of viral enteritis are manifested by repeated liquid bowel movements (up to 10 - 15 rubles per day). The color of bowel movements may change. Sometimes bloody streaks are visible in the stool. There is a rumbling sound in the right side of the abdomen where the small intestine passes.

Understanding that a child is developing intestinal flu can help ease the signs of a cold, intoxication and dehydration:

runny nose;
a sore throat;
nausea;
vomit;
lethargy;
fainting;
headache;
dizziness;
enlarged lymph nodes;
tearless crying in a baby;
dry lips and marbled skin;
prolonged absence of urination with periodic release of dark, foul-smelling urine.

The incubation period of viral enteritis takes 1–2 days. Timely treatment of the disease promises a favorable prognosis - the small patient recovers after 5 - 7 days.

Diagnosis and treatment of intestinal flu

All symptoms are important in diagnosing intestinal flu, but the most important of them is diarrhea - watery and foamy, yellow or yellow-green, possibly mucous. In a mild form of enteritis, the stool is mushy. The determining factor is the rotavirus identified by bacterial testing (children donate feces for analysis).

Therapy for an infectious condition comes down to several measures:

elimination of the pathogen;
prevention of dehydration;
stabilization of body temperature;
strengthening the immune system to increase the body's resistance to pathogenic strains.

Treatment of children for intestinal flu is not complete without following a diet and taking vitamins and antispasmodics that help eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Parents provide independent assistance to the baby at home, organizing plenty of drinking and preparing solutions that help replenish the water-alkaline balance. For this purpose, use:

Regidron;
Gastrolit;
Glucosolan.

To improve bowel movements and remove toxins, children are given antidiarrheal medications and enterosorbents - Smecta, Polypefan, Activated Charcoal, Motilium. To prevent bacterial damage to the intestines, antimicrobial agents are used - Enterol or Enterofuril.

High fever due to viral enteritis is brought down with antipyretic drugs:

Nurofen;
Panadol;
Paracetamol.

Antispasmodics - No-shpa or Drotaverine - will save the baby from unbearable discomfort in the stomach. Specific treatment is carried out with antiviral drugs (Anaferon, Viferon, Interferon). To improve the intestinal microflora, probiotics (Linex, Bifiform) are prescribed. Therapy for patients under one year of age is carried out in a clinical setting.

When a baby refuses to eat, there is no need to force feed him. It is useful to organize drinking - frequent and small portions. Drinking juices, soda and milk during illness is prohibited. The baby is given rice water, purified water, raisin infusion, and unsweetened tea. Fatty broths, spices, raw vegetables and fruits, salty and spicy foods, and beans are excluded from the diet.

The nutrition of infants on breastfeeding does not change. Children continue to breastfeed, and “artificially fed” babies continue to eat fermented milk mixtures. While treatment is ongoing, no complementary foods are introduced.

As soon as the acute manifestations of the pathology subside, bread, fruit purees, and lean meat are introduced into the diet. The products are steamed or boiled. The baby is not given fried food. After a week, the menu is gradually enriched with fermented milk products and diluted milk is added at the end.

Symptoms and causes of intestinal flu are often caused by an invading viral infection. Professors have described a large number of virus strains. The causative agents of intestinal flu are known, often the causes are:

Rotaviruses.
Astroviruses.
Noroviruses.
Caliciviruses.
Adenoviruses.

Viral strains cause an acute inflammatory process in the digestive tract. There are clinical symptoms of intestinal infection, symptoms of acute respiratory infection, similar in symptoms to influenza.

Similar symptoms of E. coli in children.

Infection occurs when the microorganism penetrates the epithelial cells of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. The severity of clinical symptoms depends on the number of pathogens in the body and the state of the child’s immune system. Symptoms and treatment vary depending on the nature of the pathogen.

Routes of infection are determined based on the nature of the disease:

Infection through nutritional routes. Pathogens enter the child's body with unwashed fruits and vegetables. You can become infected with low-quality, expired dairy and meat products.
E. coli in a child can be transmitted through unwashed hands.
Stomach flu in children can be transmitted through water contaminated with the corresponding strain of virus or bacteria.
Viral stomach flu can be infected by airborne droplets. The pathogen is transmitted from a person by talking or sneezing.
Signs of intestinal flu are observed through contact and household infection of a child. It is enough for a child to hold in his hands a toy that a sick child was playing with the day before, or to hold on to the door handle in a kindergarten or school.

Rotavirus influenza is resistant and viable. This type of infectious pathogen can withstand heating up to 60 degrees and freezing.

Not all cleaning products kill the virus in the environment. Prevention of spread in the environment is carried out with high concentration chlorine-containing antiseptic solutions.

The disease is transmitted only through the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. The rate of development of intestinal flu and the severity of the disease depend on the child’s immunity. It may also depend on the number of pathogens.

Since intestinal flu is an infectious disease, it is transmitted:

By food. The pathogen can enter the body if a child has eaten an unwashed vegetable, fruit or low-quality dairy product. Stomach flu also appears if a person has dirty hands. Also, one of the most common routes of infection is water that has not been boiled.
By airborne droplets. Rotavirus spreads through breathing, sneezing and coughing.
Household way. Patients with intestinal infections took a toy in their hand. After that, a healthy child took her. The virus can be transmitted to him.

Note! The virus is very persistent. It easily withstands detergents, low and high temperatures. But you can get rid of it with chlorine.

Before the doctor arrives, you can give your child first aid to help the symptoms subside. You need:

Give your child plenty of fluids. When vomiting, a child's body loses a lot of water, which can lead to dehydration. This is very dangerous for babies. It is necessary to give children warm tea, compote or water.
Make sure the child is lying correctly on the bed. This is necessary so that he does not choke on vomit. The child should be placed on his side. It is advisable for an adult to be nearby.
Control the temperature. If it is not very high, you should not give your child drugs. This way, the body will be better able to fight toxins. If it is high, paracetamol is good. It can be given to infants older than one month, after crushing the tablet.
Watch your diet. If the child wants to eat, this is good, since toxins will subsequently leave the body along with feces. It is necessary to eat often, but the portions should be small. It is allowed to give only boiled natural products. Light soups, porridge with water or mashed potatoes are good options.

Stomach flu in children can be transmitted in several ways. This pathology is also called the disease of dirty hands, which speaks for itself. You can pick up an infection through poor-quality food or by getting pathogens from your palms into your mouth. Viruses infect humans through the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.

The infection can be transmitted through towels and household items

The incubation period varies widely. Signs of intestinal flu in children may appear as early as 16 hours after the viral infection enters the body. If the patient’s immunity is stronger, then the pathology appears after a few days (up to 5 days).

For what reasons is the disease called “stomach flu”? The first symptoms to appear in children will be: cough, pain, sore throat, runny nose. All this is very similar to the classic course of infection. That is why the pathology was called the flu. Later, additional signs of illness appear that indicate an intestinal infection.

If the stomach flu progresses, the following symptoms appear in children:

Catarrhal phenomena(runny nose, cough, sore throat). As you already know, they disappear literally the next day without any treatment.
Increased body temperature. In young children who have not previously encountered infectious diseases of the digestive tract, the fever is quite pronounced. Body temperature reaches 39 degrees. For stronger children, the thermometer readings stop at 37.5-38 degrees.
Loose stools. The urge to defecate is present during the day as well as at night, which is especially exhausting for a depleted body. Stool from 5 times a day with pieces of undigested food.
Abdominal pain . The children complain of boiling, bloating, and discomfort. There is a tendency to flatulence.
Nausea, vomiting . These signs may be absent. Vomiting occurs more often when consuming large amounts of food or drink, and can occur from one to several times a day.
Weakness, tearfulness. If intestinal flu occurs in an infant, the child becomes very restless and cries all the time. The baby still cannot talk about what hurts him.

A child with stomach flu may have a stomach ache

If you notice the described manifestations in a child (single or all at once), then you should see a pediatrician or infectious disease specialist as soon as possible. Remember: the younger the patient, the more dangerous this disease is for him.

The infection develops quickly and spreads from infected children and adults. The causative agent is rotavirus, which is easily transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person. Therefore, the patient must be isolated for several days. People of all ages acquire the disease. Infants get sick much less often, as they receive powerful temporary protection of the immune system from the mother. The risk of infection increases when switching to formula, when the baby begins to be accustomed to the food that adults eat.

The infection reaches a person due to poor personal hygiene; the virus often causes epidemics in schools, preschool institutions, and lives in crowded places and toilets. During outbreaks of the disease, educational institutions are quarantined and the building is disinfected. The main time of year for the spread of stomach flu is the off-season: the transition from autumn to winter, from winter to spring.

