What to do if a child has pain in the stomach: how to treat the stomach at home?
When a child has pain in the stomach area, determining the cause of the alarming symptom is not so easy. Sometimes it happens that the pain goes away as suddenly as it started, and a visit to a specialist can be postponed until the next day. If diarrhea, high fever or vomiting are added to the pain, you should alleviate the baby’s condition and call an ambulance. This precaution can save the child from serious complications and even death.
Consequences of elevated temperature
If you do not pay attention to the accompanying symptoms of gastritis, hoping that everything will go away on its own, you can progress the disease to such an extent that it develops into an ulcer. With a prolonged increase in body temperature, brain neurons are gradually destroyed, and the patient develops neurological problems, in addition to the main symptoms of gastritis.
You cannot use drugs such as ACC or Theraflu, as they have a number of side effects that will provoke the transition of the acute phase of the disease to a chronic form
Even if the temperature during gastritis remains at 37°C, this is not normal. You should pay attention to this condition and respond appropriately to it. Only competent treatment from an experienced doctor will give positive results.
You may be interested in: Loss of smell and taste causes.
Why do children experience abdominal pain?
When a pathological process develops in the digestive system, pain is accompanied by other symptoms - green, foul-smelling diarrhea and high fever, indicating a serious intestinal infection. This condition threatens dehydration.
Children 8 years of age and older may experience heartburn, which is characterized by stomach pain. Although currently this problem also occurs in children of the first year of life.
With constipation, the child complains of abdominal pain. They can be mild or strong. In advanced cases, nausea appears. Also, abdominal pain in a child occurs for the following reasons:
- Gastritis, which has several varieties. If the disease is not treated, it becomes chronic, which is not so easy to cure. This pathology occurs in children aged 8 years and older.
- Stomach upset caused by pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, or consumption of stale foods. Pain and gurgling in the abdomen are accompanied by diarrhea and other symptoms.
- When tapeworms or roundworms enter a baby’s body, he complains of sharp pain in the stomach.
- With long-term, asymptomatic infection with Helicobacter pylori infection, in 7 out of 10 cases the child develops a stomach ulcer.
- After surgery on the gastrointestinal tract, the mucous membrane is injured. During the healing of the sutures, the child experiences stomach pain - this is normal. If the pain does not disappear after the stitches have dissolved, you should consult a specialist.
- An extremely dangerous disease is appendicitis. When a child complains of pain in the right hypochondrium, you need to monitor his condition.
Why does the temperature rise
If your temperature rises with gastritis, this indicates the presence of an acute inflammatory process. Additional reasons why it may increase:
- If the patient suffers from nausea and constant vomiting, this sometimes leads to hyperthermia.
- The patient's gastric acidity increased sharply, causing severe irritation of the mucous membrane.
- On the contrary, his acid production decreased, so bacteria that found themselves in a favorable environment began to multiply quickly (this does not apply to Helicobacter pylori bacteria).
- Children and some adults experience low-grade fevers due to extreme stress. The cause of unrest may be inflammation of the stomach, pain.
For acute gastritis
Hypothermia with gastritis is often observed in the acute form of the disease. A number of symptoms appear: acute pain, nausea, vomiting, belching, diarrhea, etc. If the disease is severe or is accompanied by other pathologies, this can cause the temperature to rise to 37 degrees.
This indicates a strong inflammatory process, but most often indicates an infection. Our body often reacts in this way to bacteria or viruses. Therefore, in case of inflammation of the stomach, it is possible to detect the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. If you caught it not so long ago, and this is a primary infection, then the temperature can be higher, up to 38 degrees. This is how the immune system reacted to this bacterium.
In most cases, the temperature rises with acute gastritis, which is caused by:
- Presence of food poisoning. Pathogenic microorganisms began to multiply rapidly, and intoxication of the body began.
- Severe chemical burn to the stomach. If the stomach has been damaged by poison, acid, or alkali, the mucous membrane suffers greatly because of this.
- The patient has a phlegmonous form of gastritis, when its purulent inflammation began.
