Diarrhoea in children

Acute diarrhoeal disease is one of the most common reasons for a paediatric visit, and worldwide it remains an important cause of death in young children. The danger is not the diarrhoea itself but dehydration: the gut loses water and salts faster than the child can replace them.

The first step is hydration: oral rehydration salts in small sips after each loose stool, without stopping breastfeeding or the child’s usual food. Avoid packaged juices, soft drinks and sugary drinks, and do not give antidiarrhoeal drugs or antibiotics without medical advice: most of these diarrhoeas are viral.

Go to the emergency room straight away if you notice sunken eyes, crying without tears, a dry mouth, extreme drowsiness or nappies that stay dry for more than four to six hours, and also with persistent high fever, blood or mucus in the stool, vomiting that keeps any fluid from staying down, or severe abdominal pain.