PT Health Life – Digestive disorders in children affect the child’s absorption and future development. Therefore, it is necessary to detect and treat it promptly to avoid unfortunate consequences that may occur.
1. Why are children susceptible to digestive disorders?
Digestive disorders are common gastrointestinal diseases in children. Digestive disorders are conditions in which the sphincter in the digestive system contracts abnormally, causing children to have abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, nausea, and changes in the process of digesting food.
Because each child’s age corresponds to a certain stage of development, children always need appropriate nutrition to meet their development requirements. When there is a digestive disorder , the amount of necessary nutrients will be lacking, which can cause children to grow slowly, have rickets , malnutrition , and a weakened immune system…
2. Causes and symptoms of digestive disorders in children
2.1. Causes of digestive disorders in children
– Due to weak resistance , especially for children who are not breastfed or not exclusively breastfed
– Due to antibiotic use: Antibiotics can kill some beneficial bacteria leading to diarrhea, constipation, and loose stools.
– Due to unhygienic eating and polluted living environment.
– Children enter the weaning period, their microflora is not yet complete, and they are not used to digesting food. Food that is not completely digested creates conditions for harmful bacteria to grow.
– Unreasonable diet: Eat a lot of protein, a lot of sugar, little fiber, and few vitamins and minerals.
– Running and jumping immediately after eating affects the longitudinal and sphincter oblique muscles in the digestive tract.
– Psychological stress or prolonged staying up late stimulates the X nerve, causing increased secretion of digestive fluids, especially acidic fluid in the stomach, causing pH imbalance in the digestive tract.
2.2. Recognize digestive disorders in children
Digestive disorders in children include many symptoms such as loose stools, constipation, vomiting and lack of appetite… This condition will cause children to lose appetite and have poor absorption. This leads to slow growth, poor development, and even malnutrition.
Common symptoms:
– Gastroesophageal reflux , vomiting many times a day.
– Constipation, little stool.
– Diarrhea : Diarrhea more than 3 times/day, watery stools.
– Bloating, indigestion, children may have bloating, belching and farting a lot.
– Poor feeding, crying, slow growth, rickets, malnutrition…
3. How to use medicine to treat digestive disorders in children?
Some drugs used to treat digestive disorders in children:
3.1. Enzyme
Digestive enzymes can help improve gastrointestinal problems and diseases such as constipation, indigestion, flatulence, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders, ulcerative colitis… However , using digestive enzymes needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Do not use digestive enzymes for children under 6 months old.
3.2. Antidiarrheal medicine
Digestive disorders can cause children to have diarrhea. You can use some drugs such as smecta, loperamide, berberine… However, depending on each case, use the appropriate drug.
Special attention should be paid when using loperamide for children. Because the drug strongly reduces intestinal motility, making stool unable to be expelled, it will increase the risk of infection. Children who take medicine are susceptible to vomiting or bloating. Therefore, absolutely do not arbitrarily use anti-diarrhea medications for children. These medications need to be prescribed and given specific instructions by your doctor.
3.3. Laxative, fiber booster
Digestive disorders can cause children to become constipated . Drugs in the group of laxatives and fiber enhancers such as: Methylcellulose, sorbitol, duphalac… help soften stools, therefore, can help reduce constipation in children.
3.4. Antacids (phosphalugel, maalox…)
These medications can help reduce bloating and indigestion in children.
3.5. Antibiotic
Antibiotics can be used to treat digestive disorders caused by intestinal infections. However, which antibiotic to use and how to use it requires a doctor’s prescription.
3.6. Replenish water and electrolytes
If your child has a digestive disorder with lots of vomiting and diarrhea, you need to give him/her plenty of water to avoid dehydration. It is best for children to drink Oresol solution mixed according to instructions, coconut water, filtered water…
4. Notes when treating digestive disorders in children
To safely use medicine to treat digestive disorders for children, parents need to pay attention to:
– You should take your child to the doctor if he or she has symptoms of digestive disorders, especially children under 6 months old, so that the cause of the disease can be accurately detected and diagnosed and treated promptly.
– Do not arbitrarily buy medicine for children to take.
– Follow your doctor’s instructions on dosage and duration of medication.
– During treatment, if your child has any unusual symptoms, you should immediately notify the doctor for timely treatment.
– Have a reasonable diet with a variety of foods, pay attention to letting children eat lots of vitamin-rich foods.
– You should prepare foods that are low in fat, soft and easy to digest.
– Keep the environment clean and keep your body clean.
In addition, you also need to be careful with herbal remedies to treat digestive disorders in children.