Even if you are sure that you have gastritis, consultation with a specialist is necessary. This symptom may indicate not only that the mucous membrane is inflamed, but also that the formation of an ulcer has begun or other complications have appeared. The doctor will prescribe examinations for you and ask you to take tests.
If a child is sick and has all the symptoms listed above, he must be seen by a doctor. Therefore, when your temperature rises due to acute gastritis, do not delay your visit to the clinic.
For chronic gastritis
If inflammation of the gastric mucosa lasts for a long time, then we are talking about chronic gastritis. Its symptoms are: constant nausea, heartburn, a feeling of heaviness that occurs after a snack, and aching pain. With chronic gastritis, the patient sometimes has a low-grade fever, that is, it does not rise very much, most often for several days.
Why does the temperature rise:
- The patient refused the diet or ate incorrectly.
- Hyperthermia appeared due to alcohol abuse or smoking.
- The patient was taking medications.
- He went through a lot of stress.
- Toxic substances entered the body and began to irritate the mucous membranes.
Symptoms of diseases
To distinguish an ordinary ailment from a serious pathological phenomenon, you should familiarize yourself with the symptoms of diseases that cause stomach pain.
In addition to the general manifestations - heartburn, nausea, vomiting, stool disorders - each pathology has its own characteristics. Each type of gastritis has its own specific manifestations, but there are also common ones characteristic of each of them:
- pain of varying intensity in the upper abdomen;
- heaviness in the stomach;
- heartburn, especially during physical activity or bending over;
- belching;
- bad breath;
- anemia, hypovitaminosis;
- the child is pale, his tongue is coated with a gray-white coating.
Stomach upset differs from intestinal upset in that it occurs without flatulence and is not accompanied by diarrhea. If the child still has diarrhea, it means that we are talking about poisoning or another disorder that has common symptoms.
You can become infected with parasites in utero, from pets, by eating low-quality foods, or by not following hygiene rules. The main signs of worms in children (5 symptoms are enough to suspect infection):
- low body weight;
- itching in the anus;
- grinding teeth, drooling during sleep;
- caries;
- morning sickness;
- pain in the navel area;
- stool disorders;
- insatiable appetite or, conversely, its complete absence;
- blueness under the eyes against a background of general pallor;
- small rash on thighs, forearms.
With a stomach ulcer, a child experiences abdominal pain. It is localized in the navel area, spreads throughout the abdomen, and radiates to the back. Sometimes the pain gets better after eating. Manifestations of stomach ulcers in children:
- bowel movements, constipation;
- dizziness, tachycardia;
- lethargy, apathy;
- sleep disorders, shuddering;
- temperature fluctuations from 35C to 38C.
With appendicitis, it is important to respond to an attack in a timely manner. The first signs of pathology in a child:
- mild pain in the navel area or 5 cm above;
- Over time, the pain intensifies and moves down to the right side;
- the child becomes lethargic and weakens;
- the temperature rises;
- nausea and frequent vomiting begins;
- the child cries, refuses his favorite food;
- touching the tummy causes screaming and tears.
How to lower your temperature
If the temperature starts to rise, what should you do? It is advisable to start treating the underlying disease. When it comes to complications that occur with a stomach or duodenal ulcer, you need to immediately call an ambulance or take the patient to the hospital yourself. In other cases, the temperature with gastritis is not dangerous, most often it is low, about 37 degrees, in rare cases it rises to 38. Therefore, it does not need to be reduced. As soon as the inflammatory process subsides, body temperature during exacerbation of gastritis will subside on its own. The disease itself must be treated, not the symptom.
Can I take antipyretic drugs? No you can not. Almost all such medications are prohibited if severe inflammation occurs in the organs of the digestive system. They will make the situation worse. Even such popular medications as Paracetamol and Aspirin can negatively affect the mucous membrane. It is also not recommended to drink cold teas that contain this medicine. What is best to give to the patient, how to bring down the temperature in this case?
Traditional methods
- Cranberry tea can be drunk for gastritis of the stomach with low acidity (if well tolerated). To prepare it, take a few berries, mash them until you get a puree, and add boiling water. Don't drink tea hot.
