Intestinal flu in a child how to treat diarrhea. Intestinal flu in infants symptoms and treatment

intestinal flu in children it occurs at any time of the year, however, the maximum rise in incidence is recorded in autumn and winter. The disease is widespread, large outbreaks often occur, which is associated with the high resistance of pathogens in environment. The risk group is preschool children, by the age of 5, almost 95% of them suffer from intestinal flu in a form of varying severity. The disease ends mostly favorably, but if the baby is not helped in time, serious complications are possible.

Synonymous with stomach flu. This is a polyetiological viral disease, the cause of which can be noroviruses, adenoviruses and astroviruses. Rotaviruses play the most significant role in the development of the pathological process.

Being heterogeneous - heterogeneous - in antigenic composition, they successfully bypass the traps of the immune system, hitting the body over and over again: it simply “does not recognize” the pathogenic particle and does not have time to prevent or reduce its harmful effects. Thus, the risk of re-infection for a child of the first year of life is 30%, and by the age of two, at least 70% of children suffer from intestinal flu twice.

Where could the virus come from?

Rotavirus is very stable in the external environment. He is not afraid of a long, up to several months, freezing, and many cleaning products are not afraid. It is viable with ordinary water chlorination, it remains on household items for a long time - it can be found on dishes, clothes, toys. Quickly dies when heated to 80 degrees.

The source of infection is a sick person. In adults, the disease occurs in an erased or asymptomatic form, many do not even suspect that they are infected and dangerous for children. Similarly, without symptoms, stomach flu can occur in teenagers, but affects people over 60 years of age.

A viral particle can enter the intestines:

  • through dirty hands
  • through contaminated household items, including toys,
  • with water - unboiled spring, from the tap, sea and from the pool, which the child could accidentally swallow,
  • with contaminated food - fruits, vegetables, dairy.

If two latest machinery often provide mass outbreaks, the former are usually "responsible" for point diseases within the family.

It should be remembered: it is enough for a newborn to visit a public place in order to “catch” a dangerous infection.

What's going on inside

Getting into oral cavity, rotaviruses rush to the small intestine and take root in the cells lining its surface. A high reproduction rate allows pests to simultaneously affect a large part of the organ, which naturally leads to a malfunction of the digestive tract. As a result, the absorption of water and electrolytes is impaired. Additionally, a number of complex biochemical processes necessary for the normal digestion of food suffer.

Symptoms

Initially, rotavirus gastroenteritis in 60-70% of children proceeds like a common cold - the child becomes weak, lethargic, there is a slight cough, runny nose and sore throat.

Most common symptoms intestinal flu in children:

  • a sharp increase in temperature, which lasts 2-4 days,
  • weakness, lethargy,
  • loss of appetite up to the complete refusal of food,
  • loose stools (diarrhea) - profuse, watery, frothy, yellow color, with an unpleasant sour smell, from 4-5 times a day in older children and up to 15-20 in babies,
  • rumbling, bloating, especially pronounced in children under one year old,
  • dehydration, loss of important electrolytes - manifested by thirst.

Manifestation of the main symptoms

In young children, the disease occurs with a number of characteristic manifestations:

  • dehydration develops rapidly
  • on the background elevated temperature convulsions, fainting may occur.

Stages of the disease

Usually, the disease ends with recovery already on the 5th - 12th day, but there may be cases when medical assistance is indispensable.

There are three degrees of severity viral infection:

  • mild - minimal intoxication, its symptoms disappear on the second day. The temperature rises no higher than 38 ° C, vomiting appears only 2 - 5 times. Loose stools for 1 - 3 days with a frequency of 2 - 5 times. Symptoms in children in this case disappear already on the 2-3 day of illness,
  • medium-severe - moderate intoxication, lasts up to 5 days, high temperature persists. Vomiting is repeated, up to 10-12 times. Loose stools for 3-5 days with a frequency of 5-15 times. The child gets better only by 4-5 days of illness.
  • severe - obvious intoxication, temperature above 39.5 ° C, repeated vomiting, diarrhea. Severe dehydration, symptoms persist for more than 5 to 7 days.

Complications

If the disease proceeds as a mild form, complications should not be expected. In other situations, dehydration and hypovolemic shock may develop as a result of the rapid loss of a large volume of fluid. Damage to the cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys, accession of otitis, pneumonia, cystitis, etc. is not excluded.

If you suspect a rotavirus infection in an infant, you should immediately consult a doctor! With severe dehydration due to the development of hypovolemic shock, the child may die!

Diagnostics

Signs of intestinal flu can be mistaken for food poisoning, a cold (as you know, young children with SARS can have nausea, vomiting, loose stools). But one should be careful about these "usual" symptoms - under the guise of stomach flu a more dangerous acute intestinal infection, salmonellosis, dysentery, cholera,

Necessary tests for diagnosis:

  • General clinical blood test;
  • Analysis of urine.

And at a late stage of the disease, such studies are included:

  • Immunofluorescent analysis;
  • Linked immunosorbent assay.

In no case should you treat the baby yourself! Only a doctor can make a final diagnosis and prescribe appropriate therapy that will not harm a small patient.

Hand washing is an important procedure that eliminates the appearance of many viruses.

First aid

Symptoms and treatment are closely related. At home before arrival medical worker, the condition of the baby can be alleviated in the following ways:

  • plentiful drink - warm water, compote, tea. The body loses a lot of fluid with vomit and feces, and its balance in the body must be maintained. Ideally, if you give a solution of the drug "Regidron",
  • temperature control, antipyretic use.

It is necessary to monitor the position of the child in bed (a baby up to a year old can choke on his own vomit) and in no case leave him alone.

