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Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of
loose or watery, unformed stools. It is one of
nature’s eliminative actions, whereby the intestines
throw off the unwanted matter. As a rough guide, passing
three or four loose stools a day can be considered as
diarrhoea.
Diarrhoea is one of the most common diseases that afflict
infants and young children. It is one of the major
contributors to malnutrition, poor health and inadequate
performance in children. In many countries, it is the
main cause of death among children in this age group. In
the case of acute diarrhoea, they die as their bodies do
not quickly replace enough water and electrolytes
(sodium, potassium etc.) lost in the stools and vomit.
The peak age of incidence, in general, is between six
months and two years. However, where babies under six
months are bottle-fed, can also be affected by this
disease.Symptoms
Diarrhoea in
children is of two types, simple and infective. Simple
diarrhoea may be accompanied by vomiting or griping pain
in the stomach. The child refuses milk, keeps on crying
and cannot sleep.
Infective diarrhoea is, however, a serious disease. It is
the most commonly seen form of diarrhoea in children. It
presents itself in two forms. IN the first form, the
onset is gradual and looseness of the bowels is the first
symptom. There may be five to ten motions a day. Thin and
frequently green they soon show traces of mucus. Usually
fever is also present. It may run into a mild course, or
become progressively worse and turn into inflammatory
diarrhoea.
In the second form, the onset is sudden and marked by
vomiting, fever and numerous loose green motions. In the
beginning, the motions may be large and watery and
contain blood, but later they become green or brown and
contain mucus.
Causes
There are many and
varied causes of diarrhoea in children. Contaminated milk
or infection in the ailmentary canal may cause this
disease in infants. If an infant is breast-fed, the
digestive disorders of the mother can be transmitted to
the child. Diarrhoea is often associated with poor
hygiene and careless preparation of feeds, crowing in
homes and hospitals. Other causes include nervous
irritability, excessive intake of laxatives, parasites,
virus, bacteria. In grown-up children, the cause in all
cases is wrong feeding, especially the intake of large
quantities of protein foods such as meat and fish in hot
weather.
The disease sometimes occurs as a complication of
measles, malaria and other infections outside the gut
such as tonsillitis, and pneumonia. Chronic diarrhoea is
sometimes due to chronic infection of the gut, but is
more often due to damage to the intestines from a
previous acute infection.
Complications
Diarrhoea for
prolonged periods can lead to certain definite
complications. Among these, dehydration poses a serious
problem, especially when disease is accompanied by
vomiting. It can even be fatal if not treated early.
Dehydration is characterised by hot, dry skin over the
abdomen, sunken eyes, dry mouth, intense thirst and
reduced flow of urine. This can usually be prevented if
the child-patient is given plenty of liquids with
electrolytes.
Treatment
A simple
diarrhoea, resulting from digestive disturbances, is
severe. It can pass off with the removal of the cause.
The child should be given the juice of an orange diluted
with water on 50:50 basis for a day. This will help in
improving the condition. Correct dietary method will
prevent further occurrences of the trouble.
In case of infective diarrhoea, the child should rest in
bed. He should be given warm-water enema daily, for the
first two or three days of the treatment to cleanse the
toxins in his bowels. It will expel gas and check
diarrhoea by decreasing rectal tenesmus. He should be
given orange juice and water for a few days. Milk and
solid foods should be avoided at all costs. As soon as
the condition improves, the child may be put on an
exclusive diet of fresh fruits for two or three days.
Thereafter, he may be allowed to gradually embark upon a
regular, well-balanced natural diet, according to his
age, with emphasis on milk, fruit juices, fresh fruits
and steamed vegetables.
Certain home remedies have been found effective in curing
diarrhoea. These include carrot soup, pomegranate and the
butter milk. Carrot soup supplies water to combat
dehydration, replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorus,
calcium sulphur and magnesium. It also supplies pectin
and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It also
checks the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and
prevents vomiting. Half a kg. of carrots may be cooked in
250 ml. of water until it is soft. The pulp should be
strained and boiled water added to make a litre.
Three-quarter tablespoon of salt may be mixed. This soup
should be given in small amounts to the patient every
half an hour.
Pomegranate (anar) has proved useful in controlling
diarrhoea, on account of its astringent properties. It is
especially beneficial in case of weakness due to profuse
and continues purging. The patient should be given about
50 ml. of pomegranate juice to drink at frequent
intervals.
The use of buttermilk is also found beneficial in the
treatment of diarrhoea. It helps overcome intestinal
flora and reestablish the bening or friendly flora. The
acid in the butter milk also fights germs and bacteria. A
cup of buttermilk mixed with a pinch of salt may be taken
three or four times a day for controlling this disease.
The best water treatment for diarrhoea is the application
of abdominal compress at 60 o F. It should be
renewed every 15 to 20 minutes. A cold hip bath for 10
minutes will be beneficial for older children suffering
from diarrhoea. For this bath, ordinary bath tub can be
used. It should be filled with cold water ( 50 o to
65 o F), so as to cover the hips when the
patient sits in it. In case of abdominal pain, hot
fomentation for 15 minutes should be administered every
two hours.
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