Question
A 50-day-old infant was hospitalized for enteritis treatment, including intravenous fluids, but the stool condition remained unchanged, showing yellow or yellow-green runny stools with mucus, occasional crying and poor appetite. The parents have given the baby Motilium and Montmorillonite powder, but the effect was not significant. The infant had mild dehydration and acidosis, which improved after treatment. The course of the disease has lasted for a week, and the stool examination showed that the white blood cell count gradually decreased from 10-15 to 0-1 at discharge. The parents inquired about the expert’s opinion on whether the condition of the baby at discharge was considered cured, as well as the reasons for the lack of improvement in stool condition and possible solutions.
Answer
The white blood cell count of the infant at discharge had returned to the normal range, indicating that the treatment for bacterial enteritis had achieved certain effects. However, adjusting the gut microbiota takes time, so the improvement in stool condition may be gradual.