Question
A 4-year-old girl has been experiencing diarrhea symptoms since August 15th. After a brief course of acupuncture treatment, her symptoms improved slightly, but she then continued to have loose and runny stools, sometimes defecating two to three times a day. Two stool tests did not reveal any abnormalities, leading to a diagnosis of gastrointestinal disruption. By October 5th, when she sought medical attention again, the stool test showed 0 to 2 red blood cells and a slight increase in white blood cells, resulting in a diagnosis of chronic colitis. The parents are worried about the lack of improvement in the condition.
Answer
For pediatric diarrhea, the first step is to conduct a stool test to determine whether it is caused by bacterial or viral infection. If it is bacterial, antibiotic treatment is required; if it is viral, antibiotics are not necessary, and oral probiotics are sufficient, along with symptomatic treatment for accompanying symptoms such as fever. In addition, it is important to avoid cold and spicy foods in daily life.