Constipation is a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, which can occur in people of all ages, even in newborns and preschool children. In children, he is considered the most common problem. Like any other gastrointestinal disease, constipation can lead to the development of a more serious disease, so treatment of children's constipation should be timely.
"Ambulance
When a child has a constipation, it is necessary to call a doctor for an examination quickly. If there is no possibility to call a doctor, then to improve the condition you can use a cleansing enema, which is easy to prepare at home. It requires boiled water, about room temperature, to which to improve the relaxing effect, you can add glycerin at the rate of one or two teaspoons per glass of water. A good decision to give your child to take Vaseline oil, it is not absorbed by the intestine and does not affect the absorption of electrolytes, vitamins and nutrients. In this case, the amount of oil to be given depends on the age of your child: up to one year - 0.5-1 teaspoon, from one to three years - one or two teaspoons, from four to seven - 2-3 teaspoons. The size of the enema depends on the age. Thus, children who are more than six years old are recommended 400-500 ml, from two to six - 300 ml, from year to two - about 200 ml, 8-12 months - 100-200 ml, 5-8 months - 150 ml, 1-4 months - from 30 to 60 ml. For newborns, the norm does not exceed 25 ml.
Medication and treatment of constipation
Any medicine for the treatment of children's constipation is prescribed only and exclusively by a doctor! The reason is that many of them, which are quite safely used by adults, are categorically forbidden to use in children. All medicines are divided into groups. The first group is laxatives, they are prescribed for treatment of children only for a very short period of time, because they have many side effects, for example, they can increase the loss of potassium and proteins through the intestines, introduce an imbalance in the intestinal microflora, provoke the development of allergies and become addictive.
The second group is substances for increasing the volume of feces and stimulating peristalsis, such as preparations of lactulose (Normaze, Dufalac), bran. Lactulose acts as follows: when ingested, it causes an accelerated growth of lacto- and bifidobacteria, splitting lactulose in the intestine into separate parts consisting of organic acids. Organic acids, in turn, stimulate the work of the intestine. This medicine can be used for a long time, is not addictive and is safe for people with weakened health, children, pregnant and lactating. The dose of application is selected individually, most often, starting with the smallest and gradually adding 1-2 ml, until the appearance of a normal stool. The drug is taken once a day before meals, preferably in the morning. Cancellation of the drug should also occur not immediately, but with a gradual decrease in the dose per 1 ml per day until complete cessation of admission.
There is a third group of drugs that can help with constipation - the so-called antispasmodics (substances to relax the muscles of the gut with spasms) and prokinetics (or, in other words, stimulants of the intestine). For the treatment of children, these drugs are rarely used, most often with pronounced spastic or atonic forms. Also, the doctor can prescribe antispasmodics, if constipation also has abdominal pain.
The fourth group consists of cholagogic substances, such as hepanebe, flamin, hofitol, since bile itself is a natural stimulant for the intestinal tract.
In addition to these drugs, as an additional therapy, biopreparations can be prescribed that normalize the intestinal microflora and sedatives, and soothing - to relieve nervous excitement and exercise to normalize the body.
Summarizing, we can conclude that for successful treatment, parents need patience, an integrated approach and thorough implementation of all prescriptions of the doctor, especially in the field of nutrition.