Patient's question:
My son is five years old. He usually eats at home. Everything is very clean, but the child keeps having diarrhea. He goes to the toilet soon after eating and gradually becomes uninterested in eating. I am very worried that this will affect his health. I hope to get help: What are the hazards of infant diarrhea?Doctor's answer:
Diarrhea disrupts normal gastrointestinal function. Frequent and excessive diarrhea and vomiting can lead to fluid and electrolyte loss, imbalance, and even death. Repeated or persistent diarrhea causes malnutrition and weakened immunity in children.1) Gastrointestinal symptoms often include vomiting, with severe cases potentially vomiting coffee-colored fluid, reduced appetite, frequent diarrhea, and daily bowel movements ranging from 10 to dozens, mostly yellow watery or egg-like stools containing small amounts of mucus. In some children, there may also be small amounts of bloody stools.
2) Dehydration can result in isotonic, hypotonic, or hypertonic dehydration. The causes include fluid loss due to vomiting, diarrhea, and insufficient intake, which reduces the total fluid volume, particularly extracellular fluid, leading to varying degrees of dehydration. Due to differences in the ratio of fluid and electrolyte loss in children with diarrhea, dehydration can be isotonic, hypotonic, or hypertonic.