Young children vomiting a lot without fever: What to do?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with Master, Doctor Tran Mai Phuong - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

1. What causes children to vomit?

Vomiting occurs when there is a stimulus to the vomiting center in the brain such as food poisoning, infection or medication, movement. Vomiting is often beneficial, as it helps the body get rid of potentially harmful substances from the body.

2. Identify some diseases causing vomiting symptoms in children

Some diseases can cause children to vomit a lot without fever without going out or cause children to vomit continuously such as:
2.1 Gastroenteritis and food poisoning It is difficult to distinguish between viral gastroenteritis/ Bacteria and food poisoning because these conditions often have a similar onset of illness: the child may vomit profusely, the child may vomit continuously every 5 - 30 minutes for the first 1 - 12 hours. However, there are also some distinguishing signs such as:
For viral infections, the disease has a sudden onset, vomiting, high fever and abdominal pain. Vomiting can last from 12 to 72 hours. Diarrhea usually appears on the first day of infection or the second day.
Children who have vomiting a lot without fever may be suspected to be caused by food poisoning, the disease begins 2-12 hours after the child eats poor quality food. Children with food poisoning usually do not have a fever. Vomiting usually occurs a few hours after eating at a restaurant or at a picnic, usually does not last more than 12 hours, and may or may not be accompanied by diarrhea. If the child has a high fever or the vomiting lasts more than 12 hours, it is less likely to be due to food poisoning.
2.2 Urinary tract infection If the child has a high fever for several days and is sometimes accompanied by vomiting, burning pain when urinating or the child's urine has an unpleasant odor, parents need to consider this cause.
2.3 Intestinal Obstruction This disease occurs when a child's intestines are blocked. Although this is a rare condition, it is very dangerous and needs emergency treatment as soon as possible. The key symptom of bowel obstruction is severe abdominal pain. If the child has only moderate abdominal pain or no pain, do not think much of the cause of intestinal obstruction.
Symptoms of bowel obstruction include: sudden, severe, constant or intermittent abdominal pain; the child vomits greenish-yellow bile, often vomiting (optional); children without symptoms of defecation; pale, sweaty skin; illness is getting worse.
2.4 Intussusception Children under 4 years old suddenly vomiting, no fever but not wanting to drink, abdominal pain cannot defecate can be a sign of intussusception and need emergency treatment. The accompanying manifestation is that the baby often bends his legs towards the abdomen, the body is pale, there may be blood in the stool, the stool is loose.
2.5 Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis In rare cases, if a baby between 3 to 5 weeks old suddenly starts vomiting violently, repeatedly, it should be alerted to pyloric stenosis (the last part of the stomach). - where it joins the duodenum). The baby will repeat the cycle of sucking-vomiting-hungry and usually no fever.
2.6 Gastroesophageal reflux Baby breastfed babies often spit up, vomit or show signs of stimulation wanting to vomit but can't, most likely the baby has gastroesophageal reflux. In some cases, children spit up a lot of milk and forcefully.

3. The child vomits many times a day, what to do?

3.1 Watch for Signs of Dehydration Dehydration can occur when a child vomits and vomits. Signs of mild dehydration include: Mildly dry lips, extreme thirst. Children with mild dehydration do not need to go to the doctor right away, but need to watch for signs of more severe dehydration including: dry lips, crying without tears, not urinating within 6 hours, sunken eyes, this time needs to go to the doctor immediately.
3.2 Diet Need to continue to give the child easy-to-digest foods, continue to breastfeed if the child is still nursing, can divide the meals and eat slowly, feed the child on demand, avoid forcing the child to eat too much. After meals, children should be moved gently, avoid making them cry or laugh too much, which can also cause vomiting.
3.3 Rehydration Use Oresol solution diluted according to the instructions on the package. Oresol solution does not make vomiting worse, helps prevent and treat dehydration due to diseases. If the child refuses to drink or vomits immediately after drinking oresol solution, parents need to closely monitor for symptoms of more severe dehydration and give it again after 10 minutes.
3.4 Lying with the head up Elevating the baby's head will help reduce reflux. Avoid factors that increase intra-abdominal pressure, such as wearing clothing that is too tight.
3.5 Prevention of spread In case a child vomits due to a virus, a contagious germ, parents need to be careful when taking care of the child, to avoid spreading the infection to themselves, family members and friends. Wash your hands often and keep the child at home until the child has stopped vomiting for 24 hours.

4. When to take your child to the doctor

Take your child to the doctor right away if any of the following signs are present:
The child vomits bile (blue) or blood (red or brown) Vomiting in an infant Young child vomiting lasts more than 24 hours The child does not eat or Not able to drink for a few hours The child shows signs of dehydration: dry lips, crying without tears, not urinating for 6 hours Child has a lot of abdominal pain Fever > 38.4oC for more than 3 days or go to the doctor as soon as the child has a fever > 39oC The child is lethargic. , somnolence Depending on the symptoms associated with vomiting in children, parents make judgments and handle them. If the child vomits but still plays and eats normally, parents can let the baby monitor at home while rehydrating the baby with water and electrolytes. But if the baby has other unusual symptoms such as abdominal pain, loss of appetite, lethargy, etc., it should be taken to the hospital immediately.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiency causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption,... If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
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