Symptoms | Diarrhea in infants

Symptoms

According to the definition, three or more soft to thin stools per day, the quantity of which is also greater than usual, are considered diarrhea in small children. The color of the stool is not relevant for the definition of diarrhea per se, but may be changed. Usually, the bowel movement is also malodorous.

Depending on the cause and severity of the diarrhea, blood or mucus may be added to the stool. Apart from this, other, rather unspecific symptoms typically occur in addition to the diarrhoea itself. These may include nausea and vomiting, cramp-like abdominal pain, fatigue, sweating and even headaches.

Particularly in the case of infectious causes, elevated temperatures or fever are also characteristic. A fever in young children is referred to when the body core temperature is 38.5 °C or higher, temperatures between 37.2 °C and 38.4 °C are called subfebrile. Ideally, the body temperature is measured rectally.

When measuring fever in the armpit, it should be noted that the temperature measured here is usually 0.5 to 1 °C lower. In small children, the onset of diarrhea and vomiting can be very rapid. If the child is still fine one minute, it can suffer from diarrhoea and vomiting one hour later.

The causes are usually harmless and disappear again by themselves after a few days. Mainly responsible for this are viruses, such as the rotavirus, against which there is a vaccination, and noroviruses. Parents must now try to replace the lost amount of water by drinking a lot.

Especially for children under one year of age a lack of water can occur very quickly. In addition, frequent hand washing is at the top of the list of measures that should be taken to prevent further infection.Parents should generally pay close attention to signs of water deficiency in their child, such as the presence of concentrated urine. It is often not necessary to see a doctor as the symptoms are caused by viruses for which the pediatrician cannot prescribe any medication. However, if a fever occurs and the child does not drink enough, it is advisable to visit the pediatrician so that he or she can decide whether or not the child should be hospitalized.