Food poisoning in the child

Food poisoning in a child is a toxicoinfection caused more often by food with microbial contents. Intoxication in children is much more intense, heavier than in adult patients, because many of the baby's digestive functions are just beginning to form.

Poisons (toxins) quickly overcome all obstacles, are absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract almost instantly, causing a serious condition. Toxins that provoke food poisoning in a child are divided by origin into biological or non-biological and can be the cause of the following types of intoxication: 

• Food intoxication, microbial toxic infection.
• Poisoning by poisonous secretions of animals, reptiles, plants.
• Intoxication with chemical components of various substances.

Strictly speaking, food poisoning in a child - poisoning with poisonous fungi, plants and berries, all other food problems belong to a different species, called food poisoning, that is poisoning with low-quality food.

The causes of foodborne toxicosis in children are directly related to spoiled fish, meat, milk dishes, in which there may be a variety of E. Coli and bacteria - staphylococcus, salmonella. Dirty fruit or vegetables can also be intoxicated.

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Food poisoning in a one-year-old child

This is a fairly common disease, explained not so much by the inattention of parents, as by the unformed enzymatic system, and other protective properties of the gastrointestinal tract in the baby. Among the most common causes that cause food poisoning in a one-year-old child are the following: 

• Food allergy, which is accompanied by intoxication.
• Changing the dietary regime when switching to more "adult" food, with which the digestive system is not yet familiar.
• The contact path of penetration of intestinal infections is a dirty toy, dirty hands and so on. Kids at this age are extremely curious and active, so it's rather difficult to follow their independent attempts to explore the world around them.
• The contact path, when there is a patient with an E. Coli in the family, and this person has the opportunity to directly contact the baby, as a rule, these are the parents.
• Less often, poisoning can be caused by a breastfeeding mother's disease, when she herself suffers from foodborne disease. It is quite understandable the symptoms of poisoning and the newborn, who is breastfed.

Food poisoning in a one-year-old child is most often manifested in the form of a disorder of the stool, usually it is diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea, which lasts more than 2 days, threatens with severe dehydration of the baby's body. In addition, symptoms of intoxication can be fever, weakness, weakness, often - nausea or vomiting. The peak of gastrointestinal poisoning in young children, and in all age categories, falls on the summer season. The temperature regime, the availability of vegetables and fruits, the difficult conditions of storage of food and other factors make summer the main "culprit" of seasonal intestinal poisoning. Most often food poisoning in a one-year-old child is provoked by such factors: 

• Raw, unboiled water, which the baby drinks with the consent of the parents or tries to get water on their own.
• Raw, unboiled milk, dairy products that often contain Escherichia coli (E. Coli) as well as unwashed fruits or vegetables are the cause of poisoning.
• Cakes with cream can contain staphylococci, a one-year-old baby can not be given categorically.
• Sausages, raw eggs can contain salmonella. Babies in principle are contraindicated in sausage. 
• Some types of vegetables stored in cellars (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) may contain Yersinia enterocolitica, an anaerobic rod carried by rodents.

If to sum up, the main cause of food poisoning of the baby is commonplace dirt, the second reason - improper storage of food.

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Symptoms of food poisoning in children

Symptoms of food poisoning in children are characterized by suddenness, it happens that the background of complete health, the baby suddenly turns pale, becomes sluggish, capricious. This is due to the rapid spread of the causative agent of the toxic infection in the intestinal tract. Pain, stinging, colic in the abdomen, most often diarrhea with an admixture of mucus, possibly blood, vomiting and fever indicates an acute inflammatory nature of intoxication. If the timing of the spread of toxins in the digestive system of the body does not stop in time, the baby develops a serious condition. Symptoms of food poisoning in children, which require immediate emergency medical care: 

• A liquid stool, diarrhea, which lasts more than 2 hours. If feces are visible in the stool, help should be called immediately.
• Severe vomiting - more often than, once per hour.
• Rapid pulse.
• Pale, cyanotic face and lips.
• Soaking up liquid causes vomiting.
• General poor health.

Symptoms of food poisoning in children, which also require a doctor, but it is possible simply to call the doctor at home: 

• The kid complains of pains in the abdomen. If the baby is small, he writhes, raises his legs to his stomach, tries to find a more comfortable pose to relieve colic. 
• Yellowing of the eye proteins.
• Body temperature is above 37.5 degrees for 3-4 hours.
• Dark urine.
• Nausea, loss of appetite.
• Vomiting after eating.
• Periodic diarrhea (within a day more than 2-3 times).
• Dry mouth, allocation of viscous saliva.