The infection affects the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, disrupts the processes of food absorption, resulting in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Elderly people and children are most susceptible to the disease, due to the weakness of the immune system. Children are extremely susceptible to intestinal infections. You can become infected from an apparently healthy person, since adults have stronger immunity, the symptoms of the disease do not always appear, they can be confused with respiratory infections.

There are several main ways in which intestinal flu can be transmitted:

airborne (through coughing, sneezing, during dialogue);
through biological fluids (saliva);
violation of hygiene rules (through dirty hands);
drinking running water;
contact with a carrier of the virus.

The main causative agents of this gastrointestinal disorder are:

rotavirus;
astrovirus;
norovirus;
calicivirus;
adenovirus.

Children's immunity is much weaker than that of an adult, so long-term treatment may be required. The rate of spread of infection and the severity of the disease depend on the strength of the immune system and the level of development of the pathogen.

Strains of these microorganisms provoke acute inflammation of the esophagus, the symptoms are very similar to the manifestation of influenza, respiratory diseases, stomach disorders, and E. coli.

Symptoms, treatment and proper nutrition for intestinal flu in children

The disease is divided into two stages. At the initial stage, the child experiences the following clinical symptoms:

Cough.
A sore throat.
Runny nose.

These symptoms go away quickly. After a couple of hours, the second stage begins - a disorder of the digestive system. In other cases, it all starts with vomiting, nausea or diarrhea, which is what distinguishes intestinal flu from other diseases.

The second stage is more serious. The following signs of intestinal flu appear:

Redness of the throat.
Pain and sore throat.
Sneezing, runny nose and cough.
Diarrhea (stools will be about 10 times a day, stools will be gray or yellow with a strong odor, and there will be quite a lot of them).
Pain in the intestinal area (sometimes rumbling).
Heat.
Weakness.
Vomiting and nausea.
In severe form - dehydration.

Signs may vary depending on the form of the disease. For example, one child may only have nausea and vomiting, while another may have a high fever.

If a child falls ill, a pediatrician must be called to determine the possibility of treatment at home or hospitalization. As a rule, if vomiting occurs no more than 5 times, and stool no more than 10 times a day, then outpatient treatment is acceptable. The incubation period for stomach flu lasts about 5 days. Its symptoms appear quite acutely and violently.

The easiest way to avoid getting the stomach flu is to wash your hands thoroughly.

Literally a few hours before the onset of dyspepsia (gastrointestinal disorder), a slight cough, runny nose, and sore throat first appear, which quickly disappear. This is what distinguishes intestinal flu from other infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the symptoms of which begin not with indigestion, but with quickly passing catarrhal phenomena. The main signs of stomach flu:

Sore throat when swallowing, redness in the throat
Catarrhal phenomena - slight runny nose, cough, sneezing, which quickly pass
Loose stools up to 5-10 times a day, stools are copious, gray-yellow, clay-like, with a pungent odor, but without mucus and blood
Abdominal pain, rumbling
Nausea, vomiting
High fever or low-grade fever
Growing weakness
If the stomach flu develops severely, it is possible dehydration (symptoms).

Similar symptoms may accompany other diseases, for example, cholera, salmonellosis, food poisoning, so to differentiate the diagnosis you should immediately consult a doctor (see also causes of vomiting and diarrhea in a child without fever).

If a child experiences such unpleasant symptoms as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, his parents most often diagnose the child with food poisoning.

However, these symptoms may indicate the presence of another pathology - intestinal flu, a disease caused by a virus.

The virus enters the body through dirty hands and food, therefore, in order to prevent the development of symptoms, it is necessary to accustom the baby to cleanliness from early childhood. We will talk about the symptoms and treatment of intestinal flu in children in the article.

What is stomach flu? What causes it?

Intestinal flu is classified as rotavirus infections. Please note

The pathology is caused by a pathogen that enters the child’s body through contaminated food and water, dirty hands, or through contact with a sick person.

Pathology occurs mainly in young children (up to 3 years). In older children, the disease is extremely rare, since at this age the child’s immune system is already sufficiently developed, and his body can already resist the negative effects of the virus.

If the baby’s immunity is weakened, there is a risk of developing pathology in a school-age child.

The characteristic symptoms of the disease appear quite sharply, however, after a certain period of time (7-10 days) recovery occurs. In rare cases, it is possible to develop complications that are very dangerous for children's health and can even lead to death.

Thus, in the feces of a sick person, it retains its vital activity for six months, on the surface of household items and food products - up to 1 week.

Interestingly, about 40% of the entire population of our planet is infected with the virus, while only a few manifest it. That is why, if there is a small child in the family, whose body is very susceptible to the effects of rotavirus, it is important to carefully observe the rules of hygiene.

Golovkina Irina Nikolaevna

Pediatrician Pulmonologist

Volokhatyuk Natalia Dmitrievna

Marudova Natalya Stanislavovna

Intestinal flu is a common disease among children of all ages. In fact, this disease is called rotavirus infection or gastroenteritis, which clearly indicates the minimal similarity of intestinal flu with influenza itself. According to statistics for 2017, intestinal infections claim about 4,000 children’s lives every year.

Therefore, the symptoms and treatment of intestinal flu in children are important information for any parent, since the likelihood of the child suffering from this infectious pathology is quite high. Statistics indicate that almost all children under 5 years of age experience intestinal flu.

In this case, both a child under one year old and a child 3 years old can become infected.

The disease itself is provoked by the active activity in the intestines of viruses from the Reoviridae family, where they enter through the fecal-oral route, and there is also a possibility of infection through airborne droplets.

Rotaviruses replicate, infecting a number of villous epithelial cells, provoking a local inflammatory process and subsequent cell death. The result is structural changes and disruption of intestinal function.

Intestinal flu is characterized by several stages of development:

The incubation period of the disease ranges from 1 to 5 days, depending on the child’s immune system. At this stage, the disease does not manifest itself;
The acute period of the disease can range from 3 to 7 days or more, depending on the severity of the pathological process. At this stage, symptoms of the disease first appear and persist throughout the entire period, but towards the end their intensity decreases;
The recovery period ranges from 4 to 5 days. At this stage, symptoms either disappear completely or appear to a lesser extent. The child may feel healthy, but the pathological process has not yet come to an end;

Symptoms of intestinal flu appear very aggressively at the onset of the disease and often the clinical picture consists of respiratory symptoms and symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Symptoms may include:

Initially, intestinal flu manifests itself as a common acute respiratory infection. There are symptoms such as discomfort in the throat, especially when swallowing. Mild rhinitis and sneezing may also be observed;
Weakness, there is a decrease in the child’s activity;
Body temperature rises sharply and can reach 39 degrees. At the same time, the temperature is stable and remains throughout the entire acute period, decreasing towards the end of this stage;
Vomiting, appearance of vomit;
Pain syndrome in the abdominal area;
Headache is common;
Diarrhea. This symptom is perhaps the most characteristic of rotavirus infection. Bowel movements occur up to 10 times a day, feces have a specific color (the 2-3rd day of illness is accompanied by a gray-yellow color and has a clay-like shape). At a certain stage, the feces are light in color and the urine is a rich dark yellow color. Blood clots may be observed in the stool. When you defecate more than 10 times a day, the feces resemble foam and consist practically of liquid;
There is a decrease in appetite in the child. May be expressed in complete/partial refusal to eat;

Separately, it is worth mentioning the dehydration of the body of children with this infection. With intestinal flu, it is very important to drink plenty of fluids, since exicosis becomes the main cause of death in rotavirus infection.

It should be understood that treatment of this infectious disease can be carried out both at home and in a hospital ward. Hospitalization of young patients with rotavirus infection is not uncommon. The following symptoms are indications for hospitalization:

Acute and persistent pain in the abdominal area, which indicates a violation of the integrity of intestinal tissues;
The appearance of blood clots and blood admixtures in the stool. This indicates the presence of internal bleeding;
Frequent bowel movements and frequent vomiting. The term “frequent” should mean bowel movements more than 10 times a day and vomiting more than 7-8 times a day. These processes contribute to the development of severe dehydration, which can only be eliminated with the help of intravenous administration of specific drugs;

However, treatment for this disease is aimed at reducing the intensity of symptoms and speeding up the body's recovery. In fact, today, there are simply no specific targeted medications against rotaviruses (and many other viruses, too).

Therefore, treatment of rotavirus infection in children comes down to the following:

It is necessary to provide the child with peace to reduce the burden on the body weakened by the disease. If the child is still very young, it is necessary to seriously approach the issue of controlling the urge to vomit, since the baby may simply choke on vomit;
It is imperative to increase your fluid intake. The word “liquid” should be understood as various compotes from berries, fruits and dried fruits, weak tea, jelly, water, natural juices (not store-bought, but made from fruits and vegetables);

Note. If a child under 1 year of age is ill, the frequency of breastfeeding must be increased. Milk consists of 95% water, so it is both nutrition and essential fluid for the baby. If the child’s diet consists of artificial formulas, then it is necessary to choose a formula with a low presence of lactose.

