.jpg)
Acute Gastroenteritis and YouBy Dr. Pankaj Vohra, Member Expert Panel
Acute gastroenteritis is amongst the most common conditions your child can suffer from. Some of its other common names are stomach flu, heat wave related illness, winter diarrhea, viral gastroenteritis and often mislabelled as food poisoning or dysentery (diarrhea with bloody stools).
Acute gastroenteritis could cause a minor illness that may last a few hours or be severe enough to put you in the hospital for several days.
Acute gastroenteritis has various causes and mostly includes viruses and bacteria. Almost every child in the world - no matter where he or she lives, or what the level of hygiene is maintained; will suffer from at least one bout of viral gastroenteritis (most commonly Rotavirus).
Now, here is the key to a fast recovery from gastroenteritis:
- Maintain adequate hydration – as the child loses fluids and salts through vomiting and loose stools, these need to be replaced by fluids. Some of the best options are available at or around your home, and they include water, lemon water, coconut water, lassi, rice water etc. However, if the stools are several, it is important to let the child keep sipping the freely available oral rehydration salt (ORS) solution. Follow the exact instructions on the ORS packets on how to make the solution.
- The two key facts to remember here are that ‘vomiting is self limiting’ and generally resolves in 1-2 days. If the child vomits give him a break for 10 minutes and then re-feed from a spoon so that small quantities are only ingested at a time. Remember, cold fluids are retained better. Anti-vomiting medications prescribed by your doctor are useful but are to be given under medical advice only.
- Diarrhea is also self limiting, but can take a week to resolve. Zinc supplements recommended by your doctor reduces the duration and severity of the illness.
- There is no need for antibiotics unless there is blood in the stool or the baby is premature or there is a specific illness like cholera or cryptosporidium. Stick to your doctor’s advice.
- There is NO good or safe medicine to ‘stop’ the diarrhea. In fact, diarrhea is nature’s way to get rid of the infection!
- Don’t stop feeding the child nutritious food or breastfeeding. You don’t even have to stop feeding milk.
Never should an article like this with tit bits of information stop you from going to the doctor as you would have routinely. However, the aim of the visit should be to confirm the diagnosis, check for hydration status and get appropriate information and medication.
Antibiotics are often prescribed but not required for the most part. Remember, fluids, good food, zinc supplements, combined with your love and patience are the key to management of acute gastroenteritis.
Dr. Pankaj Vohra
Consultant Pediatrics/Pediatric Gastroenterology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi