Warning signs of gastritis in children parents need to know

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master. Doctor Nguyen Thi An - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.
Gastritis is a digestive tract disease that almost any child has ever had. Because the symptoms of gastritis in children are different from those of adults, parents often do not notice it. Prolonged gastritis will cause children to have gastrointestinal bleeding or even stomach cancer. Pay attention to the following warning signs of gastritis in children!

1. Note 6 symptoms of gastritis in children

1.1. Baby anorexia, anorexia When gastritis, the baby will slow to gain weight because of anorexia, lazy to eat, especially frequent vomiting. Parents often think that their children pretend to vomit to avoid having to eat and push even harder to make their child's stomach disease worse. This not only adversely affects the physical development, but also psychological damage of the child.

1.2. Children often have abdominal pain Parents often confuse frequent abdominal pain with stomach ache and then subjectively do not take their child to the doctor. According to statistics, in 60% of children hospitalized due to gastritis, half of them have abdominal pain lasting more than 3 months without treatment, leading to stomach ulcers, gastric perforation, bleeding. stomach,...
Therefore, you need to be careful when your child has erratic, recurrent abdominal pain and usually before or after eating. The location of stomach pain in children is also different from that of adults: pain is above or around the navel. The pain often occurs at night, wakes the child up, persists or is intense for several tens of minutes to hours.
1.3. Bloating and heartburn are common signs of gastritis in children, so babies will have a hard time describing this symptom, especially children under 2 years old. At the same time, the acid in the stomach backs up into the esophagus and throat, causing the baby to cough, burp, and burp. If not treated early, your baby can develop severe stomach ulcers that bleed.

1.4. Baby often vomits, sometimes vomits blood As mentioned, vomiting is one of the common stomach pain symptoms in children, usually in children under 2 years old. Due to frequent vomiting, the baby's ability to absorb nutrients will be poor, leading to slow weight gain and malnutrition. When the disease is more severe, gastritis will cause blood vessel bleeding, causing the baby to vomit blood, if not treated promptly, it will be life-threatening.
1.5. The baby has black or bloody stool Statistics show that more than 50% of the children admitted to the hospital due to stomach bleeding have black or bloody stools. However, due to the habit of Vietnamese parents, we do not often observe the child's stool, so it is difficult to note the child's stomach disease from an early age.
1.6. Pale, or dizzy Some children develop peptic ulcers and bleeding that persists for days, leading to vascular damage worse than chronic anemia.
Some other signs you should pay attention to when your child has gastritis :
Pale skin, pale mucous membranes Pale white palms and feet Fatigue, often dizzy Baby can't concentrate As soon as you see the signs If there are abnormal signs above, parents should take their children to see a doctor immediately to be examined and consulted about the exact disease they are suffering from.

2. Causes of gastritis in children

2.1. Due to bacterial and viral infections The most basic cause of gastritis in children is HP infection. Helicobacter pylori is one of the few bacteria that can survive in the stomach lining of patients. When entering the body, HP bacteria cause many problems for the digestive system, including gastritis.

2.2. Inappropriate use of drugs for treatment of diseases can lead to stomach ulcers in both adults and children due to irritation.
2.3. Unscientific diet Children's stomachs are weaker than adults, children's stomach lining is easily irritated. Therefore, when exposed to acidic, spicy, and carbonated foods for a long time, the stomach lining of the baby will easily become inflamed and cause dangerous diseases.
2.4. Stress, prolonged stress Stress, stress is also one of the main causes of digestive tract diseases. For children, stress caused by pressure to study for exams makes them more likely to fall into a state of depression and fatigue. In addition to the continuous study, erratic eating at school will cause gastritis in children.

3. Prevention of gastritis in children

Always pay attention to hygiene for children's body, especially to wash hands thoroughly before eating and after going to the toilet. Let children use their own personal items: sharing personal items will spread many diseases, including gastroenteritis. Children should not be allowed to play or play in dirty landfills because that is a dirty environment, containing a lot of pathogens that easily attack children and cause disease. Always make sure that food for children is cooked well, well preserved, and should not be eaten raw. Drinking water for children must be boiled and cooled to eliminate pathogens, if any. Pay attention to adequate nutrition for children so that children develop healthy, improve resistance and reduce the risk of gastroenteritis in children. If you notice signs of gastritis in children such as bloating, heartburn, indigestion, etc., parents need to quickly take their children to reputable medical facilities for examination and treatment. One of the addresses that is always trusted is the international general hospitals of Vinmec system nationwide. This is one of the leading hospitals in the country in terms of examination, diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, especially in infants and young children. With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with the dedication from doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, the examination and treatment will no longer be a concern of parents.
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