Vomiting & Diarrhoea


Vomiting & Diarrhoea Bacteria or viral infection of the gut Vomiting may last for 4-6 hours and loose, watery bowel motions can go on for three or more days Stomach pain or cramp may happen Can cause dehydration Causes Viral infections of the gut Gastroenteritis Starts with sudden onset and often vomiting occurs before diarrhoea Usually over within 2-3 days, although diarrohea may persist Bacterial infections of the gut Food poisoning Occur 12-48 hours after eating infected food Symptoms include severe diarrhoea and /or vomiting, with or without abdominal pain Other infections For infants or children, diarrhoea and /or vomiting can be a sign of serious illness If a child looks very ill, consult a doctor immediately Chronic diarrhoea Recurrent or persistent diarrhoea may be due to an irritable bowel or inflammation of the bowel, inability to digest or absorb food If diarrhoea persists longer than 2-3 days, consult a doctor immediately Dehydration More than 8 runny bowel motions in 24 hours Vomiting Going for 10 hours or more without passing urine (2-3 hours in children) When the skin is pinched, it stays up for a second or two Irritable, sleepy or floppy child Sunken eyes or shadow under the eyes Changing breathing (quick, slow or deep) Skin feels cold and clammy Dry mouth, tongue and lips or no tears Rehydration Prepare the rehydration solution Sip the solution whenever vomiting or a runny bowel motion occurs Adults need to drink 2-3 litres of solution in 24 hours to keep hydrated Prepare new solution every 24hours and keep it in the fridge		Self care Babies Keep breastfeeding the baby, offer the breast more often, and offer rehydration solution between feed Replace a lactose-free milk for 24 hours Children and adults Use rehydration solution to replace fluids After vomiting stops keep sipping fluids If hungry, eat starchy food e.g. rice, bread, potato, biscuits, cooked cereal Avoid sweet foods Avoid undiluted sweet/ sugary drinks which exacerbate diarrhoea Medicines Antidiarrheals Charcoal, kaolin Absorb toxins and chemicals that cause the disorder Do not take these drugs for more than 2 days Use during fever is also highly discouraged Loperamide, diphenoxylate Suitable for adults and children over 12 years old Decrease bowel motility Provide more time for the water to be absorbed from the food residue Reduce the fluidity and the frequency of bowel movements Anti-vomiting Domperidone, metoclopramide Treat or prevent vomiting Supplements Ginger Relieves vomiting Probiotics Strengthen the immune system Reduce harmful microbial enzyme activities in the intestine