Treatment

The treatment of intestinal flu in children is based on the following principles:

  • diet and drinking regimen,
  • restoration of water balance,
  • drug therapy with sorbents, probiotics, enzymes,
  • prevention of bacterial complications

The doctor will prescribe a sparing diet that does not irritate the intestines damaged by the virus, rehydration drugs to restore water-salt metabolism (Regidron, Enterodez, Citroglucosolan), sorbents to remove harmful substances (including viruses and toxins) from the intestines ( Activated carbon, "Smekta", "Polysorb"), it is possible to prescribe drugs "Linex", "Acilak", "Lactobacterin". The use of enzymes ("Ermital", "Pancreatin", "Mezim", "Creon") is associated with a violation of a number of biochemical reactions, it is advisable for a faster recovery of the digestive function.

During treatment, the doctor may prescribe activated charcoal to the child.

Diet

In the acute period of the disease, table No. 4 a according to Pevzner is prescribed, followed by a transfer in 1-2 days to table No. 4 b until complete recovery. Compliance with the diet implies the absence in the diet of foods that increase peristalsis, leading to fermentation in the intestinal lumen.

Forbidden

Everything that cannot be digested normally by a diseased intestine is impossible:

  • whole milk (children who are breastfed continue to eat mother's milk; correction of the mother's diet is possible),
  • fatty fermented baked milk and cream,
  • fiber-rich vegetables and fruits (white cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, grapes, plums, apricots, pears),
  • grain, rye bread,
  • rich bakery and confectionery products,
  • carbonated drinks,
  • canned food, smoked meats, sausages,
  • oily fish, meat, broths.

Allowed

  • thermally and mechanically processed vegetables (for example, zucchini puree),
  • cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal),
  • hard boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
  • lean meat, boiled or steamed, lean fish - pollock, pike perch,
  • crackers, dry

It is necessary to use yogurt, kefir, acidophilus. It is permissible to eat baked apples.

How to save a child

Prevention of intestinal flu in children involves, first of all, vaccination. According to specialists of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, at present it is the only effective method protection from illness. Vaccination is allowed from the age of six weeks, it is safe, generally well tolerated, some of the post-vaccination reactions are extremely insignificant - only occasionally can there be diarrhea, vomiting, fever.

But vaccination only protects against rotavirus infection, and other viral organisms can also cause "intestinal flu".

An important role is played by the most simple ways prevention:

  • drink only boiled water,
  • wash hands after walking, before eating,
  • wash fruits, vegetables, herbs, berries before use,
  • increase overall resistance - harden.

Blueberries - great folk remedy against disease

  1. You should not start taking antibiotics on your own, without a doctor's prescription - they will not help to cope with the virus and can even worsen the condition by destroying beneficial bacteria in the intestine.
  2. After the disappearance of the symptoms of the disease, it is still necessary to adhere to a diet, only gradually introducing prohibited foods - the intestines need time to recover.
  3. Do not be afraid to take enzyme preparations - they will only help the digestive system, reduce the load on it.
  4. Do not panic - "intestinal flu" occurs in almost all children, and complications can be easily avoided if you contact a specialist in a timely manner.

Summary

Intestinal (gastric) flu is a disease of viral etiology, which most often means rotavirus gastroenteritis. A common disease that activates in the autumn-winter period is especially dangerous for children under 3 years old and the elderly from 60. At the initial stage, the infection behaves like a cold - the temperature rises, a runny nose, cough, headache appear, and intestinal symptoms develop rapidly in the future. In some cases, medical assistance may be required, otherwise the development of formidable complications will not take long.

Treatment is strictly according to the doctor's prescription. It is imperative to adhere to a sparing diet, even if external signs diseases are gone. Vaccination will help protect against rotavirus infection, and personal hygiene will protect against other viral particles that cause intestinal flu.

Intestinal flu or gastroenteritis - acute infection affecting mainly the small intestine. The infection is accompanied by severe clinical manifestations and requires mandatory medical care. This disease refers to a contagious infection, that is, a disease that can affect a significant number of people and spread rapidly.

This viral infection is most common in early age. Children attending children's groups (kindergartens, schools) are especially susceptible to it. The symptoms of intestinal flu, as well as its treatment in children, differ from the course of the disease and ways to get rid of it in the adult contingent, which suffers from this type of flu much less frequently. The source of infection is a sick person or an unknowing carrier of the virus who has no symptoms of the disease, but the causative virus is present in the body.

Ways of transmission of intestinal flu

Gastroenteritis is another "dirty hand disease" because the intestinal flu virus enters the body mainly through the mouth. Infection with intestinal flu can occur both from a patient and from an outwardly healthy, but having a virus in his body, adult or child. Infection is transmitted in various ways.

  • Through food - unwashed fruits, vegetables, unboiled water.
  • Through dirty hands, children's toys, household items.
  • Airborne droplet (contact healthy person with the patient during a kiss, when coughing or sneezing).

The disease affects adults with various chronic diseases, the elderly, children, people with reduced body immunity. The virus is resistant in the external environment, as well as to the effects of low and high temperatures, remains alive when objects or hands are treated with soapy water.

The virus dies only when exposed to disinfectants containing active chlorine.

The most frequent outbreaks of infection are recorded in autumn and winter in children's educational institutions as a result of non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards in food preparation.

Mechanism of influence

Having penetrated into the human body, the intestinal influenza virus, belonging to the group of nora- and rotaviruses, infects the mucous membrane small intestine. As a result of the toxic effect of the pathogen, the mechanism for the production of certain enzymes necessary for the breakdown of sugars is disrupted. The developing pathological process disrupts the absorption of food by the villi of the mucous membrane of the small intestine and the regulation of fluid metabolism.

Due to the development of this pathology, severe diarrhea and dehydration of the body occur, requiring immediate assistance. Isolation of the virus from the body with feces in the feces is possible already on the first day after infection.

