Giardia is a dangerous protozoan that can cause infectious damage to many organs in children and harm the entire body as a whole. You can get infected in different ways: often through poorly washed hands or eating food that has not been properly cleaned or washed.
What symptoms cause giardia in babies
The disease can often be latent. Usually, the child in such cases does not bother. He may sometimes complain of tummy rumbling or gurgling. Pain in the abdomen during the course of the disease in a mild form is almost never observed.
Parasites are dangerous because when they multiply in the child's body, they begin to actively damage the intestinal wall. This leads to the appearance of chronic bowel diseases, and also contributes to the accumulation of harmful toxins in the child's body. When accumulated in large quantities, bacterial toxins can already cause vivid symptoms of intoxication. In children, the temperature rises, sometimes its values can even reach 38 degrees. The child may complain of headache and weakness, decreased appetite, and nausea. Small children refuse breastfeeding, they often want to sleep.
More detailed information about children's giardiasis is offered to us by Dr. Komarovsky in the next video.
A rare manifestation of giardiasis is the appearance of a small-spotted rash on the skin. This happens quite rarely. This situation is associated with the peculiarity of the child's immune response to the parasite. The cells of the immune system "recognize" the parasite and begin to activate a whole complex of different systemic defense reactions designed to eliminate microbes from the body. At this time, all the symptoms of intoxication appear.
Classically, with giardiasis, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract occur. With prolonged infection, this can also lead to the development of chronic enteritis or colitis. Treatment in such cases is prescribed only by a doctor. There are special algorithms and tables that can successfully cure giardiasis and restore immunity in a baby.
The diet
Prescribing a diet for giardiasis is important and necessary for treatment. To eliminate functional disorders that arise as a result of lesions of the lamblia organs of the gastrointestinal tract, therapeutic nutrition will help.
At the same time, all products are divided into those that are absolutely safe, and those that can aggravate the condition and harm the child's body.
What does the diet mean when infected with lamblia?
If the baby is still infancy, you should temporarily stop breastfeeding. It is better in this case to switch to adapted nutritional formulas. They will help restore bowel function and strengthen the child's immunity. In this case, doctors prescribe treatment at once - for both mother and baby.
If a baby with giardiasis has a small-spotted rash on the skin, you should think about hypoallergenic nutrition. Such a reaction on the part of the body speaks of the maximum tension of the immune system. If you give your baby food with high allergenic properties, you can significantly aggravate the course of the disease and even translate it into a chronic form. Limit all brightly colored berries and fruits in favor of white or green plants. They have a much lower allergenic potential and practically do not cause allergic reactions.
Nutrition should be balanced in terms of daily calorie intake and distribution of essential nutrients. 40-45% is allocated for proteins, 50% for carbohydrates, the rest for healthy fats. Among carbohydrates, 10% is the share of fast carbohydrates. This includes healthy "snacks" and dried fruits. Slow carbohydrates are found in all grains and pasta.
Adequate drinking of water and healthy drinks. These include all kinds of fruit drinks and compotes made from berries and dried fruits. You can make decoctions of herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile and lingonberry are great.
All cooked food should be well chopped and thermally processed. If your baby has a tendency to constipation, give preference to cereals and vegetables high in vegetable fiber. With diarrhea for breakfast, a child can cook well-boiled rice porridge in water with blueberry juice. This will be a great start to the day and will help stop frequent bowel movements.
Eliminate all foods that are fried or grilled. Do not allow your child to eat whole cuts of meat or poultry. It is too heavy food for the baby's stomach.
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A pediatrician should help draw up the right menu for a child with giardiasis. He will offer mom special recommendations that will help diversify the menu for the baby and speed up recovery.
Healthy foods:
- All kinds of cereals from different grains, multi-grain cereals. Cereals contain a lot of useful fiber, vegetable protein, as well as B vitamins and numerous trace elements. This promotes healing and repair of the damaged intestinal wall. In the acute period, it is better to cook porridge well. For babies in the first year of life, additionally grind food through a sieve.
- Fruits and vegetables. They are high in fiber and vitamins. Vitamins help restore the defenses of the immune system, and fiber draws harmful bacterial toxins and unnecessary ballast substances from the intestines.
- Freshly prepared fermented milk products. Give preference to kefir, yogurt or curd.
- Meat, poultry, or lean fish. They are the basis of nutrition when prescribing a diet. It is better to cook dishes from rolled minced meat (especially after the onset of the disease).
What foods to exclude from the menu for successful treatment
- For a speedy recovery from giardiasis, you should completely exclude canned and pickled foods. Spicy and acidic foods contribute to additional trauma to the inflamed intestinal wall.
- Foods cooked industrially, fast food and fried food also banned. Such food not only contributes to the progression of the disease, but also has a damaging effect on the liver. Decreases the function of the liver to neutralize bacterial toxins. This leads to an increase in the symptoms of intoxication.
- Should be excluded all hot seasonings and spices. Onions, garlic, radishes - all this is contraindicated during lambliasis infection. Only a little salt can be added to dishes. The sweet ones are sugar, a little vanilla and cinnamon. It is allowed to add 1 bay leaf or fresh herbs to soups. Black pepper in any form is prohibited.
Prescribing a diet in the treatment of giardiasis is a very important factor. If all the rules of medical nutrition are observed and only permitted products are consumed, the damaged intestine is quickly restored and the symptoms of infection are eliminated.
