Question
A young child at home is experiencing fever and diarrhea symptoms, diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis at a children’s hospital, and has undergone intravenous treatment. In this situation, is it appropriate to continue breastfeeding?
Answer
Viral gastroenteritis is caused by a virus attacking the villous epithelial cells of the small intestine, leading to the shedding of these cells and being replaced by squamous or cuboidal epithelial cells lacking digestive enzymes. This results in a reduction of villous enzymes such as maltase, sucrase, and lactase in the normal intestinal mucosa, leading to impaired absorption. Since lactose and other disaccharides cannot be digested and absorbed, they remain in the intestines, causing changes in the osmotic pressure of the intestinal mucosa and lumen, leading to osmotic diarrhea. In this case, whether breastfeeding is feasible should be determined by the doctor based on the specific condition of the child. Generally, breast milk contains abundant antibodies and nutrients that are beneficial for enhancing a child’s immunity. However,