It is strongly recommended to follow a diet that excludes any heavy food (fried, spicy, smoked, etc.). You should eat 5 times a day in small portions, the diet should be balanced, including vegetables, fruits and berries. Cooking should be done by steaming or regular boiling. Cereals high in fiber should also be included in the diet. If it is often impossible to feed due to the child’s refusal to eat, then it is necessary to feed at the request of the little patient, that is, without violence;
Soldering with a saline solution, which can be prepared at home or purchased at a pharmacy. To prepare, dilute 3 tsp. sugar with ½ tsp. salt in 1 liter of boiled water. For children under 2 years of age, Regidron or Pedialyt should be used;
It is recommended to use zinc preparations to help reduce the intensity of diarrhea and gagging. The recommended dosage does not exceed 20 mg per day;
If the fever rises above 39 degrees, the child should be given antipyretic drugs for children (Paracetamol or Ibuprofen). However, it should be understood that an increase in temperature occurs due to the activity of the immune system. We can say that an increase in temperature is a protective mechanism. Therefore, you should be careful when using antipyretics and give them only when clearly necessary;
Probiotics are indicated to restore normal intestinal microflora - Linex, Bifidum, Lactofiltrum and others. It is reasonable to start giving these drugs during the period of recovery of the body;
Sorbents. Enterosgel, Polyphepan, Smecta, etc.;

Complications

The causative agent of intestinal flu survives in most weather conditions and has serious consequences for the health of children. Even after cleaning with household chemicals, dangerous bacteria remain on surfaces.

The main problem with rotavirus infection is dehydration. The minerals necessary for the body are washed out, the water-salt balance is disturbed. To restore, it is recommended to drink a lot of liquids: chamomile infusions, water, tea.

Hypovolemic shock.
Impaired performance of the cardiovascular system.
Development of pathologies of the kidneys and liver.
Otitis.
Cystitis.
Pneumonia.

If the course of the disease is mild, then complications will not be detected. But in other cases, there is a possibility of developing unfavorable situations after suffering from rotavirus. The following complications and consequences may develop:

disruption of normal heart function;
the appearance of problems with the kidneys and liver;
cystitis;
otitis;
hypovolemic shock caused by dehydration;
pneumonia;
skin erythema.

These complications most often appear as a result of delayed treatment or independent attempts to cure the child. In addition, if a child previously suffered from chronic diseases, then intestinal flu can transform these diseases into an acute form.

Serious complications are rare. But if you do not visit a doctor in a timely manner, their chance increases. They can also occur in infants and children with weak immune systems.

The following complications exist:

Kidney failure.
Dehydration (is very dangerous as it can be fatal).
Problems with the cardiovascular system and blood flow.
You can avoid all this if you visit a doctor in a timely manner, follow all his recommendations and adhere to a diet.

Please note: symptoms of the disease may be hidden behind a high temperature. Therefore, if you notice any disturbances in the digestive system, consult a doctor. Hospital treatment is recommended.

If a child has intestinal flu, there should be no blood in the vomit or bowel movements. If it is, it's bad. See your doctor immediately as this is a sign of a bacterial infection and therefore requires a different approach.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics includes the following research methods:

General analysis of urine and blood.
Linked immunosorbent assay.
Immune fluorescence.

An experienced pediatrician or infectious disease specialist can determine the diagnosis based on the first clinical manifestations. Often, viral and bacterial infections exhibit significant external similarities. Salmonellosis and dysentery can be hidden under the guise of the flu. Possible development of food poisoning. To differentiate between intestinal infections, bacteriological studies are prescribed.

Viral particles are too small to be visible under a microscope. Bacterial infections are detected. The pathogen is distinguished by the characteristic color of the cell nucleus.

Useful and reliable diagnostic information is obtained from studies:

Polymerase chain reactions.
Methods of immunofluorescence analysis.
Enzyme immunosorbent studies.

These tests will detect rotavirus. Research is expensive and rarely used.

For intestinal flu, a standard list of diagnostic procedures is prescribed:

General blood analysis.
General urine analysis.
Stool analysis for coprogram, bacteriological culture.

Tests identify signs of inflammation in the body and check for possible bacterial infection.

You should not treat the disease yourself. This can lead to complications. A pediatrician treats intestinal flu. If the child does not feel well, you should call a doctor at home. Most likely, the child will be sent to the hospital, where a gastroenterologist will look after him.

Based on symptoms alone, a doctor can determine this diagnosis.

But these symptoms are very similar to other intestinal diseases:

Salmonellosis.
Cholera.
Dysentery.
Food poisoning.

Therefore, it will be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis without tests.

The best tests to check for stomach flu:

Immune fluorescence.
Enzyme immunoassays.

They are very expensive, so they will be done only for complications of the disease.

Required research:

Clinical blood test.
Analysis of urine.

First aid at home

Intestinal flu develops rapidly, and in most cases the first symptoms appear within 1-3 days. However, the group of diseases that are united by this name includes viruses that differ from each other, the incubation period of which ranges from 1 to 10 days. Doctors include the following as primary signs of pathology:

intense rise in temperature on the first day - up to 39 degrees;
repeated loose stools, the frequency of which can reach 20 cases per day;
the stool is watery, and particles of mucus are added to the masses, the color of the stool is light;
weakness, headaches and vomiting;
in the child’s abdomen from time to time there are painful sensations of varying intensity;
Increased rumbling is observed along the small intestine.

Gradually, signs of intoxication, as well as dehydration, join the usual symptoms if adequate treatment was not started immediately after the appearance of signs of intestinal flu.

Symptoms of intestinal flu are often confused in children with other diseases; for timely treatment, it is necessary to carry out an accurate diagnosis in accordance with the clinical features of the disease. These include, first of all, the seasonality of the infection - from November to March.

Most often, the pathology is diagnosed in children under 3 years of age. It is also necessary to determine whether stool meets the standards specific to the disease. To confirm the diagnosis, a bacteriological examination is ideally performed.

For preventative measures, all family members of an infected child should visit a doctor.

If enterovirus is diagnosed, the disease can affect other organs, causing unpleasant symptoms in the skin, heart, central nervous system, vision and liver.

Be careful! Dehydration is the most serious consequence of any stomach flu.

In young children, dehydration develops in an extremely short time. If the moment is missed, you should immediately consult a doctor. Signs of dehydration include: dry mucous membranes, pale skin, constant thirst.

You need to drink water! Small portions and often.

You should immediately consult a doctor or call an ambulance if the following course of the disease occurs:

acute symptoms do not go away within 3-4 days, and the child is more than 2 years old;
if symptoms in a newborn persist for 2 days or more;
severe vomiting that does not bring relief, more than 6-7 times during the day;
there is no urination during the day, and the child refuses to drink water;
the temperature persists for 2 days or more, while severe dryness and cracks are observed on the lips;
streaks of blood are observed in the feces excreted by the body;
the child is bothered by severe drowsiness and fatigue, while he is capricious;
the eyes become sunken, there is severe colic, and the extremities become cold.

In older children, dehydration is indicated by excessive lethargy and symptoms of pallor and dryness.

If it is an infant, give him 1-2 tsp. every 10-20 minutes. If the baby is older, then he should be given ¼ glass of water every 20-30 minutes or as needed.

Instead of regular water, you can give your child Regidron.

Important! It is forbidden to give milk and any dairy products, including yoghurts and kefir, to drink.

You should not give your child freshly squeezed, store-bought juices or any drinks with a high acid content, including berry fruit drinks. On the first day, it is better to exclude any foods from your diet. If the child is breastfed, the serving size is reduced.

Doctors do not recommend giving any medicine unless the doctor has approved it. Even healthy foods at first glance are not recommended to be added to the diet: strong tea, chicken broth, any soft drinks, apple juice. Any foods with a high concentration of sugar are very dangerous for a baby in this state.

A child of any age must remain in bed for 24 hours after the onset of illness. If there is a temperature and fever, every 4 hours it is necessary to record the characteristics of the child’s condition and write down the thermometer numbers. If vomiting, nausea, stomach pain or diarrhea does not go away within 3-4 days of starting therapy, hospitalization may be required.

If a breastfed child suffers, then it is necessary to switch him to a gentle way of feeding:

feed more often, but in smaller portions (on the first day - up to 40% of the usual volume);
on days 2-3 you can increase the amount of food you receive;
if complementary foods were introduced, then on the 4th-5th day you can introduce porridge with water or vegetable decoctions.

When treating infants, it is forbidden to prescribe medications on your own or take any measures.

General antiviral agents. They use Kipferon in the form of suppositories - a safe drug for newborns. It increases the body's resistance, as it contains immunoglobulins in combination with interferons. Only based on interferons can you use “Viferon” or “Genferon light”.