Symptoms of the disease

The onset of the disease does not differ in the characteristic features for this pathology, therefore, in the early stages of the development of the infection, the diagnosis can be difficult. With the aggravation of the patient's condition and an increase in the symptoms of the disease in the form of liquid stool and fever, the diagnosis becomes clearer. Intestinal influenza in its development goes through several stages.

  1. Incubation period
    The latent or latent period of the disease can range from several hours to three to five days. At this stage of the disease, symptoms characteristic of respiratory infections are noted. There is a slight increase in temperature to subfebrile numbers (37.2 - 37.5 degrees), redness of the throat, hyperemia of the sclera of the eyes, general malaise.
  2. Acute stage
    In the further course of intestinal influenza, a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition occurs. The symptoms of the disease are increasing. Against the background of elevated temperature (up to 38 degrees), nausea, vomiting appear undigested food, abdominal pain, diarrhea. Fecal masses are frothy in nature. There is general weakness, lack of appetite. Liquid stools are protracted. This is a typical clinical picture of the disease.

Intestinal flu can be atypical. Of the clinical manifestations, it is possible to develop a slight pain syndrome, malaise, increased intestinal motility, manifested by rumbling in the abdomen and a decrease in appetite. The infection can also occur without diarrhea. But in 90% of cases, intestinal flu is accompanied by diarrhea. With an atypical form of the disease, the development of a virus carrier is also possible.

Intestinal flu in adults symptoms and treatment may vary, depending on clinical picture, the severity of the disease, individual features sick.


Due to damage to the intestinal mucosa, the fluid introduced into the body is not absorbed, which leads to dehydration. Vomiting and diarrhea further aggravate the dangerous process, manifested by thirst, dry skin, small amounts of urine and low skin turgor. With prolonged diarrhea, the development of dysbacteriosis is possible, which leads to a change in the normal intestinal microflora. With untimely provision of medical care, progression of dehydration is possible.

Diagnosis of the disease

The symptoms of intestinal flu are not specific. In addition to the clinical manifestations of the disease, the diagnosis is confirmed laboratory diagnostics which includes the following blood and urine tests:

  • complete blood count (in case of intestinal flu, leukocytosis, elevated ESR are detected);
  • urinalysis - (protein appears, sometimes hyaline cylinders);
  • PCR study;
  • RPG research;
  • stool culture for the presence of the virus.

Intestinal flu in adults

Intestinal flu symptoms and treatment in adults have their own characteristics. In adults, infection occurs mainly by airborne droplets or by drinking unboiled water. With an atypical course of the disease, the symptoms are mild, so intestinal flu is often mistaken for indigestion. The pathological process in this case is localized mainly in the stomach and intestines. Uncharacteristic of intestinal flu are catarrhal phenomena in the form of an itchy throat, stuffy nose, headache.

The process goes according to the type of general intoxication with manifestations of gastroenterocolitis. Patients are concerned about general weakness, pain in the muscles, in the abdomen, the presence subfebrile temperature(37.2 - 37.3 degrees), loose stools more than three times a day. As a rule, the disease lasts no more than three days. Consequences and complications with timely and proper treatment intestinal flu does not.

In rare cases, it is possible to develop lingering current diseases with the development of symptoms of dehydration, especially in the elderly and patients with chronic diseases internal organs.


In elderly patients, intestinal flu can be complicated by dehydration. In order to prevent further progression of body fluid loss, solutions are administered intravenously.

Intestinal flu in children

Intestinal flu in children has its own symptoms and treatment. In pediatrics, children with intestinal flu are always under the special supervision of a doctor, since the symptoms of this infection are accompanied by a pronounced intoxication syndrome.

Within a few hours after the virus enters the body, the child becomes a distributor of the infection. It is the high contagiousness of the virus and the short incubation period that explain the outbreaks of intestinal flu that occur from time to time in children's institutions.The clinical manifestations of this infectious disease are much more severe than in adults.

For children, intestinal flu poses a great danger due to the rapid increase in symptoms of intoxication.

Severe enterocolitis develops with symptoms of nausea, vomiting of undigested food, diarrhea up to 20 times a day. Against the background of dehydration, the stool becomes light in color with an unpleasant odor, and the urine becomes darker and more concentrated.

Since the children's contingent is a risk group for gastroenterocolitis of various etiologies, it becomes necessary to differentiate intestinal flu from infections such as salmonellosis, cholera, and food poisoning. The similarity of the clinical symptoms of the disease in the form of vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, allows you to distinguish one infection from another and make the correct diagnosis, using laboratory tests. In this case, a bacterial culture of feces for these infections is prescribed.

Treatment of the intestinal flu

Influenza treatment is carried out in a hospital with moderate disease and is prescribed taking into account the clinical manifestations of the disease, individual characteristics, the presence of complications in the form of dehydration. The treatment strategy is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of the disease and preventing dehydration (symptomatic treatment). In this case, apply:

  • antipyretic drugs;
  • detoxification therapy;
  • enzyme preparations.

With intestinal disorders, it is possible to use astringents, adsorbents, such as activated charcoal, Smecta. For pain, pain relievers.

Due to the viral nature of intestinal flu, the use of antibiotics is not required. Antibiotics are indicated only in case of infection (ARI, SARS).

First of all, with severe symptoms of the disease and to relieve dehydration, it is prescribed intravenous administration saline solutions. With milder symptoms of the course of the disease, a solution of Regidron inside is indicated.
In order to reduce the temperature, Paracetamol is indicated. Of the enzyme preparations that improve the work of the gastrointestinal intestinal tract- Mezim, Festal. In order to restore the intestinal microflora - Lactobacterin, Linex. It is also possible to use antiviral drugs - Anaferon, Interferon.
Children under three years of age are subject to mandatory hospitalization, as dangerous signs of dehydration can grow in them very quickly.

