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Vomiting and dehydration: Summer illnesses in children that require admission to the emergency room

We are used to thinking that children are mostly sick in the winter, but the truth is that even in the summer there are quite a few diseases that mainly affect small children, and can cause them to get to the hospital. Dr. Naama Koczynski, head of the pediatric emergency room at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, explains when it is important to go to the emergency room and what can be done at home.

• Children
• Emergency Room
• Hospital
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Dehydration

Walla! health

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The fever brings with it a great deal of intestinal infections and diarrhea. Children wash their hands (Photo: shutterstock)

Recently, in light of the corona plague, parents are afraid to go to the emergency rooms or the attending pediatrician when their children are sick. Although most childhood illnesses in the summer are viral and do not require medical intervention, in some cases a delay in seeking medical attention can lead to complications to the point of endangering life.

The scorching weather and the heavy fever lead to the appearance of various viral diseases, such as acute intestinal infections (gastroenteritis), vomiting, diarrhea, fever and in some cases also viral meningitis. These diseases usually pass after a few days, but in some cases it is necessary to go to the hospital emergency room.

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To the full article

Intestinal infections and food poisoning

Infection with gastroenteritis (both viral and bacterial) is by mouth, that is, by eating food contaminated with bacteria or by exposure to another person who has not washed his hands well. In summer, in light of the severe heat, food poisoning may result from the toxin of a bacterium that has grown in food that has not been treated properly, as the disease may manifest itself 2-12 hours after eating the infected food. The disease is manifested by multiple vomiting and even diarrhea.

Dehydration

The main complication of gastroenteritis and food poisoning in children is dehydration, especially in young children. Signs of dehydration include dry mouth mucous membranes, tear-free crying, sunken eyes, decreased urine output, irritability or drowsiness, and sunken baby diarrhea. It is important to remember that in young babies the dehydration process is faster and therefore requires vigilance and monitoring by the parents. In addition, there may be hypoglycemia, which means a decrease in blood sugar.

Vomiting and abdominal pain

Vomiting and abdominal pain, especially in toddlers under the age of two, may also occur as a result of bowel movements. This is a condition in which the intestine "folds" into itself in the form of a telescope. This condition is characterized by the child's intermittent restlessness and apathy. In such a situation, an air / liquid enema must be performed quickly in order to "open" the blockage, so it is very important to detect it early, since if it is not opened soon, actual damage to the intestine may be caused.

Is early detection very important? Girl suffers from abdominal pain (Photo: shutterstock)

In recent months we have often encountered children who arrived relatively late to the emergency room with multiple vomiting. In one case, it was a 6-year-old boy who was diagnosed with appendicitis, which caused an abdominal infection. Another case was of a 9-year-old girl who came to the emergency room due to vomiting and turned out to be blue with juvenile diabetes. In these cases, if the children did not come to the emergency room, a delay in diagnosis could lead to various complications and even endanger their lives. Therefore, if your child vomits and does not improve despite the administration of fluids, consult a pediatrician for an in-depth examination.

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what can be done?

To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of small amounts. In cases of mild and moderate dehydration in children, the recommended form of fluid return is orally and not through the vein and therefore one should try to drink in small amounts over time. If there has been vomiting, wait about twenty minutes and then offer a smaller amount of drink / breastfeeding / formula.

If there is multiple vomiting, solutions containing sugars and salts called ORS can be offered for drinking or non-carbonated sugary drinks and eating salty foods, for example a combination of juice with Bamba.

On hot summer days and not just because of the corona, care must be taken to wash hands when going out of the toilet, to follow hygiene rules when preparing food and cooling it as required and to be careful not to send a laxative child to kindergarten or school. If there is recurrent vomiting, the child is unable to drink and shows signs of apathy / drowsiness or other significant signs of dehydration that do not pass after drinking, go to the emergency room for clarification.

Dr. Naama Koczynski is in charge of the pediatric emergency room at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center

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