Question
How can one distinguish between the infectious and non-infectious causes of a child’s diarrhea?
Answer
In cases of infectious diarrhea, if it’s caused by bacterial infection, the stool often shows mucus or purulent blood, with small amounts of feces each time; if it’s caused by a viral infection, it usually manifests as loose watery stools, with larger quantities, which can easily lead to dehydration. Non-infectious diarrhea is often related to diet, such as indigestion, where there may be undigested food particles in the stool, without fever, and occasional vomiting. Allergic diarrhea typically appears a few hours to 1 to 2 days after consuming specific foods, is recurrent, and is clearly related to eating. Climate factors can also cause diarrhea, usually related to weather changes or environmental changes. Non-infectious diarrhea usually shows normal stool tests and can be corrected by adjusting the diet or changing the environment.