Until the age of three, babies form a complete digestive system. And it is during this period that the child's gastrointestinal tract often presents many surprises. From time to time, children have a disorder of the stool, so many mothers are interested in what white diarrhea in a child indicates. If the general well-being of the baby has significantly worsened, then it is necessary to seek help from a pediatrician. There is no need to self-medicate and use folk remedies to improve the patient's condition. Self-medication often provokes the development of serious he alth problems.
Main reasons
There are several reasons why the color of feces may change. Only after examining the patient, the doctor will make an accurate diagnosis. What are the causes of white diarrhea?
- Food. The stool in babies who are breastfed is always lighter than in those babies who eat mixtures. If the baby eats a milk mixture, then the color of the feces depends on its type. After introducing a new product into the baby's dietwhitish loose stools may occur. This phenomenon indicates that it is difficult for the digestive system to digest a new type of food. After the introduction of complementary foods, the color of bowel movements is affected by the foods that the baby consumes. A green vegetable will give a greenish tint to the feces, a pumpkin will color it yellowish, and tomatoes will turn it reddish. All this is a normal physiological process. If the baby consumes foods that contain a lot of calcium, then white diarrhea may appear in the child. Before you start to panic, moms need to think about what foods the baby most often eats. White diarrhea often occurs due to the consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates that the baby's body cannot fully absorb. After eating sweets, feces may become light. If there are white lumps in the feces, then this indicates that the child has overeaten, and the body is not able to digest such an amount of food.
- During the eruption of the first tooth, babies often have diarrhea. Under such conditions, the baby is restless, sleeps and eats poorly. Often a tooth will appear within three to seven days.
- Medications can also affect the color and consistency of feces. White diarrhea is often caused by antifungal or antibiotic treatment.
Case for concern
In the process of antibiotic treatment, dysbacteriosis often occurs. Under such conditions, the intestinal microflora changes, which negatively affects the generalbaby's he alth status. When dysbacteriosis can be observed:
- sharp pain in the abdomen;
- weakness;
- white diarrhea;
- constipation;
- sleep disorder;
- weight loss.
If one of the symptoms appears, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician, as dehydration may occur. Under such conditions, the shade of the child's skin changes - it becomes gray and dull. The baby is usually lethargic and does not eat well.
Rotavirus infection
During the development of rotavirus infection, light-colored diarrhea also often occurs. Also observed:
- heat;
- nausea;
- sweating;
- pain in the abdomen;
- symptoms of a cold - cough, migraine, body aches, nasal congestion.
Signs of hepatitis
Hepatitis is a serious disease in the development of which the color of feces often changes. There are several symptoms based on which you can determine the presence of the disease, namely:
- dark urine color;
- body temperature rises systematically;
- pain occurs under the ribs;
- skin rashes appear;
- the child does not eat and sleep well.
You should know that at home it is impossible to diagnose and identify those diseases that provoked the occurrence of white diarrhea in a child. Assessing the eye sclera, it is often impossible to see yellowness, but jaundice does begin to appear after a while. Only pediatricianis able to make an accurate diagnosis based on the results of the examination of the child and prescribe the appropriate therapy.
With intestinal candidiasis, white diarrhea with lumps is also observed. Such an infectious disease develops with reduced immunity.
Diseases of the gallbladder and intestines
During the development of gallbladder disease, there is difficulty in the outflow of bile. Feces acquire a grayish light. If an inflammatory process occurs in the pancreas, then the following signs appear:
- faeces are foul-smelling and light in color;
- abdominal pain;
- body temperature rises;
- feeling sick;
- the work of the cardiovascular system is disrupted.
In this condition, the general well-being of the baby is significantly worsened, so self-medication is strictly prohibited. Do not give medicines to a child to drink without first consulting a pediatrician - this can provoke the development of he alth problems.
In case of intestinal inflammation:
- liquid white stool appears;
- body temperature rises;
- baby worried about thirst;
- he is cranky, whiny and doesn't sleep well.
Treatment and actions of parents
You should be aware that diarrhea often provokes dehydration. For this reason, it is necessary to give the baby a warm liquid to drink. It is best to offer non-carbonated mineral water, homemade compote, chamomile decoction. If aIf your child is older than 11 months, then you must follow the diet recommended by your pediatrician.