Products to prevent dehydration with a balanced composition of salts and electrolytes. The most popular representative is “Regidron”. You can also buy Oralit, Gastrolit, Humana Electrolyte.

Enterosorbents for removing microorganisms and harmful substances. They stop the process of rapid elimination of fluid from the body and help normalize stool. Newborns are often prescribed "Smecta", and older children - "Enterosgel" or "Polysorb".

Antipyretic drugs that also have an anti-inflammatory effect. For children, Nurofen or Panadol Baby is often prescribed from 2 months. These drugs also have an analgesic effect.

Preparations for normalizing intestinal enzyme activity. Children are advised to use Creon in the form of granules. The product restores the deficiency of small intestinal enzymes. For older children, it is possible to use Mezim and Pancreatin.

Probiotics to normalize intestinal microflora. Stomach flu is accompanied by a severe imbalance of beneficial and harmful bacteria. Probiotics help restore this balance. Normobakt, which contains bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, is often prescribed. Sometimes they use “Linex” or “Lactobacterin”, “Normoflorin”, “Bifidumbacterin”.

Before using any medications, you must consult a doctor. It should be remembered that without following a specialized diet, no pills will be effective.

The main principle of the diet is the complete exclusion of any dairy products. If a child has no appetite, he should not be forced to eat. It is useful to give a child, regardless of age, purified water, rice water, or raisin infusion on the first day. All raw vegetables and fruits are excluded until the baby is completely recovered.

Gradually, you can add to the menu such products as: white dried bread, fruit puree, lean meat. But they do this only after the symptoms begin to subside.

The following actions can help your child before the doctor arrives:

constant heavy fluid intake: it is important to remember that dehydration is especially dangerous for infants, as well as children under 3 years of age;
infants are ensured a safe stay in bed so that the baby does not choke on vomit - the head is turned to the side, the baby’s condition is constantly monitored;
to reduce the temperature, use tablets or suspension with paracetamol (for children from 1 month);
Young children should be fed steamed or boiled food during illness. They also eat porridge and vegetable soups without meat.

It is important that parents begin providing first aid to the baby before the ambulance arrives or the doctor comes to your home. The condition of a toddler with profuse vomiting and severe diarrhea can deteriorate very quickly; there is a risk of developing dehydration, which is why it is so important to provide timely help to the child and at least somehow alleviate his condition.

First of all, make sure you drink enough and even plenty of fluids. It is important that the little one receives it as much and as often as possible. You need to drink mostly water to restore fluid lost from the body due to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as to normalize the water-salt balance.
If the baby vomits, you need to lay him on his side to prevent choking.
Monitor the temperature readings. If hyperthermia is above 38 degrees, and the toddler’s condition noticeably worsens, give antipyretics without waiting for doctors to arrive.
If the child has not lost his appetite, then you can feed the baby. Just give your little one light, boiled food.

The course of medication includes the following drugs:

Antidiarrheal medications: Smecta, Hilak - Forte, Baktisubtil. In order to neutralize the effect of toxins, enterosorbents are prescribed: Filtrum, Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum.
Rehydration agents: Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Enterodes. These drugs are prescribed to maintain the balance of water in the baby’s body.
Antipyretics if the little one has a fever. Choose the drug that is most suitable for your child, Panadol, Nurofen.
Probiotics. It is mandatory to take such medications to restore intestinal microflora. The following drugs may be prescribed: Acylact, Linex, Bifistim, Bifiform.
Enzymatic preparations: Mezim, Pancreatin, Creon. The child may be prescribed such medications, since during illness the digestive organs suffer greatly, and a large load is placed on the liver and pancreas.

Remember that at the first symptoms of rotavirus infection, you should immediately contact your pediatrician. Only a doctor will be able to determine an accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, prescribe clinical studies and then a course of treatment. This is not a situation where you can rely on traditional medicine and self-medicate. In this case, you can kill the child; there is no way to do it without the help of an experienced specialist.

Confirming the diagnosis

Diagnosis begins with examining the patient, describing symptoms, collecting tests in order to exclude dysentery or salmonellosis, gastroenteritis, dysbacteriosis and other diseases with similar symptoms.

To detect rotaviruses, laboratory methods are used:

PCR analysis - accurate, sensitive detection of pathogens;
indirect hemagglutination reaction test;
complement fixation reaction;
immunofluorescence to detect antibodies in tissue samples.

Such diagnostics are quite expensive, so general blood tests, urine tests, a coprogram, and bacteriological culture are often done. With an intestinal infection, the levels of leukocytes and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the blood increase. The content of protein and leukocytes in the urine increases.

Medicines

The full course of drug therapy is carried out over 10 days. Anti-epidemiological drugs help raise the body's immune defense and prevent the spread of the disease. Pathogenetic treatment is selected individually for the child based on his condition.

To eliminate signs of dehydration, saline solutions are used orally, parenterally. If, after treatment with drinking solutions, vomiting does not stop and dehydration increases, switch to intravenous infusions. They are carried out in the infectious diseases department of a hospital for acute life-threatening conditions. Use Enterodes, Regidron internally. You can make your own drinking mixture at home.

To remove pathogenic particles from the body, drugs from the group of sorbents are used. Medicines - Polyphepan, Laktofiltrum or Enterosgel. The purpose helps to quickly cleanse the body of viral particles and bacterial toxins.

To speed up the restoration of non-pathogenic intestinal flora, give your child probiotics. They will help to quickly restore epithelial cells affected by intestinal infection and normalize intestinal activity. Acipol and Linex are effective. The preparations contain lyophilized live cultures of beneficial intestinal bacteria and quickly restore normal microflora in the intestines.

If the child has a fever, fever, or chills, give medications with an antipyretic effect. Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Nurofen - medications for children are available in the form of rectal suppositories, mixtures, and syrups for oral administration.

Enzymes are prescribed to the child to normalize digestive processes. With rotavirus infection, the normal enzymatic function of the intestine decreases - it must be maintained so that the child’s body can sufficiently absorb incoming nutrients. Enzymatic preparations Creon, Mezim, Pancreatin have proven their effectiveness.

The prescribed medications depend on the child’s body, age and severity of the disease. Doctors recommend the following medications:

Rehydration. Necessary to avoid dehydration. These drugs are suitable for any diseases related to the digestive system. Enterodes and Regidron are used.
Anti-diarrhea medications. In order for the body to fight toxins, enterosorbents are needed. Coal (black and white), Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum, Bio-norm, Atoxil, Smecta and Hilak-Forte are well suited.
Probiotics. These drugs protect and restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. Linex, Acipol, Bifistim, Bifiform and Atsilact are suitable.
Antipyretic. If it is necessary to reduce the child’s body temperature, take Paracetamol, Panadol, Nurofen, Efferalgan and Cefekon D.
Enzymes. An irritated digestive system does not produce enough enzymes. Such medications help digestion and reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract. The following drugs are good: Creon, Mezim, Pancreatin and Ermital.

All of the above medications should be taken after consulting a doctor.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional methods of treating gastrointestinal infections include:

honey - drink a glass of water three to four times a day, adding a spoonful of honey and a slice of lemon. It is acceptable to simply eat half a teaspoon daily;
- pine buds - 10 gr. pour a glass of boiling water and heat in a water bath for half an hour. Take 100 g after meals;
St. John's wort - add a tablespoon of the plant to a glass of boiling water and leave to steam. The mixture is filtered, drunk half an hour before meals, 1/3 cup 3 times a day;
- blueberries - compote is made from dried berries. You can add dried apricots and other dried fruits;
To replenish the water balance, carrots are prepared: clean, washed carrots are chopped and boiled for thirty minutes in lightly salted water. The broth is allowed to cool, decanted, and stored in the refrigerator. The patient is given a little to drink; the drink has a shelf life of one day. This decoction is suitable for children over one year old;
For babies up to 6 months, chamomile or herbal infusions are prepared. To do this, mix chamomile flowers, caraway seeds, dry blueberries and strawberries in equal portions. Pour boiling water over one teaspoon of the mixture, leave for 15 minutes to half an hour, then decant. They drink this herbal tea often, a tablespoon at a time, without adding sweeteners.

Diet

During illness, there is a decrease in appetite; you should not try to feed the patient against his will. The main thing is to drink more liquids, except sparkling water, juices, and milk. Drinks that are recommended include rice decoctions, raisin infusions, green tea, and water. If the pathology is active, children are given liquid chicken broth and rice porridge with water.

When the disease becomes less active, after five to six days bread, fruit puree, and lean meat are added. They prefer chicken, boiling it without skin. Food is boiled or steamed; fried food is prohibited. After a week, it is permissible to introduce kefir and cottage cheese; milk should be diluted with water. Be sure to bake fruits and vegetables. They return to their usual diet slowly, usually the process takes about a month.

