Bloody diarrhea in a child with fever: how dangerous is it and how to treat?

Periodic diarrhea in infants and children under one year of age is a common occurrence. This is explained by the end of the formation of the intestinal tract, the gradual transition of the baby to the adult menu.

This is not dangerous if the condition returns to normal within a few days and does not cause significant problems for the baby. In turn, diarrhea with blood in a child should cause concern and prompt a visit to the doctor.

If against this background the baby is restless, his temperature has risen, he has vomited or the color has changed to black discharge, you should immediately call an ambulance. This condition can threaten the baby’s life.

Pathology as a symptom of disease

Diarrhea can be suspected when visiting the toilet more than 3 times a day, and the percentage of liquid in it is more than 65.

There are 5 types of diarrhea in children:

1. Infectious. Pathogens: amoebas, salmonella, E. coli.
2. Toxic. When chemical poisoning occurs.
3. Medication. In case of non-compliance with the dosage of drugs or as a prescribed side effect.
4. Organic. Characteristic of chronic diseases.
5. Psycho-neurogenic. When any stress, fear, excitement causes disruption in the functioning of peristalsis or reduces sphincter tone.

In the first four cases, bloody diarrhea may occur.

But despite this, in each type it can vary in consistency, quantity, frequency, impurities, depending on the cause of the provocateur.

Namely:

1. Tarry black diarrhea or melena is characteristic of hidden bleeding in the upper intestines.
2. Diarrhea streaked with blood is characteristic of diseases of the colon.
3. When scarlet blood completely covers the stool, there is bleeding in the lower intestine.
4. Thick blood with mucus is characteristic of an infectious lesion and chronic intestinal pathologies.
5. Coverage of the surface of the masses with blood, smudges are characteristic of hemorrhoids and anal fissures.
6. Polyps and tumors cause scarlet inclusions in the masses. As they grow, diarrhea with scarlet blood begins.
7. Dark blood clots may indicate an ulcer.
8. Diarrhea with mucus can be a sign of Crohn's disease and dysbacteriosis.

In addition, the condition may be the result of an allergic reaction, the production of helminths.

Causes of diarrhea streaked with blood in a child

Diarrhea is a sign of an intestinal infection, regardless of whether the stool is streaked with blood or not. Non-infectious causes of diarrhea can be:

• eating peas and grapes by a child;
• unwashed or stale food;
• concentrated decoction of raisins or dried apricots.

Peas and grapes should be given to children under one year of age either in doses or not at all. These products are chewed poorly, often not chewed by children at all, which is why the intestines react violently to large fruits: the stomach bloats, the intestines actively spasm.

A concentrated decoction of raisins can cause diarrhea because it contains substances that increase intestinal motility, causing food processing to occur faster and resemble intestinal inflammation.

Boy and grapes

Attention! If a child was treated for any disease with drugs in the form of rectal suppositories, the cause of diarrhea will be the stool thinners contained in such drugs. Such diarrhea will end immediately after treatment with suppositories stops

Main provoking factors

Blood in the stool indicates damage to the vessels of the mucous epithelium of the tract. They can burst due to mechanical damage or due to a prolonged course of the inflammatory process. Less commonly, this occurs due to erosion, burns from chemicals, and exposure to its own acids and enzymes.

Blood can be obvious or hidden. The second is discovered only after undergoing a special analysis.

She talks about:

• oncology;
• poisoning;
• infectious lesion.

Obvious blood is observed when:

1. Severe intestinal infections such as cholera, dysentery, amoebiasis, salmonellosis.
2. Autoimmune pathologies: scleroderma, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.
3. Organic ailments. For example, diverticulitis, intestinal obstruction, hemorrhoids.
4. Penetration of foreign substances, objects, bodies into the digestive tract.
5. Drug overdose.
6. Stress.

Typically, diarrhea is caused by pathologies of internal systems, infections, and poisoning. Less commonly, blood-streaked diarrhea is a consequence of poor nutrition.

Preventive actions

In order to avoid diarrhea and accompanying abdominal pain, it is important to monitor the quality of products and observe basic hygiene standards:

• wash your hands before eating;
• wash fruits, vegetables, berries;
• thoroughly rinse off chemicals from dishes after washing;
• Have a plastic or glass cutting board; it is better to have one for meat and fish, the other for fruits, vegetables and other products;
• provide a teething child with clean teethers, excluding any other dirty objects from entering the mouth;
• keep the temperature in the upper (cooling) chamber of the refrigerator no higher than +5˚C;
• Do not store prepared meals for longer than 2 days.