What to do if the child has white diarrhea, what should I do? Thanks to berry jelly and rice water, you can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Fruits, vegetables and natural juices should be excluded from the diet. The baby is allowed to eat porridge on the water, vegetable or cereal soups, mashed potatoes without butter, milk and other fillers. With the help of "Smecta" or activated carbon, harmful substances and toxins can be removed from the baby's body. If diarrhea lasts more than two days, you should immediately visit a doctor. This may indicate that a serious pathology is developing. You should immediately call an ambulance if, in addition to white diarrhea, there are:
- high temperature;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- intense thirst;
- sleep disorders;
- discoloration of urine.
It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of how to treat diarrhea in children. It all depends on the specific clinical picture and on the factor that provoked the appearance of an unpleasant symptom.
Adult diarrhea
In frequent cases, white diarrhea in adults indicates that the intestines have not processed the food masses enough. This phenomenon occurs in the process of squeezing or blocking the common bile duct with tumors or stones.
In addition to this unpleasant symptom, the patient's skin color changes - it acquires a yellowish tint, urine becomes very dark. This pathological condition is notintense character and occurs from time to time, while there is no pain and fever.
If one of the signs of the disease appears, it is important to immediately visit a doctor. Self-medication can provoke the development of serious he alth problems. If blood is present in the stool, this may be a sign of an intestinal infection. Under such conditions, the mucous membrane of the intestinal wall is destroyed, which leads to the appearance of bloody discharge.
How to treat diarrhea in adults?
Only after a thorough examination of the patient, the doctor can determine the cause that provoked the appearance of an unpleasant symptom. Depending on the identified diseases, the doctor prescribes the appropriate therapy:
- For infectious diarrhea, the doctor prescribes an antibiotic, intestinal antiseptic, sorbent and enzymes.
- In case of bleeding, therapy is carried out with the help of antiulcer drugs, hemostatics, infusions.
- Diarrhea after antibiotics is treated with antifungal drugs, sorbents, probiotics.
Nutrition for diarrhea
If a person has white diarrhea, fever and weakness, then you need to balance your diet. In the process of treating diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is necessary to eat right. Should include in the diet:
- crackers;
- biscuits;
- lean meat - turkey, chicken, rabbit;
- ryazhenka;
- cottage cheese;
- curdled milk;
- buckwheat, rice, oatmeal.
This power plan is indicative. Much depends on the form and severity of the disease. Depending on the physiological characteristics of the patient's body, the doctor will recommend a specific menu.
Food is best cooked in a double boiler or oven. Boiled or stewed foods will not be able to harm, but, on the contrary, will speed up the healing process. Upon completion of the diet, it is necessary to smoothly switch to a normal diet.
Note to patient
There are many diseases in the development of which white diarrhea occurs in an adult and in a baby. Only after a thorough medical diagnosis and passing all the necessary laboratory tests, the doctor will be able to identify the factor that provoked the onset of diarrhea. Given the severity of the pathology, the individual and physiological characteristics of the patient's body, the doctor will prescribe a suitable therapy regimen. It is forbidden to self-medicate, as this can only aggravate the situation. If a child systematically has white diarrhea, then you should consult a specialist, as dehydration may occur. Under such conditions, death is possible.
To speed up recovery, you need to follow all the doctor's recommendations exactly and eat right. Spicy and fatty foods should be excluded from the menu - such foods adversely affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and only worsen the general well-being of the patient. During therapy, it is important to drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration. Soda andNatural juices are best avoided. At the time of treatment, you need to give up alcohol and smoking.
First aid for poisoning
How to help a baby if white diarrhea occurs due to poisoning? It is imperative to call an ambulance. The appearance of the following symptoms should be cause for concern:
- drowsy;
- appearance of convulsions;
- discoordination;
- changing the emotional background;
- acquiring a pale or bluish tint to the skin;
- disruption of the cardiovascular system;
- appearance of breath holding.
First of all, it is necessary to provide the baby with a comfortable position. If the child is vomiting, then he should be placed on his knees with his head down. If the baby has lost consciousness, then you need to put him on his side, clean his mouth from vomit with a handkerchief and make sure that it does not interfere with breathing. You need to call an ambulance to get a doctor's advice and follow all his instructions. It is not recommended to self-medicate, as this can only aggravate the course of the pathological condition. Medicines should only be prescribed by a qualified he althcare professional.