Treatment of intestinal flu in adults with a mild course of the disease can also occur at home. The necessary therapy and medicines are prescribed by the attending physician, who also conducts follow-up follow-up. In addition to taking medications, necessary condition to restore bowel function is the drinking regimen.
In the treatment of the disease, an important condition for recovery and restoration of bowel function is diet. Food must be subjected to certain processing, that is, cooking food only by steaming or stewing. The following foods are to be excluded from the diet:

  • fatty meats;
  • canned foods;
  • smoked meat and fish products;
  • whole milk;
  • cheeses;
  • alcoholic and tonic drinks;
  • spicy seasonings;
  • fresh juices;
  • confectionery.

The diet necessarily includes cereals on the water, dietary meat of chicken, rabbit, turkey, soups in vegetable broth.

A good addition to medications will be the treatment of influenza with folk remedies.

  • Use mineral water without gas good effect when restoring salt metabolism.
  • An infusion of alder cones helps fight diarrhea.
  • An infusion of walnut leaves stops diarrhea and is a good anti-inflammatory agent.
  • A spoonful of honey dissolved in water, with the addition lemon juice, has a beneficial effect on the intestines in recovery period illness.

Prevention of intestinal flu

Disease prevention is important point in warning this infectious disease. Since intestinal flu is a “disease of unwashed hands”, it is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene. Thorough washing of hands, vegetables, fruits, will help prevent disease. In addition, wearing a protective mask in crowded places during the autumn-winter epidemics significantly reduces the risk of disease.

Indigestion in a child is not such a rarity. However, such a phenomenon as intestinal flu in children should by no means be ignored. This can lead to a number of complications, which can be dealt with only by timely treatment. The causes, symptoms and other features of the intestinal flu will be discussed later.

AT childhood The disease is characterized by an acute onset. After a short incubation period(no more than two or three days), temperature indicators increase, symptoms of a febrile syndrome occur, vomiting and diarrhea begin. AT feces bloody streaks may appear, such an acute period of intestinal flu in a child usually lasts about seven days.

Subsequently, the clinical picture is supplemented:

  1. Painful sensations in the abdomen. A child with intestinal flu usually experiences cramping pains in the abdomen. Most often they have varying degrees intensity.
  2. Runny nose, sore throat and sneezing. A pattern has been noticed in connection with which intestinal flu forms immediately before an outbreak of the usual form this disease. In this case, the symptoms of a gastrointestinal problem will be supplemented by signs of infection.
  3. Loss of appetite and weakness. For seven or more days of illness human body, especially for children, can be seriously depleted. At the same time, facial features are sharpened, blood pressure indicators may decrease.

Just as often, intestinal flu in childhood is associated with a mild degree of anemia. Speaking of this, experts pay attention to reduced level hemoglobin in the blood, slight dizziness and pallor skin. In order to cope with the disease much faster, it is important to determine not only the causes, but also the main ways of infection.

Causes and ways of infecting a child with stomach flu

The method of infection with intestinal flu is most often fecal-oral, which is facilitated by dirty hands and unwashed food.

Also note the dependence on time when. As noted earlier, in childhood, intestinal flu most often occurs in winter, when the child's body and immunity are aggravated.

Once in the child's body, the virus, which boasts a strong protein shell, easily passes through the stomach and even becomes fixed in the area small intestine. As a result, this provokes a severe violation of fermentation, as well as the absorption capacity of the intestine. Given the more than unpleasant symptoms and the likelihood of aggravation of the child's condition, it is recommended to start therapy for intestinal flu as early as possible.

Treatment of intestinal flu in children

For successful therapy in this case, it is important to restore the water-salt balance. The most common drug used in this case is Regidron. Pay attention to the fact that:

  • in its absence or inaccessibility at home, it will be possible to prepare a solution that includes one tsp. salt and a liter of boiled water;
  • every 60 minutes it is necessary to use 50 ml of such a solution, in the remaining time it is strongly recommended to use ordinary, but boiled water;
  • you can not drink a significant amount of water at once, because in the vast majority of cases this is associated with the development of emetic reactions.

Further, it is imperative to ensure the neutralization of the heat, which is necessary when the temperature reaches 38 degrees. However, the choice of a specific dosage form not so simple. It depends largely on what kind of symptoms prevail: vomiting or diarrhea.

In the first case, rectal suppositories will be the best remedy, in the second - syrup or tablet form. If it is known in advance that the child tolerates fat very poorly and is difficult, in no case should you wait for the temperature to rise - the medicine can be taken immediately after the onset of intestinal flu. It must also be remembered that:

  • if the drug does not have time to be absorbed due to vomiting or diarrhea, measures such as rubbing water at a comfortable temperature with vinegar will be effective;
  • the restoration of the intestinal microflora is necessarily ensured;
  • for the presented purpose, drugs such as Linex, Bifiform and others are used, because they contain beneficial bifidobacteria in their composition.

As part of the basic recovery course of a child with intestinal flu, special attention is paid to diet. So, at the initial stage, the best and healthiest food will be either low-fat chicken broth or rice boiled in water.

Under 100% ban are various juices, as well as milk, any fatty or just heavy food. Then, on about the third day, you can eat porridge on the water, cottage cheese and lean meat. Talking about nutrition as part of the treatment, pay attention to other features:

  1. In a child under one year old, fermented milk mixtures should be the main food for the duration of the disease. To improve the taste and increase nutritional value, they are diluted with either rice water or water.
  2. It is strongly recommended to switch to the normal diet of the baby gradually. It is best to do this only after the disappearance of all clinical manifestations indicating indigestion.
  3. Regardless of the age category of the child, the diet for intestinal flu implies fairly frequent feeding in small portions. Failure to comply with the presented rule is fraught with complications. The fact is that this leads to an additional burden on the digestive system, and relapses of vomiting or diarrhea are not excluded.