It is important to understand that with such a diagnosis, when the toddler develops serious digestive problems, it is necessary to adhere to a strict diet.

So the baby’s diet should include the following products:

Cereals cooked in water (mainly buckwheat or oatmeal).
Heat-treated vegetables.
Lean meat (rabbit, chicken).
Drying, crackers.
Fermented milk products, in particular acidophilus, kefir and yogurt, but with a small percentage of fat content.

If your baby is breastfed, then you need to follow these rules:

It is necessary to feed the toddler, but it is worth considering that portions should be small, however, frequent.
On the first day after an exacerbation of the disease, you need to reduce the amount you eat per day to 40%.
On the third day, it is necessary to slightly increase the volume of food eaten and the duration of the intervals between meals.
Only on the fifth day can you bring the amount consumed to the usual norm.
On the recommendation of a doctor, you can partially replace breastfeeding with a lactose-free formula, since during infection with rotavirus infection, dairy products are difficult to digest by the body.

During recovery, the child will be prescribed a diet. It will indicate what you can and cannot eat. The following dishes will be beneficial for his body:

Light soups.
Boiled meat (twisted in a meat grinder works well).
Fish and meat broths (they should not be fatty).
Boiled fish.
Stale bread or crackers.
Omelette.
Porridge on the water.
Cookies (they should not be rich).

During illness, the following foods are prohibited:

Smoked meats.
Canned food.
Dairy products.
Seasonings and spices.
Garlic, radishes and green onions.
Fried and fatty foods.

You need to stick to the diet for about a month. Then you can gradually return to your usual routine.

The diet of a child infected with rotavirus must be strictly thought out. It is necessary to remove fermented milk and dairy products from the menu - all this contributes to the proliferation of viruses inside the intestines, and also activates them. Vegetables and fruits should also be excluded, as they contain a lot of fiber, which is difficult for the body to digest.

It is also necessary to stop drinking juices, eating fruits and other foods rich in carbohydrates. This will allow you to quickly get rid of loose stools.

In the first week, the child should not be given meat, even low-fat types. Even dietary meals during illness will be too difficult for the child’s body.

With such a diet, the child will, of course, lose weight. But parents should not worry - the weight will return during the recovery period.

It will take about two months for the recovered body to regain its strength. During this period, it is important not to pounce on food that was banned due to illness. Remember that the inflamed mucous membrane of the intestines and stomach should return to normal. For 2-3 weeks, stick to your usual diet.

After this period, gradually expand your menu. First, introduce lean varieties of fish and meat into your diet, since protein is very important for a young, recovering body. But you can’t eat smoked meat anyway, since it can cause a strong blow to the kidneys and liver, and the body is still in the recovery stage. Vegetables must be boiled. For fruit, you can bake apples without peel. For sweets, you can use dry biscuits Maria.

Intestinal flu is a dangerous disease that, if not properly treated, can lead to serious complications. You cannot self-medicate, even if the symptoms of the pathology in question are not intense.

Disease prevention

The main preventive measure is maintaining hygiene to prevent bacteria from entering the body. You should wash your hands thoroughly regularly, especially after using the toilet. The products consumed must be clean, of high quality and not expired. It is worth purchasing food and eating only in places where establishments have passed the control of sanitary authorities.

Rotavirus remains viable even after being in water for a long time, so you should control the quality of the cooking liquid, as well as the water with which you wash your baby. If an increase in disease or epidemic is detected in the region, then any liquid that is used for the baby is boiled. Even an adult body can suffer from intestinal flu; immunity is not developed over time.

It is better to prevent the disease. The most effective method of preventing the disease is vaccination. But, unfortunately, it only protects against rotavirus infections. It is powerless against other pathogens. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to the following measures:

Maintaining hygiene rules.
Keep children away from sick people.
Parents should disinfect household items and toys.
Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly.
Drink only boiled water.
The child should eat foods that have been heat-treated (especially fish and meat).

Stomach flu is highly contagious. But at the same time, it does not belong to the category of dangerous diseases. The disease begins with symptoms that are similar to a common cold. And after some time, signs associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract appear. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, you will be able to avoid complications.

Clinical signs resolve on their own. Symptoms of intestinal distress appear. The sequence distinguishes intestinal flu from other infections that affect the child’s digestive tract. The latter begin with manifestations of dyspepsia.

Rotavirus infection and stomach flu proceed according to a characteristic pattern:

The appearance of pain, congestion in the throat and nose. When examined, the throat in young children may be hyperemic.
Catarrhal symptoms of the upper respiratory tract - cough and runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness.
Diarrhea develops on days 2-3. In mild stages of the disease, diarrhea occurs up to 10 times a day. The stool is grayish in color and has a pungent odor. In severe forms of the disease, the number of urges to defecate reaches 50 times a day.
The child complains of pain in the abdomen. From time to time, the baby feels turbulence in the tummy and bloating. The child is in excruciating pain. He screams and knocks his legs.
The temperature in newborns is subfebrile, reaching febrile levels.
Nausea and vomiting, frequent diarrhea lead to the development of dehydration in the child.
Signs of intoxication - the child is lethargic, sleeps poorly or is excessively sleepy. Skin color is pale. Facial features are pointed.

To understand the intestinal flu symptoms, you need to know the different forms of severity of the disease.

Classification of the disease according to characteristics:

According to the severity of the condition, the disease is mild, moderate, severe.
Clinical manifestations are divided into typical and atypical forms of the disease. The first form proceeds according to the scheme described above. The second form may not have clinical symptoms and may be mild. The typical form also occurs in a month-old or one-year-old child. The atypical form is typical for adolescents. In adults, the disease may not have clinical symptoms.

Treatment of intestinal flu in children at home is allowed if the disease is mild. Other forms of the disease require hospital treatment.

Intestinal flu caused by rotavirus infection is characterized by specific prevention through vaccination. No specific prophylaxis has been identified for other viruses. It remains to follow the general rules to prevent infectious diseases of the digestive tract.

To avoid contracting intestinal flu, follow general hygiene rules:

Avoid contact with people with intestinal infections. During the epidemiological peak, it is better to limit contacts. You can get infected both from a sick child and from a healthy carrier.
If there is a patient with an intestinal infection in the house, he uses separate dishes and household items. The premises and household utensils are disinfected.
Wash your hands when coming from the street or from public places, as well as after contact with a sick person or carrier of viral intestinal flu. In addition, carry out this procedure after visiting the toilet and before eating.

Why is intestinal flu dangerous?

Dehydration causes serious harm to health; important microelements are lost with the liquid: potassium, sodium, calcium. To avoid this, drink plenty of green tea, herbal decoctions, and rehydron solutions. Severe dehydration can lead to coma and fainting.

The risk is increased temperature, which can lead to fever. You need to knock it down with paracetamol or by cooling the body. If you cannot lower your temperature below 38 degrees, you should immediately consult a doctor.

A few facts about stomach flu

Does the flu shot help with stomach flu?
These are completely different diseases that provoke different infections, despite the presence of some similar signs - intoxication, weakness, fever. The flu does not cause intestinal upset. The vaccine against the rotavirus form of the disorder is provided in Europe and the USA; the Russian medical community has not yet introduced it.
Stomach flu is highly contagious. Most often, epidemics of intestinal infections occur in the summer.
Viral gastroenteritis can enter the stomach through the fecal-oral route, for example, when a healthy person touches dirty surfaces. Thorough hand washing before eating can help prevent this. Often, antibacterial wipes and sprays offered in stores do not protect against germs; they are best used as an addition to basic hygiene procedures.
The causative agents of the disease survive in almost any external environment; you can become infected while on vacation, swimming, eating dirty food or food prepared by a carrier of the virus.
Even after cleaning, the infection remains on surfaces, while babies can become infected from a small amount. It is recommended to use products containing chlorine to clean the children's room and thoroughly ventilate the room.
Symptoms of the disease - stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting - appear a day after the virus enters, since the infection takes time to get to the intestines and settle there. More serious pathogens - salmonella - begin to act within a couple of hours.
The greatest danger for patients is dehydration. Since the disease is accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, the body is deprived of many important minerals. To replenish the water balance, use chamomile infusions, mineral water, and tea. Avoid milk, bread, and foods containing sugar. To normalize and maintain potassium levels, you should eat bananas and rice.
You cannot treat intestinal flu with antibiotics; such drugs will not help with a viral disease. The doctor determines the symptoms and treatment of intestinal flu in children in accordance with these data.

Hello dear readers. Today we will talk about flu, which affects the digestive system. In this article you will learn what intestinal flu is in children, the symptoms and treatment of this disease. We will also consider what complications this disease can cause, how it is diagnosed, and find out what first aid the baby’s parents can provide in such a situation.

