Enterocolitis Symptoms and Diagnosis

Enterocolitis is now the most common gastrointestinal condition in newborns and premature babies. It is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the intestines.

Acute enterocolitis symptoms start suddenly and lasts a few hours or days. In the case of chronic enterocolitis, symptoms begin slowly and are longer lasting.

The main symptoms of this disorder include:

• Abdominal pain, such as gas or stomach cramps after eating;
• Borborigme (hydro-aerice bowel sounds, babbling)
• Fever and chills;
• Diarrhea and foul-smelling gas;
• Seats initially soft, then diarrhea, may become watery with mucous;
• Tenesmus (rectal pain to poop)
• Headache, pallor;
• Nausea and vomiting;
• Signs of dehydration in acute enterocolitis, such as thirst, dry mouth, low blood pressure, and dizziness.

The degree of dehydration, age, and previous health status are important factors influencing the recovery time period when suffering from this condition.

Number of seats varies depending on the severity of disease and food intolerance. Thus, in the quiet phases are 2-3 seats in 24 hours, and outbursts of exacerbation are 6-8 up to 15-20 seats in 24 hours.

Fever and chills accompany enterecolita, and in severe cases of collapse phenomena, sweating, cool extremities, decreased pulse, hypotension, hypothermia. In this case, the patient is dehydrated, has dry skin and dizziness.

Clinical Symptoms

• Accelerate intestinal transit;
• Incomplete digestion of food;
• Incomplete absorption of nutrients;
• Disruption of normal intestinal flora;
• Development of pathogenic bacterial species;
• Deficient enzyme activity;
• Local toxic aggression;
• Poor metabolism of bile salts;
• Local immune disorder;
• Inflammation and the appearance of lesions in the intestinal mucous.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is indicated by a correlation between disease history, patient age, season and laboratory examination of stool:

• Coprologic exam - study to consider the digestion of faeces, worm detection and determination of bacterial and chemical components;
• Coproparasitologic exam;
• Rapid tests for the identification of antigens (for example, giardia, rotavirus, adenovirus).

The differential diagnosis is made when Food-typhoid and paratyphoid fever, dysentery with. Among laboratory tests, the most important exam is coprologic.

There are cases in which those affected can be treated only in hospital:

• Lethargy or excessive sleepiness in a child who is dehydrated (ringed with cold extremities and sluggish skin);
• Anuria (no urination for a longer duration, is 6-8 - to be checked by weighing diapers);
• High fever over 39 C
• Child with apparent life-threatening illnesses (seizures, episodes of apnea with cyanosis, chills, etc.);
• Very small child (under 3 months), with poor somatic development;
• Children with severe associated diseases (congenital cardiac malformations, neurological diseases, chronic gastrointestinal diseases).