The final requirement in terms of treatment and diet should be the restriction of carbohydrates, especially sweets. If we talk about the diet of the baby after the intestinal flu, then it suggests usual calorie content dishes and, at the same time, ease in terms of digestion. Fried, smoked and spicy foods are unacceptable for consumption. Also, in no case should you eat foods that contain a lot of seasonings or store-bought sauces.

How to give first aid

Given the acute symptoms of intestinal flu and the characteristics of the child's body, parents should know everything about how to provide first aid. First of all, the child will need to be provided with a warm and, if possible, fortified drink. We are talking about compotes, teas or just boiled water. Equally important will be:


As a specialized prevention against intestinal flu in childhood, vaccination is provided. However, there are also non-specific measures, which, first of all, consist in strict observance of elementary standards of personal hygiene. It is strongly recommended to use exclusively purified or treated water, which is most important at the time when outbreaks of respiratory viral infections are recorded.

Also, parents should teach the child to wash their hands without fail after visiting public places, to use only clean, thoroughly washed vegetables and fruits. When swimming in ponds or public pools, it is highly recommended to avoid swallowing water.

Vitaminization and strengthening of the body in childhood are also extremely important. We are talking about the use of vitamin and mineral complexes, the use of exceptionally healthy and fresh food. It is no less important to accustom the child to moderate physical activity and, if this is perceived by the baby as normal, to hardening. In this case, a strong body, if it encounters an intestinal flu, will survive it with minimal losses.

Intestinal flu in children is a common disease, often reminiscent of the autumn-winter period. The severity may depend on the age of the child. The younger, the more severe the disease. The child's body is not formed, does not resist the invasion of a viral infection. Viruses cause flu-like symptoms in children. The article discusses in detail the intestinal flu and its symptoms.

Gastric or intestinal flu is an acute viral pathology that affects the gastrointestinal tract. The disease has become widespread. The frequency increases during the cold seasons of the year. Young children in the first years of life are often affected. Rarely occurs intestinal flu in adolescents, young people.

The symptoms and causes of stomach flu are often caused by an invading viral infection. The professors 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 flu-like symptoms.

Similar symptoms coli in children.

Ways of infection

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

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

  1. Alimentary infection. Pathogens enter the child's body with unwashed fruits and vegetables. You can get infected with poor-quality expired milk, meat products.
  2. can be transmitted through unwashed hands.
  3. Stomach flu in children can be transmitted through water contaminated with the appropriate strain of the virus, bacteria.
  4. An airborne route of infection with viral stomach flu is possible. The causative agent is transmitted from a person when talking, sneezing.
  5. Signs of intestinal flu are observed during the contact-household route of infection of a child. It is enough for the kid to hold in his hands the toy that the sick child played the day before, to hold on to the door handle in kindergarten, school.

Virus persistence in the environment

Rotavirus influenza is resistant and viable. A variety of infectious pathogen is able to withstand heating to a temperature of 60 degrees, freezing.

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

Clinical manifestations of the disease

Parents should understand what the symptoms of intestinal flu mean in a baby, how to treat intestinal flu. First clinical manifestations intestinal flu - symptoms similar to respiratory infections. The child is worried about a sore throat, cough. There is mucous discharge from the nasal passages.

Clinical signs resolve on their own. There are symptoms of an intestinal disorder. The sequence distinguishes the intestinal flu from another infection that affects the child's digestive tract. The latter begin with manifestations of dyspepsia.

Typical clinical symptoms

Rotavirus infection, stomach flu proceeds according to a characteristic pattern:

  1. The appearance of pain, congestion of the throat and nose. On examination, the throat in young children is hyperemic.
  2. Catarrhal phenomena of the upper respiratory tract- cough and runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness.
  3. Diarrhea develops on day 2-3. In mild stages of the disease, diarrhea is recorded up to 10 times a day. Stool grayish color, pungent odor. At severe forms disease, the number of urges to defecate reaches 50 times a day.
  4. The child complains of pain in the abdomen. Periodically, the baby feels a seething in the tummy, bloating. The child is in excruciating pain. He screams, thumps his feet.
  5. The temperature in newborns is subfebrile, reaches febrile numbers.
  6. Nausea and vomiting, frequent diarrhea lead to the development of dehydration in the child.
  7. Signs of intoxication - the child is lethargic, does not sleep well or is excessively sleepy. Skin color is pale. Facial features are sharpened.

Clinical forms of intestinal flu

To deal with intestinal flu, symptoms, you need to know the distinguished forms of severity of the disease.

Classification of the disease according to signs:

  1. According to the severity of the condition, the disease is mild, moderate, severe.
  2. Clinical manifestations distinguish - 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, flow erased. A typical form also occurs in the monthly, one year old baby. Atypical form typical for teenagers. 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 inpatient treatment.

Possible Complications

Rotavirus is an infection that rarely causes serious complications. This happens when the timely treatment is started.

The lack of adequate care for children under one year old leads to the development of unpleasant complications from the intestinal flu. It happens if a child has a significant decrease in the body's immune defenses.

A complication is severe dehydration, which can lead to the development of hemodynamic disorders. Intoxication of the expressed stage can lead to the development of acute renal failure.

Perhaps the accession of a secondary bacterial infection. This is Escherichia or other types of pathogenic sticks. For the treatment of children, antibiotics with a wide therapeutic spectrum are prescribed.

With careful supervision of the child, adequate treatment, avoid the development of these conditions. The attending physician will examine the child, determine what to do, whether it is possible to take antibacterial drugs.

Diagnosis of intestinal flu

An experienced pediatrician or infectious disease specialist can determine the diagnosis by the first clinical manifestations. Often, viral and bacterial infections show significant external similarities. Under the guise of influenza, salmonellosis, dysentery can be hidden. Possible development of food poisoning. To differentiate between intestinal infections, bacteriological studies are prescribed.

Virus particles are too small to be seen under a microscope. Bacterial infections are detected. The causative agent is distinguished by the characteristic color of the cell nucleus.

