Patient's question:
My child is only seven and a half months old. Yesterday, when he woke up, he vomited all the milk he drank. Later, he wouldn't eat anything, and at 4 p.m., he vomited again. The child has a cold, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. What should I do?Doctor's answer:
When it comes to the common cold, we often associate it with symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and even fever, headache, body aches, and weakness. However, some people's cold symptoms are primarily nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. They may also have a fever, even a high one, but the symptoms in the upper respiratory tract itself are not significant or severe. This is because the common cold we refer to, or upper respiratory infection, is primarily caused by viruses. These viruses can occur in the nasal cavity and pharynx, causing local allergic reactions and inflammatory responses that lead to runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat. The viruses can also enter the digestive tract, causing a "cold" reaction in the gastrointestinal system. Yes, this is what is known as a gastrointestinal cold.