Various intestinal infections are widespread, especially in children. It is very important to start the right treatment on time and prevent dehydration. In recent years, the attitude towards the use of various drugs in such diseases has been revised. For example, antibiotics for intestinal infections are not always prescribed. After all, in some cases they can be not only useless, but even harmful. Therefore, it is very important not to self-medicate, but to see a doctor as soon as possible to make the correct diagnosis. You should be especially careful when prescribing antibiotics for intestinal infections in children, because in them such diseases are most often caused by viruses that require other treatment.
Features of intestinal infections
You can become infected with such a disease through dirty hands, stale food, infected water or through contact with a sick personman. Children are especially susceptible to infection, who often put everything in their mouths and have weak immune defenses. But the signs of an intestinal infection are easily confused with ordinary food poisoning: the same vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Therefore, it is so important to see a doctor in time to determine the correct diagnosis.
All intestinal disorders can be caused by bacteria or viruses. And the treatment in each case is quite specific, although the symptoms are often similar. A bacterial infection can be identified by profuse watery stools, blood impurities in it, a strong fever, and frequent vomiting. Such diseases are caused by many pathogenic microorganisms: shigella, salmonella, staphylococci and E. coli. The greatest danger of such diseases is that with diarrhea a lot of water is lost and death from dehydration can occur. Therefore, it is important to start the right treatment on time.
Is antibiotic therapy always needed
You can not independently prescribe antibiotics for yourself or your child for intestinal infections, it is recommended to take them only in severe cases of bacterial infection. If the intestinal disorder is caused by poor-quality food or viruses, then the use of antibiotics can only aggravate the situation, since such drugs, in addition to pathogenic microorganisms, destroy beneficial intestinal bacteria. This leads to dysbacteriosis and slows down recovery. And antibiotics for intestinal disorders caused by viruses are generally useless, since such drugs do not work on them. On the contrary, they can cause a complication of the disease, sohow they destroy beneficial microflora.
Therefore, it is undesirable to take antibiotics for intestinal flu. But even with bacterial infection, such drugs are not always prescribed. Many microorganisms have developed resistance to antibacterial drugs, and against the background of the death of beneficial microflora, they begin to multiply more strongly. In mild cases, the infection can be managed without antibiotics. Many physicians are already cautious about prescribing these drugs because of the potential for severe side effects.
When antibiotics are prescribed
In no case should you self-medicate and drink any drugs, especially antibacterial ones, if the first signs of an intestinal disorder are found. If the disease progresses and the condition worsens, the doctor may decide to prescribe antibiotics.
Not all drugs can be used for intestinal infections. There is a special group of antibacterial drugs that act specifically on the causative agents of such diseases. Antibiotics are always prescribed for intestinal diseases of moderate severity and in severe cases, with cholera, dysentery and salmonellosis. But only a doctor should do this, because you need to take such medicines according to a special scheme.
Antibiotics for Escherichia coli are not prescribed immediately, the first days of the disease you need to try to cope with it by other means. In addition, some of their groups, such as fluoroquinolones, can worsen the patient's condition.
Acute intestinal infection
This group of diseases is one of the mostcommon in the world after respiratory infections.
More than half of cases are in children. Especially often outbreaks of the disease occur in children's institutions, in the warm season and when sanitary and hygienic rules are not observed. If signs of poisoning appear, bed rest is necessary, in the early days food intake should be limited or completely eliminated, but fluids should be drunk more. Antibiotics for acute intestinal infection are usually prescribed if after 2-3 days the patient does not get better from other drugs. But most often, sorbents, rehydrating solutions, bacteriophages and a special diet are used for treatment.
Basic rules for taking antibiotics
- You can't self-prescribe these drugs. You need to be especially careful when taking antibiotics with E. coli, as in most cases it successfully adapts to them.
- The dose of the medicine and the duration of the intake are set by the doctor. But you can not stop drinking the medicine when the condition improves, if less than 7 days have passed. It is very important to follow the exact dosage and time of taking the medicine.
- In no case are antibiotics taken for intestinal diseases for the purpose of prevention.
- Biopreparations and drugs that increase the body's natural resistance are usually prescribed along with antibiotics.
- It is necessary to warn the doctor about the patient's chronic diseases and contraindications, so as not to worsen his condition.
When is it necessary to take antibiotics
- Typhoid fever, cholera, salmonellosis, dysentery, escherichiosis and other severe infections.
- In case of severe intestinal disorder, and in children of the first year of life and with moderate disease.
- With septic lesions and the development of foci of infection outside the intestine.
- Patients with hemolytic anemia, immunodeficiency and various types of tumors.
- When there are blood clots in the stool.
Which antibiotics are better for intestinal infections
Usually, such drugs are prescribed after an accurate diagnosis, because each causative agent of the disease requires a special medicine. But there are also general recommendations. Most often, for intestinal infections, broad-spectrum drugs are prescribed to prevent the growth of other bacteria. The following groups of drugs are most effective:
- cephalosporins: Klaforan, Cefabol, Cefotaxime, Rocesime and others;
- fluoroquinolones: Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ciprolet, Normax and others;
- aminoglycosides: "Netromycin", "Gentamicin", "Neomycin" and others;
- tetracyclines: "Doxal", "Tetradox", "Vibramycin" and others;
- aminopenicillins: "Ampicillin", "Monomycin" andothers.