Characteristics of intestinal flu

The official name of this disease is gastroenteritis. The location of the lesion is the gastrointestinal tract. Most often, the causative agents of this disease are rotaviruses, which is why this pathology is also called rotavirus infection. Also, the development of intestinal flu can be provoked by adeno-, noro-, astro- and caliciviruses.

Once in the baby’s body, the virus has a detrimental effect on the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract; as a rule, the ciliated epithelium of the small intestine suffers. The digestion process of food is disrupted, it cannot be broken down normally, and diarrhea and vomiting occur.

Children and the elderly are most likely to become infected. This is due to a weakened immune system and its imperfection in these age groups. It is worth noting that this disease is most severe in children. Since an adult has a strong immune system, he can become a carrier of this virus, while he himself will feel normal, while simultaneously spreading pathogens in his environment.

The spread of the disease occurs in autumn and winter, including the beginning of spring.

As a rule, the acute period lasts up to seven days, and after another similar period of time, recovery begins. But it is worth considering that during such a period a person can still infect people who communicate closely with him.

There are three forms of the disease:

Easy. Signs of the disease disappear on the second day, intoxication is practically absent. Hyperthermia up to 38 degrees, vomiting up to five times a day, diarrhea up to four times, lasting up to three days.
Medium - heavy. Signs of the disease disappear already on the fifth day. Hyperthermia up to 38.7, lasts up to five days, vomiting up to 12 times, diarrhea - up to 15.
Heavy. Severe intoxication of the body, hyperthermia over 39.5 degrees, very frequent vomiting and diarrhea, severe dehydration. Recovery begins no earlier than the seventh day.

Fortunately, my son did not encounter intestinal flu, and in general, there were no such cases among the children I knew. But one day, my teacher was struck down by intestinal flu (she was 23 years old). She was very tormented then. Due to profuse vomiting, she was hospitalized and placed on a drip. She could not eat anything for several days; nutrients and glucose came through the blood. During her illness, the teacher lost a lot of weight and was very weak. So, I’m even scared to imagine how a small child feels when he catches a virus and his body is affected by intestinal flu.

How can you get infected?

There are several routes of infection. The virus spreads especially quickly in public places, that is, where there are large concentrations of children.

Rotavirus is transmitted:

When a child eats unwashed vegetables and fruits, stale food, or drinks unboiled water.
Failure to comply with personal hygiene rules.
Contact - household. When using toys or personal hygiene items of an infected baby.
Airborne droplets when communicating with a sick person.

Intestinal flu, symptoms in children

When the virus enters the baby’s body, primary symptoms begin to appear only twelve hours after infection, and sometimes after a day or even five days. Symptoms appear abruptly, and there is an acute onset of the disease.

The following primary symptoms are typical:

A sharp rise in temperature.
Frequent and profuse vomiting.
Diarrhea up to 15 times per day.
Redness of the throat, runny nose, cough.
Painful sensations in the abdominal area.
Lack of appetite.
General deterioration in health.

Then the disease progresses, intoxication of the body sets in, and dehydration occurs due to frequent diarrhea and vomiting. The child’s condition is now characterized by the following symptoms:

Weakness, lethargy, moodiness.
Crying with dry eyes is typical.
The child empties his bladder less often.
The urine darkens and a strong, unpleasant odor appears.

Complications of the disease

Hypovolemic shock.
Impaired performance of the cardiovascular system.
Development of pathologies of the kidneys and liver.
Otitis.
Cystitis.
Pneumonia.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics includes the following research methods:

General analysis of urine and blood.
Linked immunosorbent assay.
Immune fluorescence.

Diet

It is important to understand that with such a diagnosis, when the toddler develops serious digestive problems, it is necessary to adhere to a strict diet.

So the baby’s diet should include the following products:

Cereals cooked in water (mainly buckwheat or oatmeal).
Heat-treated vegetables.
Lean meat (rabbit, chicken).
Drying, crackers.
Fermented milk products, in particular acidophilus, kefir and yogurt, but with a small percentage of fat content.

If your baby is breastfed, then you need to follow these rules:

It is necessary to feed the toddler, but it is worth considering that portions should be small, however, frequent.
On the first day after an exacerbation of the disease, you need to reduce the amount you eat per day to 40%.
On the third day, it is necessary to slightly increase the volume of food eaten and the duration of the intervals between meals.
Only on the fifth day can you bring the amount consumed to the usual norm.
On the recommendation of a doctor, you can partially replace breastfeeding with a lactose-free formula, since during infection with rotavirus infection, dairy products are difficult to digest by the body.

First aid

First of all, make sure you drink enough and even plenty of fluids. It is important that the little one receives it as much and as often as possible. You need to drink mostly water to restore fluid lost from the body due to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as to normalize the water-salt balance.
If the baby vomits, you need to lay him on his side to prevent choking.
Monitor the temperature readings. If hyperthermia is above 38 degrees, and the toddler’s condition noticeably worsens, give antipyretics without waiting for doctors to arrive.
If the child has not lost his appetite, then you can feed the baby. Just give your little one light, boiled food.

The course of medication includes the following drugs:

Antidiarrheal medications: Smecta, Hilak - Forte, Baktisubtil. In order to neutralize the effect of toxins, enterosorbents are prescribed: Filtrum, Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum.
Rehydration agents: Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Enterodes. These drugs are prescribed to maintain the balance of water in the baby’s body.
Antipyretics if the little one has a fever. Choose the drug that is most suitable for your child, Panadol, Nurofen.
Probiotics. It is mandatory to take such medications to restore intestinal microflora. The following drugs may be prescribed: Acylact, Linex, Bifistim, Bifiform.
Enzymatic preparations: Mezim, Pancreatin, Creon. The child may be prescribed such medications, since during illness the digestive organs suffer greatly, and a large load is placed on the liver and pancreas.

Preventive methods

In order to protect your baby from possible infection, the following measures must be observed:

Teach your little one to personal hygiene.
Isolate your child from contact with infected people.
Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed.
Do not drink raw water.
Eat fish and meat only after deep cooking.

Parents may suspect poisoning or stomach upset. But it is worth remembering that such symptoms may indicate the presence of intestinal flu.

Symptoms appear very violently and noticeably:

gray-yellow loose stools that can happen up to 10 times a day. It is important to ensure that the stool is free of blood;
frequent rumbling in the abdomen;
pain when swallowing and redness in the throat area;
, and other symptoms that quickly pass;
weakness becomes stronger over time;
increased body temperature;
dehydration, which occurs with a long course of the disease.

Important! This list of symptoms is also typical for other diseases, so you should immediately consult a doctor for a diagnosis at the first manifestations of the disease.

Causes and sources of disease

The main cause of infection is the so-called, which easily attacks the body. The disease is transmitted by infected children or their parents. Therefore, when this type of flu appears in a children's group, it is better to isolate the child for a while.

The most dangerous period for transmission of infection is up to 5 days. This time is counted from the moment the first symptoms of such a disease appear. Often, the infection is transmitted from child to child through unwashed hands, on which the concentration of pathogenic microorganisms is simply off scale.

Important! The virus is not afraid of low temperatures and feels quite comfortable within the walls of the refrigerator, while infecting everyone around.

The spread of intestinal flu, as a rule, occurs in autumn and winter. Therefore, doctors recommend that during this period you follow all the tips for preventing this virus.

Treatment

There is simply no special therapy that can easily cope with it. Treatment mainly depends on the symptoms that are actively developing in the body of the sick child.

Restoring the balance of water in the body is of great importance when treating a sick child. It is after this infection that the body often suffers from dehydration due to prolonged diarrhea.

constant drinking;
Regidron will perfectly help restore the water balance; it contains a large amount of mineral salts;
homemade compote made from dried fruits has a beneficial effect on restoring moisture levels in the child’s body;
drink mineral water often, but in small portions;
in the event of an illness in an infant, experts recommend feeding the mother’s breast milk more often, which contains the antibodies necessary to fight intestinal flu;
may be attributed to Mezim or Festal, which bring the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract back to normal;
It is recommended to use sorbents such as activated carbon or;
it is important to ensure that a small child does not choke on his own vomit;
the high temperature must be brought down.

It is considered beneficial to take probiotics, which will saturate the intestines and stomach with beneficial bacteria necessary to fight the virus.

Important! Start taking antibiotics for the treatment of intestinal flu in case of urgent need and the recommendation of the attending physician.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional medicine knows a huge number of recipes against intestinal flu. Here are some of them.

Honey

Dissolve a tablespoon of honey in a glass of water and add a slice of lemon. Take this liquid at least three times a day.

Pine buds

Pour about 10 grams of pine buds with a glass of boiling water and simmer in a water bath for about half an hour. Then you should infuse this mixture, and then take one hundred grams after meals.

St. John's wort

Brew a tablespoon of St. John's wort herb in a glass of boiling water, then let it steam for half an hour. Then you need to strain the mixture and add another glass of hot water. You should drink the decoction half an hour before meals, a third of a glass three times a day.

