DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN
Once diarrhea ranked as the leading cause of death in
infants in America
The reasons included
contaminated water and milk; poor sanitation and refrigeration which encouraged
germ growth; inadequate knowledge about it and therapy. Exposed to harmful
organisms at a time in their immunity was low, countless young children died of
infections which doctors then could not combat. IIHI.IY, the situation has
changed so greatly that we are apt to forget diarrhea still is a serious threat
to the health of infants and young children.
With good medical care, virtually
every child affected by diarrhea ran get well. The important need is for
parents to understand the signals so treatment can be started early enough. The
child develops severe diarrhea-for example, watery stools passed than once an
hour-call your doctor without delay. If he cannot III' reached, take the child
to the hospital.
Less severe diarrhea usually can be cared for at home,
especially if it has been caused by foods or formula that does not agree with
the child. But if bacterial infection is setting in, the diarrhea may progress
to the point of bloody stools, requiring immediate medical help. Assuming that
the diarrhea is mild, no vomiting accompanies it, and you cannot reach your
doctor, this is what you should do:
1.
Discontinue the usual formula or foods. Don't
worry about the child starving; he will benefit from resting of the inflamed
digestive system.
2.
Stop any medicines until you talk to the doctor,
because paregoric, patent medicines, and other medicines may make the child
worse.
3.
For infants, you can prepare the usual formula
and dilute it with water to half-strength or you can use half-strength diluted
skim milk. Offer it to the baby in small amounts frequently.
4.
For an older child, a diet consisting of dilute
skim milk, clear broth, ginger ale, and weak tea with sugar, puddings or
gelatin dessert, crackers or toast is appropriate in any mild diarrhea.
But if mild diarrhea is accompanied by
vomiting and you cannot reach your doctor, somewhat sterner measures are needed
in the diet. For babies change to the following formula as a temporary measure:
1 quart of boiled water, 2 tablespoons of sugar or Karo syrup, and 1 level
teaspoonful of salt (be sure to use no more salt than this).
Offer the same
thing to an older child. If, as is likely, he refuses the water-sugar-salt
formula, substitute any clear liquid-water, weak tea, ginger ale, etc.
But note: The child needs salt which is not
present in plain water or such drinks. Add the salt in the proportion of a
level teaspoonful to a quart-that is, 1/4 level teaspoonful of salt to 1/2 pint
of liquid. Remember that these restricted diets are meant only as temporary
measures-to be used until the doctor can be reached, and, at any event, no
longer than 24 hours.