Infections such as rotavirus are transmitted through airborne droplets. To avoid infection with infants, you should try not to visit areas with large crowds of people, as well as public transport.

Important! It is safer to purchase chicken eggs in chain stores, since the products come there from farms and factories that are regularly checked for compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, which minimizes the risk of salmonellosis infection. It is also safer to buy meat and fish for feeding children not at spontaneous markets, but at stationary retail outlets

During the cooking process, high-quality heat treatment is important, which will ensure the destruction of all dangerous microbes.

It is also safer to buy meat and fish for feeding children not in spontaneous markets, but in stationary retail outlets. During the cooking process, high-quality heat treatment is important, which will ensure the destruction of all dangerous microbes.

If blood spots appear regularly in the child’s stool, even without disturbing the baby’s general condition, it is necessary to have such stool analyzed to identify internal bleeding and other disturbances in the functioning of internal organs. Sometimes blood in the stool during the first months of a child’s life can be a signal to check the functioning of intestinal motility in order to exclude congenital anomalies that lead to volvulus. This problem is solved by surgical intervention.

Hand washing

It is much easier not to be lazy, wash your hands before eating, not eat dirty vegetables and fruits, and thoroughly heat-treat raw meat and fish than to treat a child for severe diarrhea. Simple actions are so difficult to perform in everyday life, fighting laziness and haste! Once you see how a small child suffers from pain, diarrhea and vomiting, the value of these simple manipulations immediately becomes clear.

The appearance of mucous inclusions

Up to a year, mucous impurities in the masses are the norm, as the formation of the digestive system ends, but at the slightest suspicion you should see a doctor. At 1.5-2 years of age, the condition may be a consequence of the release of saliva during teething, which stimulates the production of secretions.

Upon reaching this age, any changes should be a reason for a visit to a specialist.

Mucus with blood often accompanies rotavirus infection, which babies suffer in the autumn-spring period.

A few days later, respiratory symptoms appear: fever, fatigue.

The number of bowel movements is at least 10. In dysentery, the mucus has clots with red streaks. Diarrhea reaches 20 or more trips to the toilet per day.

When mucous discharge in a one-year-old child and older children has a green or orange tint and is presented in the form of flakes, coli infection or salmonellosis can be suspected. Gray mucus is characteristic of putrefactive dyspepsia, and the feces have a foul odor.

Causes of pathological appearance of blood and mucus in stool

Parents need to be attentive to changes in the consistency and color of stool, as well as the presence of undigested particles, blood and mucus in the stool. If diarrhea is normal in a child, under no circumstances should there be blood impurities.

It is important! It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that poor nutrition, consumption of beets, and dysbacteriosis cannot lead to the appearance of blood in the stool. It is important to distinguish blood in a child’s stool from particles of coloring foods, such as beets

It is important to distinguish blood in a child’s stool from particles of coloring foods, such as beets

If parents detect blood and mucus after defecation in a child, the following diseases can be assumed:

• acute intestinal infection (for example, salmonellosis);
• bleeding in the digestive tract;

Types of intestinal polyps

Intestinal tumors can cause loose, bloody stools

If a child has red blood that completely saturates the stool, then this is a sign of bleeding in the lower intestine. Bloody spots are a symptom that characterizes hemorrhoids. If dark red clots are observed in the stool, then the diagnosis may show peptic ulcer disease, pathology of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Red clots in stool are a sign of an ulcer

In the absence of an increase in temperature, in the case of polyps (benign neoplasms of the intestinal mucosa), inclusions of scarlet blood cannot be ruled out. However, as the polyp increases in size, diarrhea with blood occurs.

Scarlet blood in the stool is a sign of polyps in the intestines

Often, diarrhea with mucus and blood is a symptom of Crohn's disease and peptic ulcers. These pathologies are characterized by the following symptoms:

• systematic appearance of blood in the stool;
• defecation at night;

Babies often have bowel movements at night

Sleep becomes interrupted

Loss of appetite in a baby

If the above symptoms are confirmed, an urgent visit to a gastroenterologist is necessary.

It is important! Most often, with minor inclusions of blood in the child’s stool, parents do not attach much importance to this symptom, trying to solve the problem on their own (using suppositories, ointments and tablets). However, there is no noticeable therapeutic result; a doctor’s examination and the prescription of the correct drug treatment are required.