Blueberry

Important! Take into account the individual characteristics of the child’s body and the presence of allergies to certain foods.

Medicines for the treatment of intestinal flu

Treatment of intestinal flu depends directly on the symptoms that appear during the illness. If there is prolonged and profuse diarrhea, it is necessary to restore the body's water balance. For this purpose, Regidron and saline solutions are used, which are given to the child as a drink.

Doctors often prescribe for children, which helps the child’s body cope with an unpleasant infection. The complex prescribes:

Mezim;
Smecta (read);
Activated carbon;
enterosgel, etc.

But the most important thing in treatment will be plenty of fluids, given to the child very little, but often.

Enterofuril

Due to the presence of nifuroxazide, enterofuril has an antimicrobial effect and copes well with intestinal flu in children's bodies. According to research results, enterofuril activates the child’s immunity, thereby helping to independently defeat the infection.

Important! The use of the drug does not cause intestinal dysbiosis in a child and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The remains of the drug are absolutely safely excreted in the feces, without causing harm to the body.

This medicine is prescribed to children who suffer from prolonged diarrhea due to the development of intestinal flu. The positive thing is that the drug is available both in capsules and in syrup form, which is perfect for young children.

In principle, the drug has no particular side effects, with the exception of a mild allergic reaction in rare cases. Therefore, among the contraindications one can find only individual intolerance to some components of the drug. Also, Enterofuril is not prescribed to children under one month of age.

Diet

Since it is the digestive organs that are affected by intestinal flu, the diet should be as gentle as possible. In order to saturate the body with the necessary beneficial bacteria, it is recommended to consume fermented milk products, only with a small percentage of fat content.

Vegetables cooked exclusively by steaming and porridge cooked in water will be very useful at this stage of the disease.

What not to do with intestinal flu:

pickles and pickled foods that contain more acidity than is currently needed for the child’s body;
products famous for their laxative effect;
sweet sparkling water;
confectionery;
fatty and fried meat and poultry;
fatty fish;
mushrooms and legumes.

You should start following the diet when the first symptoms of the disease appear. After the peak of the disease has passed, you can add broths and lean meat to the child’s diet.

Important! A child can eat bread only two weeks after the flu has passed and the symptoms have completely disappeared.

As you understand, when the first symptoms of intestinal flu are detected in children, it is important to begin its treatment in a timely manner and not to make the disease worse.

Types of intestinal influenza viruses

Modern doctors know about one hundred varieties of intestinal flu. The most common strains are:

Rotavirus, dangerous for newborns and children under 1.5 years of age. The virus contributes to the development of gastroenteritis - stomach flu. If a baby gets sick after 2 years of age, but receives adequate treatment, he quickly recovers and avoids consequences.
Adenovirus. This strain usually affects children from birth to 4 years of age. The infection occurs hidden. In rare cases, the child may experience nausea and malaise.
Astrovirus. The infection is dangerous for both children and adults. A variety of symptoms of virus infection appear throughout the week.

Children's doctor Evgeniy Komarovsky reminds children that children should not consume raw milk and water, poorly processed meat, dirty vegetables and fruits. From an early age, it is important to instill hygiene skills in children and not allow them to sit at the table with unwashed hands. This is the only way to protect yourself from intestinal flu.

Symptoms of viral enteritis

The child’s body encounters the first symptoms of intestinal flu a day after infection. The child experiences abdominal pain, weakness and nausea. Vomiting begins before 15 p.m. per day. The baby refuses to eat, his body temperature rises to 38 - 39°C.

Understanding that a child is developing intestinal flu can help ease the signs of a cold, intoxication and dehydration:

runny nose;
a sore throat;
nausea;
vomit;
lethargy;
fainting;
headache;
dizziness;
enlarged lymph nodes;
tearless crying in a baby;
dry lips and marbled skin;
prolonged absence of urination with periodic release of dark, foul-smelling urine.

The incubation period of viral enteritis takes 1–2 days. Timely treatment of the disease promises a favorable prognosis - the small patient recovers after 5 - 7 days.

Diagnosis and treatment of intestinal flu

All symptoms are important in diagnosing intestinal flu, but the most important of them is diarrhea - watery and foamy, yellow or yellow-green, possibly mucous. In a mild form of enteritis, the stool is mushy. The determining factor is the rotavirus identified by bacterial testing (children donate feces for analysis).

Therapy for an infectious condition comes down to several measures:

elimination of the pathogen;
prevention of dehydration;
stabilization of body temperature;
strengthening the immune system to increase the body's resistance to pathogenic strains.

To improve bowel movements and remove toxins, children are given antidiarrheal medications and enterosorbents - Smecta, Polypefan, Activated Charcoal, Motilium. To prevent bacterial damage to the intestines, antimicrobial agents are used - Enterol or Enterofuril.

High fever due to viral enteritis is brought down with antipyretic drugs:

The nutrition of infants on breastfeeding does not change. Children continue to breastfeed, and “artificially fed” babies continue to eat fermented milk mixtures. While treatment is ongoing, no complementary foods are introduced.

Remember that intestinal flu viruses are transmitted through dirty hands, poor-quality food and raw water. Even swimming in a pond can be dangerous if a child swallows the water.
Specific prevention and vaccine against viral enteritis have not yet been invented. Just follow the rules of personal hygiene, and when caring for your baby, use boiled water and iron his clothes on both sides.
Do not try to treat intestinal flu with antibiotics, as they are passive against viruses.

The body does not develop stable immunity against intestinal flu, so children can suffer from viruses many times. With repeated infection, the disease is more easily tolerated, but this is not a reason to neglect prevention.

Hello dear readers. Today we will talk about the flu, which affects the digestive system. In this article you will learn what intestinal flu is in children, the symptoms and treatment of this disease. We will also consider what complications this disease can cause, how it is diagnosed, and find out what first aid the baby’s parents can provide in such a situation.

Characteristics of intestinal flu

Once in the baby’s body, the virus has a detrimental effect on the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract; as a rule, the ciliated epithelium of the small intestine suffers. The process of digesting food is disrupted, it cannot be broken down normally, and diarrhea and vomiting occur.

The spread of the disease occurs in autumn and winter, including the beginning of spring.

There are three forms of the disease:

Easy. Signs of the disease disappear on the second day, intoxication is practically absent. Hyperthermia up to 38 degrees, vomiting up to five times a day, diarrhea up to four times, lasting up to three days.
Medium - heavy. Signs of the disease disappear already on the fifth day. Hyperthermia up to 38.7, lasts up to five days, vomiting up to 12 times, diarrhea - up to 15.
Heavy. Severe intoxication of the body, hyperthermia over 39.5 degrees, very frequent vomiting and diarrhea, severe dehydration. Recovery begins no earlier than the seventh day.

Fortunately, my son did not encounter intestinal flu, and in general, there were no such cases among the children I knew. But one day, my teacher was struck down by intestinal flu (she was 23 years old). She was very tormented then. Due to profuse vomiting, she was hospitalized and placed on a drip. She could not eat anything for several days; nutrients and glucose came through the blood. During her illness, the teacher lost a lot of weight and was very weak. So, I’m even scared to imagine how a small child feels when he catches a virus and his body is affected by intestinal flu.

How can you get infected?

There are several routes of infection. The virus spreads especially quickly in public places, that is, where there are large concentrations of children.

When a child eats unwashed vegetables and fruits, stale food, or drinks unboiled water.
Failure to comply with personal hygiene rules.
Contact - household. When using toys or personal hygiene items of an infected baby.
Airborne droplets when communicating with a sick person.

Intestinal flu, symptoms in children

The following primary symptoms are typical:

A sharp rise in temperature.
Frequent and profuse vomiting.
Diarrhea up to 15 times per day.
Redness of the throat, runny nose, cough.
Painful sensations in the abdominal area.
Lack of appetite.
General deterioration in health.

Then the disease progresses, intoxication of the body sets in, and dehydration occurs due to frequent diarrhea and vomiting. The child’s condition is now characterized by the following symptoms:

Weakness, lethargy, moodiness.
Crying with dry eyes is typical.
The child empties his bladder less often.
The urine darkens and a strong, unpleasant odor appears.

Complications of the disease

Hypovolemic shock.
Impaired performance of the cardiovascular system.
Development of pathologies of the kidneys and liver.
Otitis.
Cystitis.
Pneumonia.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics includes the following research methods:

General analysis of urine and blood.
Linked immunosorbent assay.
Immune fluorescence.

Diet

It is important to understand that with such a diagnosis, when the toddler develops serious digestive problems, it is necessary to adhere to a strict diet.

