Beware of diaper rash in children due to diarrhea

This article was professionally consulted with Doctor I Nguyen Huu Nam - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

Diaper rash caused by diarrhea is one of the complications that parents often neglect. If not treated promptly, the rash can spread, become more sever,e and cause other dangerous complications.

1. What is diaper rash due to diarrhea?

Diarrhea is a very common digestive disease in children, with the risk of causing many complications and easily leading to death in many areas, most of which are developing countries. The disease can occur at any age, however, severe diarrhea often occurs in children under 2 years old. To treat diarrhea, it is necessary to combine medication, fluid replacement, and a reasonable diet.

A complication that parents often have a subjective mentality about this disease is diaper rash due to diarrhea. This is a condition in which the skin around the child's anus becomes inflamed and red during the time the child has diarrhea, so it is necessary to detect it promptly to have a way to treat and care for the diaper rash properly, avoiding ulcers, urinary tract infections, and more seriously, sepsis.

According to many statistics, diaper rash is more common in children under 3 years old and boys are more susceptible than girls. Diarrhea-induced diaper rash is more likely in children who have more than 10 diarrhea episodes within 24 hours. In addition, bottle-fed babies or parents who use diapers incorrectly can also cause diaper rash during the time the child has diarrhea. Because the anus is an area that is not directly exposed, it is difficult to observe and detect diaper rash early.


Diarrhea-induced diaper rash is more common in children under 3 years old
Diarrhea-induced diaper rash is more common in children under 3 years old

2.  Causes of diaper rash due to diarrhea

The reason why diarrhea causes diaper rash is because the skin around the child's anus is in frequent contact with irritants. When the child has diarrhea, if not cleaned properly, the skin around the anus will be in a wet state with the child's feces and urine. In the child's feces and urine, there are microorganisms, intestinal enzymes, and ammonia, which are agents that irritate the skin, causing diaper rash, redness, and over time, skin ulcers.

In addition, children have thin, sensitive skin, and the skin's ability to protect against inflammatory substances is very low, creating favorable conditions for diaper rash due to diarrhea. In the case of using diapers incorrectly or choosing diapers that are too tight for the child, the anal skin will be rubbed, causing diaper rash due to diarrhea.

Some clinical manifestations of diaper rash due to diarrhea are:

  • Acute diarrhea causing diaper rash: Children often have diaper rash after 2-5 days of diarrhea, at this time the skin around the anus is red, ulcerated, watery, pus or blood. Children often feel pain when defecating, cry many times a day, suckle poorly, and sleep little.
  • Infected diaper rash: At this time the diaper rash becomes ulcerated, pus forms along with some other systemic manifestations such as high fever, pus appearing for a long time.
  • Extensive diaper rash: Diarrhea spreads to the groin area on both sides and the external genitalia of the child, ulcers appear, watery discharge, the child has a urinary tract infection causing some urinary disorders such as burning urination, painful urination, difficult urination... with typical signs of infection such as fever.

Diarrhea diaper rash is a condition that occurs after the child has diarrhea
Diarrhea diaper rash is a condition that occurs after the child has diarrhea

3. Treating diaper rash

If diaper rash is mild, with only red rashes in the first few days after the diarrhea has stopped, you can apply diaper rash cream to smooth the skin around the anus, fight inflammation and specifically treat the rashes. Some types of diaper rash cream that can be used during this period are Sudocrem, Bepanthen, Skinbibi... In addition, parents also need to pay attention to cleaning the anal area regularly, drying after the child has cleaned and keeping the child's private area dry, especially before applying diaper rash cream. The medicine usually shows clear results after about 1-2 days of using the medicine.

If the rash is severe and progresses to ulcers, diaper rash cream will no longer be effective. At this time, it is necessary to use drugs with strong antibacterial properties to treat the ulcers.

In cases where diaper rash does not respond to antibacterial drugs, the child should be taken to a hospital with a dermatology department for examination and diagnosis of the severity of the disease, from which anti-inflammatory topical medications combined with appropriate doses of antibiotics will be prescribed. Diarrhea-induced diaper rash is a condition that occurs after a child has diarrhea. If not treated promptly, it can cause infection and other dangerous systemic complications. As soon as parents notice unusual symptoms in their child, they should take their child to a hospital with dermatology expertise for early diagnosis and treatment.

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