Otherwise, significant damage to children's health may be caused.

If parents notice the slightest speckles of blood in the baby’s stool, a doctor’s examination is necessary.

Gray mucus in a child's stool

Upon defecation, the baby may notice gray mucus - this is a sign of putrefactive dyspepsia. That is, the food consumed, namely proteins, is not able to be fully digested. Toxic substances are formed in the body, irritating intestinal receptors. Thus, the quantitative indicator of mucus production increases. It is typical that the feces have a strong, unpleasant odor, and the number of bowel movements per day reaches eight.

Feces with putrefactive dyspepsia are usually gray in color

Parents may observe not only gray mucus in the child’s stool, but also green mucus. Basically, this phenomenon can occur in a child under one year of age if fermentative dyspepsia is present.

For reference! It is a misconception that diarrhea with blood occurs due to constipation. To lead to the appearance of blood, constipation must be systematic, which does not occur in young children.

Liquid bloody stool without fever

Most often, the cause is an error in nutrition, severe stress, and dysbacteriosis. You should not wait for the condition to normalize, since rapid leaching of water is fraught with dehydration.

Digestive dysfunction can be easily restored by drinking plenty of fluids, normalizing the balance of microflora, and taking medications that slow down motility.

Also, bloody diarrhea without fever is an indicator of the formation of a small anal fissure. Bleeding may be a consequence of taking laxative medications.

If you feel nauseous and vomiting

If this pathology occurs, you should immediately call a doctor.

Blood and excessively loose stools indicate bacterial infection, helminths or viruses. The baby is restless, has pain in the abdomen, sometimes vomits and has a fever.

Diagnostic methods

If alarming symptoms are detected, you should take the following:

• coprogram;
• feces for dysbacteriosis, the presence of worms;
• general blood test, biochemistry.

Among the instrumental methods, diagnostics are carried out using an ultrasound machine.

Treatment

When diarrhea with blood, mucus begins, or the temperature rises, you must urgently call a doctor. While the ambulance is on the way, you need to take care of replenishing the water balance, offering the baby compotes, herbal decoctions, Electrolyte, purified water. You need to drink often, but little by little, especially if you are vomiting.

When the temperature rises, an antipyretic is given . Other remedies can hide the true symptoms, so it is better not to give them before consulting a specialist.

Traces of the child's bowel movements should be provided to the doctor upon arrival of the team so that he can fully assess the situation.

After bowel movements, the baby should be washed to reduce skin irritation. If you are concerned about nausea and vomiting, then infants need to be turned on their side and ensure that they do not choke on the masses.

Drug treatment

Typically, therapy is prescribed by a pediatrician or gastroenterologist. If there is a risk of infecting others, the child is isolated from communication with peers at the time of treatment.

The selection of drugs is made based on the causes of the pathology:

1. Any diarrhea requires rehydration drugs: Regidron.
2. For bacterial infections, antibiotics are needed.
3. Sorbents help remove toxins. Smecta, Polysorb, Enterosgel are popular.
4. For colitis, anti-inflammatory drugs are needed.
5. Probiotics and prebiotics restore microflora.

Bloody diarrhea due to inflammation, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract - such as intussusception, enterocolitis and ulcers - must be treated inpatiently.

Diet

Proper nutrition helps reduce stress on the digestive tract. Difficult to digest foods and those that cause fermentation should be excluded.

You need to give up:

• juices;
• dairy products (with the exception of dysbacteriosis);
• legumes;
• raw fruits and vegetables;
• fatty, fried.

You need to drink a lot. This can be purified water, herbal infusions, or jelly. You are allowed to eat bananas, crackers, rice water, and potatoes.

During breastfeeding, the diet also applies to the mother, regardless of whether the baby is fed or not. When artificial feeding, a soy-based formula should be introduced for a while.

ethnoscience

Basically, home methods come down to consuming herbal infusions of chamomile, mint, rice and pomegranate decoction. They help relieve inflammation and fix diarrhea, but do not cancel medical recommendations or replace them.

You can also use carrot puree and diluted starch.

The main reasons for the development of symptoms

Diarrhea and high fever in children often occur mainly in the summer months. After all, it is during these months that fruits and vegetables appear, which children consume unwashed. In addition, there is always a risk of contracting infections when visiting open bodies of water, as well as when drinking tap water. All this leads to the child developing intestinal poisoning, which manifests itself with symptoms of fever and diarrhea.