Useful and reliable diagnostic information is obtained during research:

  1. Polymerase chain reactions.
  2. Methods of immunofluorescent analysis.
  3. ELISA research.

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

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

  • General blood analysis.
  • General urine analysis.
  • Analysis of feces for a coprogram, bacteriological culture.

Analyzes reveal signs in the body inflammatory process Check for possible bacterial infection.

Principles of treatment

No specific drug has been developed to treat the cause of the disease. Therapeutic activities differ in directions:

  1. Detoxification therapy.
  2. Measures to eliminate signs of dehydration.
  3. Restoration of the functions of the urinary system.
  4. Restoration of the cardiovascular system.
  5. Symptomatic therapy.
  6. Preventive measures aimed at preventing secondary bacterial infection.

Drink medications possible with the permission of the attending physician. Do not expose the life and health of the baby to danger, being carried away by self-medication. If you find signs of an intestinal disease in a child under one year old, call a pediatrician at home. The doctor will give a referral to the hospital if necessary. With a mild form of the disease, children are on sick leave on an outpatient basis. The moderate or severe form requires the treatment of patients with intestinal pathology in an infectious diseases hospital.

Until the doctor arrives, give the child first aid.

First aid at home

If you find signs of a respiratory infection in a child in combination with symptoms of an intestinal disorder, let's drink more.

If vomiting does not stop, the drink is given in a teaspoon at regular intervals. An abundant amount of water is not retained in the baby's stomach, provokes a new attack of vomiting. Pour boiled water, tea. The effect is saline solutions Regidron type. Brew medicinal herbs from folk recipes. You should drink a lot, but fractionally.

Supervise the position of the child in bed so that he does not choke on vomit. Turn the baby's head on its side, do not leave unattended. Choose the right pose! Harmful posture lying on the back for babies.

Check your child's body temperature. If it rises from 38 degrees, do not tolerate it, take antipyretic drugs based on Paracetamol. Such medicines are given to a child who is one month old.

The healing condition is a sparing lactose-free diet. Do not force your child to force feed if he has no appetite. Offer to drink regularly. Dishes should be cooked in a steam, boiled form. Nutrition of patients with intestinal infection- sparing, fractional.

Medical treatment

Full course drug therapy carried out over 10 days. Anti-epidemiological agents help to raise the body's immune defenses, prevent the spread of the disease. Pathogenetic treatment 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, dehydration increases, switch to intravenous infusions. They are carried out in the conditions of the infectious diseases department of the hospital for acute life threatening states. Inside, use Enterodez, Regidron. 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 appointment helps to quickly cleanse the body of viral particles, bacterial toxins.

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

If the child has a fever, fever, chills, give antipyretic drugs. Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Nurofen - medicines for children are available in the form rectal suppositories, potions, syrups for oral administration.

Enzymes are prescribed to the child to normalize the digestive processes. With rotavirus infection, there is a decrease in the normal enzymatic function of the intestine - it must be maintained so that the child's body can adequately absorb the incoming nutrients. The enzymatic preparations Creon, Mezim, Pancreatin proved the effectiveness.

Diet food

The diet for gastric flu is considered sparing. The child is fed with slimy, boiled soups, semi-liquid porridges on the water. Serve meat dishes in a pureed boiled, steamed form.

Strong meat broths in the acute period of the disease are categorically contraindicated. Boil soup in vegetable broth. Fish, fish dishes are recommended to be given to the child in a boiled form. Prepare fish soufflé, cutlets from low-fat varieties a couple of fish.

It is better to give yesterday's bread, slightly stale. Cookies or crackers - low-fat, not rich. Give the baby biscuits for tea, compote. During the illness, it is strictly forbidden to give the child whole fresh milk, dairy products. Fresh vegetables, fruits, pickles, marinades are excluded from the diet. Smoked, fatty foods are prohibited. Serve vegetables, fruits in a baked, boiled form. Prepare mashed potatoes with a pinch of salt, sugar.

You need to return to your normal diet gradually. The whole process takes a month.

Disease prevention

Intestinal influenza caused by rotavirus infection is distinguished by specific prevention through vaccination. No specific prophylaxis has been identified for other viruses. It remains to comply general rules preventing infectious diseases of the digestive tract.

To avoid infection with intestinal flu, follow general hygiene rules:

  1. Avoid contact with patients 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.
  2. If there is a patient with an intestinal infection in the house, he uses separate utensils and household items. The room and household utensils are disinfected.
  3. Wash hands when coming from the street or from public places, as well as after contact with a sick or carrier of viral intestinal flu. Also, do this procedure after going to the toilet and before eating.

Intestinal flu in children is a consequence of infection of the body with various viruses. It most often affects babies aged 2 to 3 years. Viral enteritis is a dangerous disease. It gives such complications as chronic colitis, hypovolemia, ulcers and erosion of the stomach. Dehydration of the body also belongs to the adverse consequences of the pathology.

Types of intestinal flu viruses

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

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

Children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky recalls the inadmissibility of children drinking raw milk and water, poorly processed meat, dirty vegetables and fruits. From an early age, it is important to instill hygiene skills in babies and prevent them from sitting at the table with unwashed hands. This is the only way to protect yourself from the intestinal flu.

Symptoms of viral enteritis

With the first symptoms of intestinal flu, the child's body is faced a day after infection. The child has abdominal pain, weakness and nausea. Vomiting opens up to 15 p. per day. The baby refuses to eat, his body temperature rises to 38 - 39 ° C.

Intestinal symptoms of viral enteritis are manifested by multiple liquid stools (up to 10-15 rubles per day). The color of stool products may change. Sometimes bloody streaks are visible in the feces. Rumbling occurs in the right side of the abdomen at the place where the small intestine passes.

