Question
My daughter is five months old and has been experiencing diarrhea for a month. The doctor has diagnosed it as enteritis. How should I handle this situation? Additional information: She has been breastfed, and now she has diarrhea two to three times a day, which is not watery.
Answer
Bacterial enteritis can be treated with antibiotics. Due to the continuous change in bacterial drug resistance, medication should be taken under the guidance of a doctor. Follow the doctor’s prescription strictly. Some patients stop taking medication when their symptoms improve slightly, which may lead to chronic colitis due to insufficient treatment, resulting in long-term illness and affecting the baby’s nutrition and health. In severe cases of diarrhea leading to dehydration, children are more prone to dehydration than adults, with severe dehydration weight loss exceeding one-tenth of the body weight, and the mortality rate can reach 30%. Therefore, replenishing fluids through intravenous therapy can reduce the mortality rate to below 5%. Hence, the best treatment for diarrhea is fluid supplementation through intravenous therapy.