Enteritis in children is dangerous?

Inflammatory bowel disease in children accounts for nearly one-fifth of all diagnosed enteritis cases in Vietnam. So is enteritis in children dangerous?

The disease can be complicated and affect the normal development of the child. Therefore, we should carefully monitor the health of children and bring them to medical facilities for treatment as soon as possible.

What is inflammatory bowel disease in children?

 

Left picture: Crohn's disease colon; Right picture: Normal colon

Before learning enteritis in children is it dangerous? You need to understand this disease well. Inflammatory bowel disease is the term for inflammation and damage to the digestive system. Common inflammatory bowel diseases include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Enteritis in adults and teenagers over the age of 15 mainly affects the ileum (the last part of the small intestine). While in children under 6 years old, inflammatory bowel disease usually affects only the large intestine and colon.

Inflammatory bowel disease in young children tends to be more complicated and dangerous than in adults. Approximately 77% of cases of enteritis in children complicate pancreatitis, biliary disorders, and adolescent emotional disorders .

Signs identify inflammatory bowel disease in children

The most common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in children are: fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Enteritis can cause other symptoms such as: abdominal pain; flatulence; fever… etc

Is inflammatory bowel disease in children dangerous?

Enteritis in children is a relatively dangerous condition. If left untreated, a baby can become short, sick, and at risk of juvenile depression. The disease can lead to inflammation of other parts of the body, causing lack / infection of the blood, perforation of the intestinal wall or difficulty gaining weight ...

The complications of this disease are often interrelated and difficult to diagnose and treat. The specific complications are as follows:

1. Poor growth and difficulty gaining weight

Inflammation of the bowel makes it difficult for the child to eat and to absorb nutrients. This leads to a lack of proteins, vitamins and minerals necessary for a child's overall development. Therefore, it slows down a child's normal growth and development.

Studies show that in about 10% of cases, children with enteritis are unable to develop normally. Boys tend to develop poorly than girls. In addition, medications for inflammatory bowel disease such as corticosteroids also contribute to slow growth in children.

2. Late puberty

Inflammatory bowel disease in children can delay puberty, especially in girls. Infections can affect the genes that regulate sex hormones. This leads to the development of adipose tissue during puberty in girls and causes obesity .

Late puberty causes sex hormones to delay production and slow down body growth in children. In addition, drugs and treatments for inflammatory bowel disease also affect Sex Hormones and delay puberty.

3. Low bone density

Bone density is a measure of the concentration of calcium and minerals in the bones. Statistics show that about 50% of intestinal inflammatory cases in children lead to low bone density. In addition, drugs that treat inflammatory bowel disease such as corticosteroids also decrease bone density in children and adolescents.

The bones usually develop strongly during adolescence. Children with inflammatory bowel disease often interfere with bone building. This results in mineral-deficient bones that are more prone to fracture, fracture, and damage.

Risk of enteritis in children

Some factors that may increase your risk of the disease include:

Transmission: Rotaviruses and adeno virus are two main viruses that cause enteritis in children. Children are susceptible to the spread of these viruses if they touch objects belonging to an infected person; or the child has a habit of putting his hand in his mouth.

Heredity: Children whose parents or family members have inflammatory bowel disease are usually at higher risk. About 17% of pediatric enteritis patients have a family history of enteritis or inflammation of the digestive system.

Gender: Boys have a higher risk of enteritis than girls. However, after puberty, women are more likely to get Crohn's disease than men. This is explained by changes in Hormone levels in the body leading to a difference in disease incidence.

In addition, diet, stress and psychological instability can increase the risk of enteritis in young children. In addition, children with congenital digestive system defects also increase the likelihood of inflammatory bowel disease, even necrotizing enterocolitis.

How to treat inflammatory bowel disease in children

Children can get enteritis many times and there is no cure for it. However, there are several steps you can take for your child to reduce the risk of complications such as:

1. Get vaccinated 

Infants younger than 15 weeks of age may be given rotavirus vaccine to reduce the risk of enteritis.

2. Supply enough water and avoid dehydration for the baby's body

The best treatment for inflammatory bowel disease is to stay hydrated. "Water" in this case is considered to be different types of liquid.

For babies who are breastfed or weaned , mothers should continue to breastfeed and eat. However, with increasing frequency and quantity.

If the baby is one year old, the mother can give the baby more milk.

Mothers can also offer the following drinks to their child, making sure they are not dehydrated. These waters must be diluted with water at the rate of 5 parts water / 1 part solution: Cordial; Soup; Fruit juice; Carbonated water like lemonade.

However, when your baby has symptoms of diarrhea, mothers SHOULD NOT give the following:

Soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit juices, ... that have not been diluted. Since these drinks contain a lot of sugar, this can make your child's diarrhea worse.

Tea or coffee due to these drinks will cause dehydration of the child.

3. Give your child healthy foods 

Children can still eat as usual, eating adequate foods will help them recover faster.

Children may not eat at all, but mothers should comfort them to quickly recover from illness, and avoid eating nothing for 24 hours.

Use simple starchy foods like bread, porridge, rice, potatoes, yogurt, cookies, and custard.

Avoid certain foods that worsen the child's illness such as fast foods, snacks, chocolates, candies, cakes, ice cream, ...

4. Medicines to treat enteritis in children

Children should not take medicine to relieve diarrhea.

Sometimes, doctors will prescribe antiemetics to children. However, mothers should also limit the use of this drug to children. Because most drugs, even antibiotics, cannot cure viral enteritis. The child's body will have a mechanism to fight off the virus itself.

Diarrhea in children can cause a rash in the anal area, also known as the anal canal. Adults should pay attention to wash and dry the child's anus after each bowel movement. There are also some protective creams or ointments that can be applied to the child.

5. Take your child to see a doctor in case of seriousness

In many cases, if home treatment does not show positive signs. Mothers should bring their children to see a doctor immediately if the child has the following symptoms:

Children under six months old, showing signs of vomiting or diarrhea.

Baby is abnormally sleepy, difficult to wake up.

Children with severe diarrhea, about 8-10 times / day.

Blood or mucus is present in the stool.

Increasing vomiting, being unable to control or drinking or swallowing fluids.

The liquid the child is vomiting is green (bile).

Children have diarrhea continuously for 10 days.

If not properly treated, inflammatory bowel disease in a child can affect the child's normal development. Inflammation of the intestinal tract for a long time will make children grow slowly, malnourished or other unintended consequences. Therefore, parents or caregivers need to watch out for symptoms for timely remedial action.

See more:

Unexpected danger of congenital intestinal obstruction for young children

BATHROOM - The life-threatening illness of children 3 months old - 2 years old

Food allergies in children and how to treat them

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