Understanding that a child is developing intestinal flu relieves signs of a cold, intoxication and dehydration:

  1. runny nose;
  2. sore throat;
  3. nausea;
  4. vomit;
  5. lethargy;
  6. fainting;
  7. headache;
  8. dizziness;
  9. enlarged lymph nodes;
  10. tearless crying in the baby;
  11. parched lips and marbled skin;
  12. prolonged absence of urination, with intermittent emission of dark, foul-smelling urine.

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

Diagnosis and treatment of intestinal flu

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

Therapy of an infectious condition is reduced to several measures:

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

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

To adjust the stool and remove toxins, children are given antidiarrheal drugs and enterosorbents - Smecta, Polypefan, Activated charcoal, Motilium. To prevent bacterial damage to the intestines, antimicrobial agents are used - Enterol or Enterofuril.

High temperature with viral enteritis is knocked down with antipyretic drugs:

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

When the baby refuses to eat, it is not necessary to force-feed him. It is useful to organize drinking - frequent and in small portions. It is forbidden to drink juices, soda and milk during the period of illness. The baby is given rice water, purified water, raisin infusion, unsweetened tea. Fatty broths, spices, raw vegetables and fruits, salty and spicy, beans are excluded from the diet.

The nutrition of infants who are on breastfeeding does not change. Children continue to suckle at the breast, and "artists" continue to eat fermented milk mixtures. While treatment is in progress, no complementary foods are administered.

Once acute manifestations pathologies subside, bread, fruit purees, lean meat are introduced into the diet. Products are steamed or boiled. Do not give fried food to the baby. After a week, the menu is gradually enriched with fermented milk products and diluted milk is added at the end.

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

The body does not develop a strong 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 for neglecting prevention.

Hello dear readers. Today we will talk about the flu, which affects the digestive system. In this article, you will learn what the 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 the intestinal flu

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

Once in the body of a baby, the virus adversely affects the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, as a rule, the ciliated epithelium of the small intestine suffers. There is a violation of the process of digestion of food, it cannot be broken down normally, 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 should be noted that this disease is most severe in children. Since an adult has strong immunity, he can become a carrier of this virus, while he himself will feel normal, while spreading pathogens in his environment.

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

As a rule, the acute period lasts up to seven days, and after the same time, recovery occurs. But it should be borne in mind that during such a period a person can still infect people who closely communicate with him.

There are three forms of the course of the disease:

  1. 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, lasts up to three days.
  2. Medium-hard. Symptoms 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.
  3. Heavy. The strongest intoxication of the body, hyperthermia over 39.5 degrees, very frequent vomiting and diarrhea, pronounced dehydration. Recovery does not begin until the seventh day.

Fortunately, my little son did not face the intestinal flu, and in general, there were no such cases in the circle of my friends children. But once, my teacher mowed down the intestinal flu (she was 23 years old). She then got very tired. Due to profuse vomiting, she was hospitalized, placed under a drip. She couldn't eat anything for days useful material and glucose entered 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 it feels Small child when he catches a virus, and his body hits the 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 clusters of children.

  1. When a child eats unwashed vegetables and fruits, stale foods, drinks unboiled water.
  2. If the rules of personal hygiene are not observed.
  3. Contact - household. When using toys or personal hygiene items of an infected baby.
  4. Airborne by droplet when communicating with a sick person.

Intestinal flu symptoms in children

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

Typical primary symptoms are:

  1. A sharp jump in temperature.
  2. Frequent and profuse vomiting.
  3. Diarrhea up to 15 times a day.
  4. Redness of the throat, runny nose, cough.
  5. Painful sensations in the abdomen.
  6. Lack of appetite.
  7. General deterioration in health.

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

  1. Weakness, lethargy, capriciousness.
  2. Weeping with dry eyes is characteristic.
  3. The child is less likely to empty the bladder.
  4. Urine darkens, a sharp unpleasant odor appears.

Complications of the disease

  1. hypovolemic shock.
  2. Violation of the working capacity of the cardiovascular system.
  3. The development of pathologies of the kidneys, liver.
  4. Otitis.
  5. Cystitis.
  6. Pneumonia.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics includes the following research methods:

  1. General analysis of urine and blood.
  2. Linked immunosorbent assay.
  3. immune fluorescence.

Diet

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

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

  1. Cereals boiled in water (mainly buckwheat or oatmeal).
  2. Cooked vegetables.
  3. Meat of low-fat varieties (rabbit, chicken).
  4. Drying, crackers.
  5. Dairy products, in particular, acidophilus, kefir and yogurt, but with a small percentage of fat.

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

  1. It is necessary to feed the little one, but it should be borne in mind that portions should be small, however, frequent.
  2. On the first day after an exacerbation of the disease, you need to reduce the amount eaten per day to 40%.
  3. On the third day, you need to slightly increase the amount of food eaten, and the duration of the intervals between meals.
  4. Only on the fifth day you can bring the amount consumed to the usual norm.
  5. On the recommendation of a doctor, you can partially replace breast-feeding lactose-free mixture, since during infection with rotavirus infection, dairy products are difficult to digest by the body.

First aid

It is important that parents begin first aid for the baby before the arrival Ambulance or the doctor will come to your home. The condition of a toddler with profuse vomiting and severe diarrhea can deteriorate very quickly, there is a risk of dehydration, which is why it is so important to help the child in time and somehow alleviate his condition.

  1. First of all, take care of sufficient and even plentiful drinking. It is important that the little one gets it as much and as often as possible. You need to drink mainly water in order to restore the lost fluid from the body due to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as to normalize the water-salt balance.
  2. If the baby vomits, you need to lay him on his side to prevent choking.
  3. Keep track of temperatures. If hyperthermia is above 38 degrees, and the condition of the little one is noticeably worsening, give antipyretics without waiting for the arrival of doctors.
  4. If the child has not lost his appetite, then you can feed the baby. Just give the little one light, boiled food.