Treatment of food poisoning in children

Food poisoning in children requires immediate treatment, that is, at the first signs of malaise, the baby should try to do the washing. The earlier toxins are removed from the body, the less serious consequences will be for the health of the baby. Please note that children up to a year most often gastric lavage is done in a hospital or at home in the presence of a doctor. The children are shown washing with warm boiled water in such a calculation: 

• The age from 8 months to a year is 20 milliliters of water per kilogram of weight.
• Age 2 years - 5-6 years - 15 milliliters per one kilogram of weight.
• Children from 6 years to 14 years - 10 milliliters per kilogram of weight.

As a rule, after a drunk fluid, a vomiting appears in the baby, which should not be frightened, it is a normal physiological reaction, so the body tries to "purify itself." If there is no vomiting, the liquid pours out of the mouth, this is typical for very young children, or for severe toxic infections. In such cases, you need to call an ambulance immediately. "Washing" in a hospital environment will be done more skillfully, possibly using intravenous drip solutions.

Regardless of the type of food poisoning in children, treatment requires sorbents. There is a wonderful sorbent preparation - Enterosgel, which is available as a paste and is indicated for use even for infants. In addition, if the food intoxication of the baby is caused by the poisoning of the nursing mother, then the mother should take the appropriate dose of enterosorbent. You can also apply Smectu or activated charcoal, which is shown to children over 7 years old.

Treatment of food poisoning in children is carried out with the help of hydration procedures, that is, abundant drinking. There is an effective way to replenish lost fluid and prevent hypovolemic shock, this recipe for oral solution was recommended for use by WHO in 1960: 

• 1 cup of purified or boiled water (250ml).
• Three quarters of a teaspoon of salt.
• 3-4 tablespoons of sugar.
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (it can be replaced with a glass of water with the addition of soluble vitamin C).

Thus, in the resulting solution (500 ml) there are all the necessary substances to restore the water balance in the body. This recipe is suitable for children older than 4-5 years, for children more suitable will be a solution of Regidron. Drink in small sips, often, during the whole time while intoxication lasts. Every time you need to prepare a fresh drink.

It should be noted that food poisoning in children is also treated in hospital settings. If the symptoms of intoxication are obvious, develop rapidly, you do not need to delay, but urgently seek medical attention.

Helping a child with food poisoning

The help consists in immediate actions, close observation of the baby's condition and emergency treatment with threatening symptoms (indomitable vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis of the face, lips). The algorithm of action for intoxication is standard: 

1. Drinking regime to exclude dehydration
2. Sorbents that absorb toxins and remove them from the body
3. A strict diet during the entire period of poor health. In this sense, it is better to starve than to overfeed.

Helping a child with food poisoning involves replenishing the lost with diarrhea and vomiting fluid. This can be a drug product, for example, Regidron, or water-salt solutions, prepared independently. Children older than 5 years can be given a decoction of chamomile, a weak green tea, a broth of wild rose. Food in the first two or three hours is excluded categorically, after acute symptoms subsided, you can give vegetable light soups, rice broth, croutons, cereals cooked on the water. The diet should be observed at least a week, and sometimes two weeks after the onset of the toxic infection. If signs of intoxication become threatening, you need to immediately call an ambulance, before arriving, you should make a list of all the symptoms, think about the possible cause of poisoning (this will help to establish a diagnosis more quickly), collect the things you need in the hospital. Do not give antibiotics, stool-fixing drugs, such self-medication can only worsen the condition of the baby.

Prevention of food poisoning in children

Prevention is the observance of elementary rules of hygiene, both personal and general, household. The main cause of foodborne toxic infections, both in children and adults, is dirt (unwashed hands, fruits, vegetables, etc.). In addition, stale or poor-quality food, especially in the summer can be a provoking factor in the sense of food poisoning. The rules that presupposes the prevention of food poisoning in children are as follows:

• Frequent washing of hands, after each visit to the toilet, public places, streets. It is necessary to recall the well-known expression "cleanliness is the guarantee of health". If the baby is accustomed from a small age to the habit of washing his hands, the risk of foodborne infections reduces by half. 
• All products that are prepared for children must be heat treated. Fresh cottage cheese and milk, bought in the market, fruits, vegetables should be rendered harmless. Something is possible to bake, boil, something - just pass on with boiling water. 
• Perishable products must be stored in an appropriate mode, if it is disturbed, the food should be ruthlessly discarded, the health of the newborn is incomparable with the loss of food. 
• Mom, who has noticed the symptoms of food infection, should urgently be treated, and the food should be entrusted to other healthy members of the family. Any contact of the infected adult with the baby carries a threat of infection. 
• It is inadmissible to store food in open form, especially in summer. The food standing on the table should be closed from insects and contact with air.

Thus, the main rules of prevention - frequent hand washing, compliance with general hygiene rules and diet, consisting only of fresh, processed and safe products. Prevention of food poisoning in children is the only reliable way to avoid serious consequences of intoxication, compliance with simple rules does not require much time and effort, in addition, they are universal and help to minimize the risk of poisoning in adults.