It is believed that the resistance of microorganisms in preparations depends on the area. For example, in Russia, bacteria are often insensitive to Ampicillin and the tetracycline group.
Intestinal antiseptics
Auxiliary in nature is the treatment of such infections with special antibacterial drugs that act specifically on intestinal bacteria. They do not disturb the normal microflora and do not destroy beneficial microorganisms. Intestinal antiseptics are especially effective against infections that develop in the large intestine. They inhibit the growth of Proteus, staphylococci, yeast fungi, pathogens of dysentery and typhoid fever. When antibiotics are contraindicated for intestinal infection, these drugs are prescribed. Which of them are the most famous and effective?
- The drug "Furazolidone" is active against almost all intestinal bacteria, Giardia and Trichomonas. It effectively treats dysentery and typhoid fever. In addition, microorganisms rarely develop addiction to this drug. And he does not have as many contraindications as most antibiotics.
- In recent years, "Ersefuril", belonging to the group of nitrofurans, has become a popular drug for the treatment of intestinal infections. It is active even against Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae and the causative agent of dysentery. But it acts only in the intestines, not absorbed into the blood at all. Due to this, it causes few side effects, but is ineffective in severe bacterial lesions.
- Drug"Intetrix" also has a wide spectrum of action against many bacteria, giardia and amoebas. Due to the fact that it does not disturb its own intestinal microflora and has almost no side effects, it can be used as a prophylaxis of intestinal infections when hiking and traveling.
- Fthalazol has long been known. It is still popular with doctors and patients because it acts only in the intestines and is not absorbed into the blood, so it causes almost no side effects. But it effectively treats any intestinal disorders caused by pathogenic microorganisms.
- The combined bactericidal drug "Biseptol" is close to antibiotics, but microorganisms rarely develop addiction to it. Used to treat intestinal disorders, dysentery, amoebiasis, salmonellosis and cholera.
Most popular antibiotics
In case of an intestinal infection, the following drugs are most often prescribed to an adult:
- "Levomitsitin". It has a wide spectrum of action, but due to the large number of side effects and contraindications, it is not prescribed for children. It is very effective against most intestinal infections, even typhoid and cholera. In addition, the habituation of microorganisms to it develops very slowly. Most often it is prescribed when other antibiotics have been ineffective.
- A safer drug of the new generation is Rifaximin, also known as Alfa Normix. He has a smalltoxicity and is used even in the treatment of infections in children. This medicine not only destroys pathogenic microorganisms, but effectively prevents the complications of intestinal infections.
- Effective antibiotics for intestinal disorders are a group of penicillins. Especially modern semi-synthetic drugs. For example, "Ampicillin", which is used even in pregnant women and young children.
- A new generation drug from the group of fluoroquinolones is "Ciprofloxacin". It not only has high activity against most microorganisms, but is also rapidly absorbed, so it rarely causes dysbacteriosis.
Treatment of intestinal infections in a child
Children are particularly vulnerable to attack by bacteria. Their immune system is still imperfect and often cannot cope with a large number of microorganisms that enter the body from the external environment. A particular danger of intestinal infections is that the child loses a lot of fluid and may die of dehydration. It is very important to follow all the recommendations of the doctor and carefully monitor the condition of the baby. It is necessary to give him more to drink, and for an infant, the best treatment is mother's milk. If the doctor insists on a hospital, then you should not refuse so that the child is under observation all the time.
Antibiotics for intestinal infections are not always prescribed for children. This is definitely necessary if the child is less than a year old, if he has severe intoxication and there are signs of inflammation. Such drugs for children should have low toxicity and high activity against bacteria. They must act quickly and howless damage to the normal microflora. Many drugs are contraindicated in children, for example, tetracyclines, amnoglycosides and Levomycitin tablets. What antibiotics for intestinal infections are most often prescribed to children?
- The drug "Cefix" very quickly stops diarrhea and the spread of bacteria. Effective even against severe forms of salmonellosis.
- A good medicine is the new drug "Lecor". It acts quickly and does not destroy the normal intestinal microflora.
- The medicine "Azithromycin" is also very effective and has low toxicity. It is often given to children as it is given once a day and only taken for 5 days.
How dangerous is the use of antibiotics
It has already been proven that antibacterial drugs have many side effects. And most importantly, what they affect is the gastrointestinal tract. This is especially true for broad-spectrum antibiotics. They kill all bacteria - useful too, thereby disturbing the intestinal microflora and causing fungal diseases. Antibiotics used for intestinal infections also lead to this. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink such drugs immediately when the first symptoms of diarrhea appear. They also negatively affect the blood, kidneys and liver.
In addition, it is dangerous to take antibiotics uncontrollably and very often not only because of the danger of side effects. Most micro-organisms can develop resistance to drugs, which makes many drugsbecome useless. Some people immediately take intestinal antibiotics for poisoning, without even understanding what caused it. Thus, they not only destroy the intestinal microflora, exacerbating the symptoms of the disease. They deprive themselves of the opportunity to receive effective treatment if they do contract a serious infectious disease, since antibiotics will no longer work on them.