The course of taking medications includes the following drugs:

  1. Antidiarrheal drugs: Smecta, Hilak-Forte, Baktisubtil. In order to neutralize the action of toxins, enterosorbents are prescribed: Filtrum, Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum.
  2. Rehydration agents: Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Enterodez. These drugs are prescribed to maintain the balance of water in the body of the baby.
  3. Antipyretic, if the baby has a fever. Choose the drug that is more suitable for your child, Panadol, Nurofen.
  4. Probiotics. It is mandatory to take such medications to restore the intestinal microflora. The following drugs may be prescribed: Acylact, Linex, Bifistim, Bifiform.
  5. Enzymatic preparations: Mezim, Pancreatin, Creon. Such medications can be prescribed to a child, since, at the time of illness, the digestive organs suffer greatly, a large load goes to the liver and pancreas.

Remember that at the first symptoms of a rotavirus infection, you should immediately contact your pediatrician. Only a doctor will be able to determine the exact diagnosis, if necessary, prescribe clinical researches 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 ruin the child, you can’t do without the help of an experienced specialist.

Preventive methods

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

  1. Teach your toddler to personal hygiene.
  2. Isolate the child from contact with infected people.
  3. Vegetables and fruits must be washed thoroughly.
  4. Do not drink raw water.
  5. Fish and meat should be consumed only after deep cooking.

Any treatment viral disease 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 viral nature that is difficult to eliminate.

Intestinal flu symptoms in children

Pathogen so-called intestinal flu children have rotaviruses. In the people, the disease is called intestinal flu. Despite the fact that the causative agents of diseases are different, both influenza and intestinal flu, the symptoms in children are very similar.

As a rule, these diseases begin acutely. Against the background of full health the child suddenly becomes lethargic. In the first hours, the disease is manifested not only by intestinal disorders, but also by respiratory symptoms.

Like the flu 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 controlled by conventional means.. In addition, there may be other symptoms:

  1. A sharp rise in temperature.
  2. Chill and feverish condition.
  3. Pain in the abdomen, may be paroxysmal in nature.
  4. Runny nose, sore throat.
  5. Weakness, lack of appetite and weight loss, anemia.
  6. Indigestion, nausea, vomiting and repeated diarrhea. The diarrhea may have a characteristic clay-like texture and a 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 deal 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 put on the basis of the clinical picture and after a special study of the feces of a sick child. Now there are test systems that can detect any type of rotavirus. As with any pathology caused by viruses, the treatment of intestinal flu is mainly symptomatic.

Primarily child support is:

  • Plentiful warm drink. 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.
  • The right diet. Feed your baby in small portions. It is best to cook him sparse cereals, pureed soups, vegetable purees.
  • In the first days of the disease, it is necessary to organize bed rest or semi-bed rest.
  • In order to prevent asphyxia by vomit, keep an eye on the awake and sleeping baby.

Main treatment consists in normalizing the salt and water balance and removing toxins. The child is given drugs with a rehydration effect. Helps reduce toxicity smecta or Activated carbon. At all small children at severe diarrhea Can you give probiotics? from the group of lactobacilli. Effective drugs to combat rotavirus infection does not yet exist. Intestinal flu symptoms and treatment in children and adults may have some differences.

Intestinal flu symptoms in adults

The development of rotavirus infection adults are a little different. than in children. This is due to differences in the digestive system. Usually, gastric juice an adult is more saturated with acid than a baby and cope better with viral lesions. If the patient has stomach 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;

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

Intestinal flu in adults, symptoms and treatment

You should not endure the intestinal flu on your feet; in adults, the symptoms and treatment of the disease are interconnected. To avoid disturbance of water and salt balance the patient must take one of the following drugs:

  • rehydron solution;
  • hydrovit forte;
  • trisol;
  • trihydrone.

To relieve intoxication, adult patients are shown to take the drug Polysorb. It refers to modern means adsorbing unwanted substances and toxins in the gastrointestinal tract. Within two to three minutes after taking the drug begins to work actively.

If adult patients have frequent stool, in which case it is necessary to take medicine furozolidone. In some cases, the patient cannot do without taking digestive enzymes, for example, pancreatin. After recovery, in order to normalize digestion, adult patients need to “populate” the gastrointestinal tract with beneficial microorganisms. Here it is recommended to take Linex, Hilak forte. During the period of illness, with a satisfactory state of health, the patient should lead a semi-bed rest.

How to treat stomach flu

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

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

  1. symptoms of gastritis and colitis;
  2. signs of intoxication;
  3. respiratory events.

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

In the absence of special medicines, restore the water-salt balance drinking plenty of water 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 in a decoction of chamomile. Take immediately after each loose stool. An adult should drink 180 - 200 ml at a time. Drink for a child, depending on age, from a few teaspoons to 100 ml.

You can get rid of diarrhea and strengthen the stool with a decoction of burnet roots or oak bark. The role of the sorbent, in the absence pharmaceutical products, will perform a slimy decoction of rice. By itself, rice water will not stop diarrhea, but it will absorb all unwanted substances and toxins. Proper nutrition during illness will help the patient to quickly cope with the consequences of rotavirus infection. The diet should have enough liquid, compotes, jelly, fruit drinks. Pureed soups, liquid porridges and steam dishes are shown. Protecting yourself from the intestinal flu is difficult, but possible.

Prevention of intestinal flu

There are two main modes of transmission of rotavirus infection.:

  1. fecal - oral;
  2. through the air with close contact.

The causative agents of intestinal flu remain active on various surfaces for several hours. Therefore, during the period of stay in institutions and public places, the best flu prevention is thorough hand washing. If there are sick people in the team, then it is advisable to send them home at the first sign of malaise. The rest of the team needs to immediately take measures to strengthen immunity. This may not save you from the disease, but its course will be easier.

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

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