So the baby’s diet should include the following products:

Cereals cooked in water (mainly buckwheat or oatmeal).
Heat-treated vegetables.
Lean meat (rabbit, chicken).
Drying, crackers.
Fermented milk products, in particular acidophilus, kefir and yogurt, but with a small percentage of fat content.

If your baby is breastfed, then you need to follow these rules:

It is necessary to feed the toddler, but it is worth considering that portions should be small, however, frequent.
On the first day after an exacerbation of the disease, you need to reduce the amount you eat per day to 40%.
On the third day, it is necessary to slightly increase the volume of food eaten and the duration of the intervals between meals.
Only on the fifth day can you bring the amount consumed to the usual norm.
On the recommendation of a doctor, you can partially replace breastfeeding with a lactose-free formula, since during infection with rotavirus infection, dairy products are difficult to digest by the body.

First aid

First of all, make sure you drink enough and even plenty of fluids. It is important that the little one receives it as much and as often as possible. You need to drink mostly water to restore fluid lost from the body due to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as to normalize the water-salt balance.
If the baby vomits, you need to lay him on his side to prevent choking.
Monitor the temperature readings. If hyperthermia is above 38 degrees, and the toddler’s condition noticeably worsens, give antipyretics without waiting for doctors to arrive.
If the child has not lost his appetite, then you can feed the baby. Just give your little one light, boiled food.

The course of medication includes the following drugs:

Antidiarrheal medications: Smecta, Hilak - Forte, Baktisubtil. In order to neutralize the effect of toxins, enterosorbents are prescribed: Filtrum, Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum.
Rehydration agents: Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Enterodes. These drugs are prescribed to maintain the balance of water in the baby’s body.
Antipyretics if the little one has a fever. Choose the drug that is most suitable for your child, Panadol, Nurofen.
Probiotics. It is mandatory to take such medications to restore intestinal microflora. The following drugs may be prescribed: Acylact, Linex, Bifistim, Bifiform.
Enzymatic preparations: Mezim, Pancreatin, Creon. The child may be prescribed such medications, since during illness the digestive organs suffer greatly, and a large load is placed on the liver and pancreas.

Preventive methods

In order to protect your baby from possible infection, the following measures must be observed:

Teach your little one to personal hygiene.
Isolate your child from contact with infected people.
Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed.
Do not drink raw water.
Eat fish and meat only after deep cooking.

Treatment of any viral disease is complicated by the fact that its pathogens mutate very quickly. Immunity to them is either not developed or has a short period. Intestinal flu, symptoms and treatment in children and adults, is also of a difficult-to-eliminate viral nature.

Stomach flu symptoms in children

Pathogen so-called stomach flu rotaviruses in children. The disease is popularly called intestinal flu. Despite the fact that the pathogens are different, both influenza and intestinal flu, the symptoms in children are very similar.

Typically these diseases begin acutely. Against the backdrop of complete health the child suddenly becomes lethargic. In the first hours, the disease manifests itself not only with intestinal disorders, but also with respiratory symptoms.

Like the influenza virus, the causative agent of intestinal flu has several strains. Rotavirus strain A is the most common throughout the Earth. It is very dangerous for children, especially the first year of life. The main symptom is very severe diarrhea that cannot be stopped by conventional means. In addition, there may be other symptoms:

A sharp rise in temperature.
Chills and fever.
Pain in the abdominal area may be paroxysmal.
Runny nose, sore throat.
Weakness, lack of appetite and weight loss, anemia.
Indigestion, nausea, vomiting and repeated diarrhea. Diarrhea may have a characteristic clay-like texture and yellow-gray color.

All these symptoms appear within 1-2 days. Since the disease is quite dangerous for children, we will try to find out how to cope with it.

Intestinal flu in children: symptoms and treatment

Rotavirus infection or intestinal flu in children, symptoms and treatment require immediate action. They should be taken after the first signs of the disease and diagnosis. It is placed on the basis of the clinical picture and after a special examination of the stool of a sick child. Now there are test systems that allow you to determine any type of rotavirus. As with any pathology caused by viruses, treatment of intestinal flu is mainly symptomatic.

First of all helping a child is as follows:

Drink plenty of warm drinks. It is advisable to give berry and fruit compotes, tea with lemon. If a child has a tendency to be allergic to the listed products, boiled water will save the situation.
Properly selected diet. You need to feed your baby in small portions. It is best to prepare thin porridges, pureed soups, and vegetable purees for him.
In the first days of the disease, it is necessary to organize bed or semi-bed rest.
In order to prevent asphyxia by vomit, Monitor a child who is awake and asleep.

Basics treatment consists of normalizing salt and water balance and removing toxins. The child is given medications with a rehydration effect. Helps reduce intoxication smecta or Activated carbon. At all Young children with severe diarrhea can be given probiotics from the group of lactobacilli. There are no effective drugs to combat rotavirus infection yet. Stomach flu symptoms and treatment may differ slightly in children and adults.

Intestinal flu, symptoms in adults

Development of rotavirus infection It's a little different for adults than in children. This is due to differences in the digestive system. As a rule, the gastric juice of an adult is more saturated with acid than that of a baby and copes better with viral infections. If the patient has intestinal flu, symptoms in adults appear as follows:

rise in temperature;
chills;
signs of intoxication, nausea;
abdominal pain caused by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines;
loose stools up to 5-8 times a day;

Signs of sore throat, cough and runny nose may appear. In adult patients with good immune protection, the disease occurs in a milder form. Such people improvement occurs within 7-8 days without special treatment. However, in severe cases, as well as to reduce the risk of infecting others, symptomatic treatment is necessary.

Intestinal flu in adults, symptoms and treatment

You should not carry intestinal flu on your feet; in adults, the symptoms and treatment of the disease are interrelated. To avoid disruption of water and salt balance the patient must take one of the following medications:

rehydron solution;
hydrovit forte;
trisol;
trihydrone.

To relieve intoxication, adult patients are advised to take the drug Polysorb. It belongs to modern means that adsorb unwanted substances and toxins in the gastrointestinal tract. Within two to three minutes after administration, the drug begins to actively work.

If in adult patients there is frequent stool, then in this case it is necessary to take medicine furozolidone. In some cases, the patient cannot do without taking digestive enzymes, for example, pancreatin. After recovery, to normalize digestion, adult patients need to “populate” the gastrointestinal tract with beneficial microorganisms. It is recommended here to take Linux, Hilak forte. During the period of illness, if the patient is in satisfactory health, he should remain in semi-bed rest.

How to treat stomach flu

If the diagnosis of intestinal flu is confirmed, symptoms and treatment in children and adults should be adequate to each other. Same as with regular flu the use of antibiotics for rotavirus infection is useless. Viruses, due to their structure, are insensitive to the effects of antibiotics.

All clinical manifestations stomach flu can be divided into three groups:

symptoms of gastritis and colitis;
signs of intoxication;
respiratory phenomena.

How to treat intestinal flu depends on the symptoms that most worsen the patient's condition. Sometimes not only medications, but also additional measures help cope with them.

In the absence of special medications, restore the water-salt balance Drinking plenty of fluids will help. At home, it is enough to dissolve 20 g of table salt, 7 g of soda and 40 g of sugar in a liter of boiled water or chamomile decoction. Take directly after each loose stool. An adult should drink 180 - 200 ml at a time. Depending on age, a child should drink from a few teaspoons to 100 ml.

You can get rid of diarrhea and strengthen your stool using a decoction of burnet roots or oak bark. The role of the sorbent, in the absence of pharmaceuticals, will be performed by a mucous decoction of rice. Rice water alone will not stop diarrhea, but it will absorb all unwanted substances and toxins. Proper nutrition during illness will help the patient quickly cope with the consequences of rotavirus infection. The diet should include enough liquid, compotes, jelly, fruit drinks. Pureed soups, liquid porridges and steam dishes are shown. It is difficult to protect yourself from intestinal flu, but it is possible.

Prevention of intestinal flu

There are two main ways of transmitting rotavirus infection:

fecal - oral;
through the air during close contact.

Intestinal flu pathogens remain active on various surfaces for several hours. Therefore, during your stay in institutions and public places, the best Prevention of intestinal flu is thorough hand washing. If there are sick people in the team, it is advisable to send them home at the first sign of illness. The rest of the team members need to immediately take measures to strengthen their immunity. This may not protect you from the disease, but its course will be easier.

The main type of prevention is timely vaccination. Currently, many parents have a negative attitude towards vaccinations. However, they must reflect that in almost 80% of cases severe diarrhea in children under 5 years of age is caused by intestinal influenza viruses. They are especially dangerous for weakened children. Before refusing vaccination, you need to weigh the pros and cons.

In winter, it is difficult to stop intestinal flu, symptoms and treatment in children and adults require timely assessment and adequate measures. In mild cases, it is enough to simply stay at home for a few days and not go to school or work, and adhere to a gentle regime. In severe cases, hospitalization is indicated.