Vomiting and diarrhea with high fever cannot occur for no reason, so there must be corresponding reasons that provoke the occurrence of such symptoms. The above-mentioned symptoms cannot be an individual ailment, so they necessarily appear if there are provoking factors. If a child only has diarrhea without signs of fever, then this could be the body’s reaction to climate change, eating new foods, or simple stress. If fever and diarrhea develop, then this may be due to the occurrence of viral, bacterial and infectious ailments. The main reasons why children experience symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting are:

1. Infectious diseases. If a child’s temperature occurs along with signs of diarrhea, as well as a rash and cough, then we can talk about contracting an infectious disease. Infectious childhood diseases include: measles, rubella, chickenpox. Parents can help themselves with such diseases by lowering the temperature, since often the thermometer readings exceed 39 degrees. Treatment of these diseases is carried out exclusively in a hospital under the supervision of the attending physician.
2. Intestinal infection. What to do if a child’s diarrhea is accompanied by a fever above 38 degrees? First of all, don't panic. If the cause is an intestinal infection of the body, then the main symptoms will be the following: temperature 38 and above, intoxication of the body, diarrhea, loose stools with bloody discharge, as well as an allergic cough and hemorrhagic rash. If the diarrhea has a watery structure, this precedes the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the intestinal cells. After the intestines become infected, pathogenic bacteria spread throughout the body, which is very dangerous. It is imperative to show the child to a specialist.
3. Teething. All babies are teething, and the babies develop a temperature of 37 degrees. When teething, symptoms of diarrhea are extremely rare. The age at which babies' first teeth appear varies from person to person, but often the first tooth appears no earlier than 3-5 months after birth. At the age of 6, children's molars appear, so it is possible that the temperature may rise to 38 degrees. Symptoms of diarrhea occur if the body was affected by infections during teething. In this case, you must definitely consult a doctor.
4. Drug intolerance. Symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea can occur in children due to individual intolerance of the body. What to do if your child has signs of intolerance to a particular drug. First, you should notify your doctor about this, who will prescribe another drug. If the child is intolerant to medications, symptoms such as fever, cough, allergic rash and general weakness develop.
5. Food poisoning. If a child ate low-quality or spoiled food the day before, this will certainly lead to food poisoning. Typically, food poisoning occurs in children at 2-3 years of age, when children begin to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. In case of food poisoning, you need to go to the hospital for help.

It is possible that the following factors can provoke diarrhea and high fever:

• dysbacteriosis;
• overfeeding babies;
• pathological disorders in the intestines;
• intolerance to certain types of foods;
• violation of the diet by a nursing mother.

More details about what caused the child’s developing symptoms should be clarified in the office of a medical specialist.

In what cases should you consult a doctor immediately?

Bloody diarrhea at any age should alert parents. At the first sign of an uncharacteristic color of the stool or the presence of inclusions, the baby should be taken to the doctor.

Emergency medical care is required when, due to diarrhea:

• the temperature has increased;
• signs of dehydration are visible;
• convulsions began;
• the baby experiences pain in the abdomen;
• the child is vomiting.

Causes of occurrence in a child

Diarrhea is always accompanied by unpleasant sensations and clearly defined symptoms. At the first signs of illness, you should make an appointment with a doctor. A large number of mucus structures coming out with diarrheal feces indicates the activity of viruses and the presence of various infections in the gastrointestinal tract.

In children under one year of age, the functioning of the digestive organs is not fully adjusted; diarrhea with a small amount of mucus is a functional phenomenon. Anything outside the norm is a cause for concern. If diarrhea continues for more than 72 hours, and the child cries and refuses to eat, parents have serious reason to be wary. The baby can carry diarrhea for more than 5 days.

Infectious nature

The pathological condition is provoked by intestinal infections. Harmful viruses and protozoan bacteria can cause serious disorders, which manifest themselves through the appearance of a large number of blood structures and ordinary mucus in the stool. Salmonella and staphylococci are especially dangerous. Negative consequences are possible after dysentery and intestinal flu. During exacerbations, the excrement contains a lot of liquid and foamy formations.

