Question
An 8-month-old baby is suffering from diarrhea with blood in the stools. The baby does not cry during defecation. The stool test shows a high number of red blood cells. What should be done? Is it serious? The patient is a male, 2 and a half months old. Condition: 1. Diarrhea started after frequently changing milk powders. 2. Recently, the diarrhea has become so watery that it resembles water at the end. 3. Stools contain blood, but the baby does not cry during defecation.
Answer
Hello. In order to resist bacterial and viral invasions, the lymphatic tissues of infants become highly active throughout the body, including in the rectum, colon, and even the lower part of the small intestine, where they gather into clumps. Some lymphatic follicles are larger and protrude under the intestinal mucosa, arranged neatly and tightly. The follicles near the anal opening, which are more prominent, often experience minor bleeding due to friction with feces and compression from intestinal contraction, which can be found on the stool or even flow out of the anal opening. This is why infants occasionally have blood in their stool. Consider dietary therapy; milk and honey: 250 grams of milk, 30 grams of honey. Boil the milk, mix in the honey, and serve. Wishing the baby good health and happiness, please do not worry; the issue is not severe and differs from clinical significance of blood in adults’ stool. Symptomatic treatment is recommended.