• August 15, 2018
• Tove Maren
• ARTICLES by Dr. GOWDA

What is Gastroenteritis?

• “Gastro” means stomach. “Entero” means intestine, both large and small. “-itis” means inflammation.
• Therefore, Gastroenteritis is an inflammation and irritation of the intestines, large and/ or small. The inflammation happens in the inner lining of the intestinal lumen.
• “Lumen” means opening.
• The cause of the inflammation is generally either viral or bacterial.
  • (If it’s a bacterial infection, the symptoms are often severe and quickly lead to dehydration.)

Symptoms of Gastroenteritis:

• The typical symptoms include: vomiting, nausea and stomach pain caused by the inflammation of the stomach.
• Loose stool, diarrhea and abdominal cramping caused by the intestinal inflammation.
• Fever and loss of appetite are also common symptoms.
• All these symptoms may lead to the main concern with Gastroenteritis: Dehydration!

When should your child been seen by their pediatrician?

• If your child is vomiting, feeling nauseous, has stomach pain and/ or diarrhea, please have them seen by a pediatrician.
• It is important that a physician rules out other more serious medical conditions before giving your child the diagnosis of Gastroenteritis.

Treatment for Gastroenteritis:

• Once a physician has confirmed that it is Gastroenteritis, unless there is an underlying bacterial infection, the treatment is simply management of symptoms and preventing dehydration.
• Generally the condition is self-limiting and lasts between 2 – 5 days.
• The main objective it to keep the patient hydrated to avoid dehydration.
• While the intestinal layers are inflamed, it is important to rest the intestines by limiting food.
• Below is a list of the best fluids and foods for patients with Gastroenteritis.

Which fluids prevent dehydration:

• Children need to drink fluids with the right balance of salt, sugar and water to remain properly hydrated.
  • Pedialyte, ( Infants and older kids)
  • Gatorade (for children over one year old) or you can make your own Oral Rehydrolyte Solution (find recipes at rehydrate.org).
• Avoid giving children with Gastroenteritis: plain water, sodas and juices.
• After each vomiting episode, give the stomach a rest for 1 – 2 hours and slowly reintroduce the proper fluids, as described above by allowing small sips. Increase frequency and volume as tolerated.
• If your child refuses to drink, you can make popsicles out of Pedialyte, Gatorade or the homemade Oral Rehydrolyte Solution. A syringe used to dispense oral medications may also be used to gently administer fluids into the child’s mouth.

What foods can your child with Gastroenteritis eat:

• Resting your stomach and intestines is the best way to manage the symptoms.
  • “Resting” means reduce the amount of food your child eats, and also feed them light and easily digestible foods.
• The B.R.A.T. diet is recommended for the first 1 – 2 days:
  • B stands for banana, R stands for rice, A stands for applesauce and T stands for toast.
  • Crackers and dry cereal without milk are also good for an inflamed stomach.
• SLOWLY return to a normal diet, depending on how well the above mentioned foods are tolerated.
• Infants only: Pedialyte for a day and then slowly return to their regular age-appropriate diet.

Common mistakes parents make while managing Gastroenteritis:

• Giving OTC medications to manage vomiting and/ or diarrhea.
  • Some medications block the diarrhea and thereby prolong the illness. Other medications coat the intestines and also prolong the illness.
• Returning their children to a regular diet too quickly.
  • Foods to avoid until a complete recovery has been made: dairy, juice, fried and/ or greasy food and meat.
  • These foods cause: cramping as the intestines still have not fully recovered and diarrhea because the food is not being digested.