The presence of mucous-type impurities indicates that the baby has poor heredity and genetic pathology. The most common complications:

• Hirschsprung's disease (aganglionosis) is a congenital defect of the colon, characterized by the innervation of the intestine due to a small number or complete absence of ganglia in the wall of the colon;
• small intestinal atresia may occur due to intrauterine diseases. This pathology is characterized by stretching of the adductor and underdevelopment of the efferent intestinal loops, thinning of the intestinal wall of the atretic segment. One of the symptoms: upon rectal examination, mucus is detected, sometimes in the form of gray plugs;
• intussusception is a congenital anomaly in which one part of the intestine, together with blood vessels, enters another, resulting in intestinal obstruction. The main diagnostic criterion for pathology is stool in the form of “raspberry jelly” (mucus with blood);
• pyloric stenosis - narrowing of one of the intestinal sections creates problems with the passage of food from the stomach to the small intestine. One of the symptoms is scanty, dark-colored stool.

In a child, loose stools with mucus and bright streaks of blood are formed as a symptom of internal, infectious diseases. The development of the disorder is associated with the activity of enterobacteria such as Campylobacter. The disease is aggravated by colitis, inflammatory diseases of the absorptive organ. Viruses and other pathogens enter the human body from unwashed hands and from products of dubious quality.

Non-infectious

In a child, diarrhea with mucus and streaks of blood occurs as a result of inflammatory processes in the rectum. The pathological condition is possible due to unsuccessful surgery. Emotional experiences, stress, side effects of taking medications and allergic manifestations are the sources of the disease. Getting small objects into a baby's stomach can have serious consequences. Such elements injure the mucous membrane of the digestive organ.

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We list a number of non-infectious causes that cause diarrhea:

1. Food poisoning.
2. Colonization of the suction organ by pathogenic structures.
3. Deficiency in enzymes, lactose.
4. Ulcerative colitis.
5. Activity of helminths in the baby’s digestive system.
6. Inflammation of the gastric mucosa.
7. Crohn's disease.
8. Development of hemorrhoids.
9. Oncological diseases.

Modern medicine distinguishes Brainerd's diarrhea among others. Loose stools last for about 60 days, causing dehydration. If the disorder is not promptly eliminated, the child’s life is in serious danger. A critical lack of water in the body leads to loss of consciousness and death. Already the first signs of the disease require prompt action from parents and doctors.

Possible complications

Diarrhea in a child requires treatment; if it is not shown to a specialist in a timely manner, then the possible consequences are:

1. Dehydration. With a loss of 10% of fluid, all organs suffer and the baby faces long-term rehabilitation. If the loss is more than 20%, then death is possible.
2. Lactase deficiency can begin if the baby is not yet 1 year old.
3. Flatulence.
4. Rectal prolapse.

If treated incorrectly, dysbacteriosis may occur.

To prevent diarrhea and blood in the stool, you should carefully plan the child’s diet, strengthen his immunity, teach hygiene, and heat treat all foods. You should not bathe your child in questionable bodies of water or allow him to have contact with sick peers.

It is very important not to wean the baby from the breast in the first year of life; mother’s milk is an excellent immunomodulator . At the first sign of a problem, you should visit a doctor and not self-medicate; this will help protect your child from serious complications.

Diarrhea in an infant: emergency medical care

Bloody diarrhea with vomiting in children under 6 months requires prompt medical intervention, because the baby’s fragile body loses fluid. Urgent medical examination is required in the following situations:

• single bloody diarrhea and vomiting in an infant up to 6 months,
• recurring diarrhea in a child under one year old (for more details, see the article: what to do if a 3-year-old child has diarrhea and fever?),
• the disease is accompanied by high temperature, fever (38-39 ° C),
• diarrhea led to dehydration, sunken fontanel, lethargy, drowsiness, dry mucous membranes,
• bowel disorder occurred after taking medications,
• rash and spots on the skin due to diarrhea.

READ ALSO: how to treat diarrhea and nausea in a child?

Mucus in the stool of a newborn up to 2 months does not always indicate pathology. If it is transparent against the background of slightly liquid stool, this is considered normal (the body is undergoing restructuring). When there is copious mucus secretion with not very liquid stool, you should see a doctor. Mucus in the stool of a month-old baby usually indicates problems with the intestinal microflora, which requires correction.

Green diarrhea (especially mixed with blood) is never considered normal (more details in the article: how are green diarrhea and fever in a child treated?). Most likely, the baby is infected with a staphylococcal infection. In this case, doctors will treat the baby in a hospital and select antibacterial therapy. If only greenish mucus is observed in the stool of a 4-month-old baby, the problem is not so dangerous. This indicates the colonization of the intestines with pathogenic bacteria, which can be dealt with without being in the hospital.