Dysentery in children, adolescents and adults: causes, symptoms, prevention

Dysentery is a contagious disease that belongs to the group of intestinal infections. Bacterial dysentery in children or adults, found in all countries of the world, is caused by a group of related bacteria. Most often its cause are the rods of Grigoriev-Shiga, Sonne and Flexner, named after scientists who were studying the causes of dysentery. The first of these is currently less common. This led to the fact that the lungs and erased forms of this disease are increasingly being noted. Amoebic dysentery predominantly occurs in the tropics and subtropics.

The causative agents of the disease enter the body with water or food, as well as in contact with a bacilli or a dysentery patient. Dysentery in children, adolescents and adults occurs throughout the year, but in the summer there is usually a surge in incidence caused by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, raw water. Pathogens can be carried by flies. In addition, the child can catch and after a walk, without simply washing his hands. Dysentery microbes are fairly stable and safely stored in contaminated water, soil or on various subjects for up to three months.

The incubation period with this disease usually lasts only a few days. Most often, dysentery in children or adults begins acutely, with a sharp rise in temperature to 38-40 degrees, although in some cases fever can be expressed moderately. Patients complain of lethargy and headache. Manifestations of the disease from the intestine usually begin later, after a few hours or even a day. Dysentery in children, as well as in adults, is accompanied by vomiting, pains and false urges in the intestines, diarrhea. Its characteristic sign is a frequent increase in the stool up to 20-40 times a day, which can lead to dehydration (with a mild form of dysentery, the stool can be observed only 3-5 times a day). In the stool there is blood and a lot of mucus. The patient weakens and complains of constant chills, his skin becomes pale.

Dysentery, the signs of which are well known to specialists, in some cases may occur atypically, which makes it difficult to diagnose. Especially it is characteristic for children of early age: the symptoms of intestinal lesions in them can be expressed slightly, in contrast to signs of general intoxication of the body. Normally, on the 6-7th day of the disease, there is an improvement. The duration of the disease depends on the degree of its severity and ranges from several days to four or more weeks. Sometimes there are relapses. Treatment of dysentery consists in taking medications (usually prescribed antibiotics, sorbents and drugs to restore the intestinal microflora) and adherence to a special diet. At moderate and severe forms of illness the patient is hospitalized. If dysentery is suspected in a small child, it should also be treated in the hospital in order to avoid complications. Among them - infectious-toxic shock, damage to the nervous system, peritonitis and pneumonia.

The diet for dysentery involves the use of carefully chopped, without coarse lumps, food. Preference is given to mashed semi-liquid porridges boiled on water - rice, buckwheat. You can eat semolina porridge, mucous soups are shown. Small quantities of boiled meat and eggs, fresh fish, mashed curd, butter are allowed. With dysentery, not fresh, but three-day kefir is useful. Fully eliminated whole milk, broths, fatty, fried and spicy, alcohol. Such a diet should be kept for at least two months.

Prevention of dysentery is, first of all, in compliance with the rules of cooking and personal hygiene. Do not give the baby unwashed fruit and unboiled water! In addition, do not, especially on holiday, eat in a dubious kind of cafes and restaurants. The staff of catering establishments should normally have sanitary records, however, as is known, this rule can be ignored by unscrupulous owners. Since often dysentery is difficult for children, it is not worth to feed a child in such a place.