- Honey can also be eaten when the temperature rises, but remember that it promotes the production of gastric juice. You cannot eat more than 150 g of honey per day. To reduce heat, dilute 1 tbsp in a glass of water. l. honey and drink it. Remember that this product should not be used for acute pancreatitis, so if you are in doubt about which gastrointestinal disease caused the temperature, do not use this remedy.
- Linden tea has a diaphoretic and antipyretic effect. It stimulates the production of gastric juice, so it is allowed only with low acidity. Follow the dosage. For an adult - this is 1 tbsp. l., and for a child - 1 tsp. per day (dry linden blossom). If you drink too much, and even if you have problems with the nervous system, this tea has an stimulating effect and provokes insomnia. To brew this healthy tea, pour linden blossom with hot water, but not boiling water (90-95 degrees), wrap in a towel and leave for 30 minutes.
- It is not recommended to drink viburnum infusion if you have an ulcer. The berry contains a lot of organic acids, which lead to increased acidity. Therefore, it is recommended to take it for gastritis with low acidity. To prepare it, you need to take a handful of viburnum and a handful of rose hips, pour 2 tbsp. boiling water Leave to infuse for 2 or 3 hours. Hypotensive patients should not drink this infusion, because viburnum lowers blood pressure. This berry is not recommended for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Let's summarize. If your temperature rises, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this is not a good symptom, unless, of course, it has risen due to concomitant diseases. It is necessary to treat gastritis. You don’t have to reduce the fever, especially since it rarely goes above 38 degrees. You should not use antipyretics; you can drink healthy teas or infusions if there are no contraindications. When the inflammation of the mucous membrane passes, the temperature will subside on its own.
The inflammatory process in the body is always accompanied by elevated body temperature. Gastritis is no exception. In the chronic course of the disease, the temperature is normal, but in the acute form it may increase. The appearance of heat, chills or fever is associated with the nature of gastritis and the distinctive features of the body.
Medicines for abdominal pain in a child
Before giving your child a pain pill, it is important to determine the cause of the pain. In some cases, this measure may worsen the patient’s condition and complicate diagnosis.
Only if it is known for sure that the stomach hurts due to constipation, excessive gas formation, swallowing air or other functional disorders, can the child be treated at home:
- Products containing digestive enzymes help with pain in the upper abdomen. These include Festal, Mezim.
- Drugs that stimulate the movement of intestinal contents and eliminate flatulence can be given if the middle or lower abdomen hurts (Riabal, Buscopan).
- Will relieve the feeling of fullness in the gastrointestinal tract Filtrum, Espumisan.
- To avoid dysbiosis, you can give your child drugs to maintain intestinal microflora: Linex, Bifiform.
Before giving your child medicine, you should read the instructions and calculate the exact dosage. Particular attention should be paid to contraindications so as not to harm the child’s body.
Folk remedies
More and more people are using traditional medicine for treatment, which is not inferior in its effectiveness to traditional medicines. The following recipes will help relieve your baby of abdominal pain:
- Boil the rose hips until you get a rich red broth, add 1 pc. ground black pepper. Drink before eating.
- Grind the dandelions in a blender and mix with honey. Pour boiling water over it, add a lavender leaf and a few gooseberries. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour 25 ml of vegetable oil into the water, add mint, fennel and cook for 30 minutes. Cool and give the child something to drink before eating.
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to consult a specialist. Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor will select the most effective and safe prescription.
Prevention of abdominal pain in children
There are too many reasons leading to stomach pain in children, so it is impossible to give a specific list of preventive measures. In any case, parents must follow basic rules to protect their baby from this unpleasant symptom:
- strictly observe hygiene;
- eat only washed vegetables and fruits;
- monitor the diet, including foods that are healthy for the child’s body;
- exclude unhealthy foods and drinks: soda, smoked foods, fast foods, etc.;
- strengthen the immune system.
Source of the article: https://rosmedplus.ru/simptomy/jkt/u-rebenka-bolit-zheludok-chto-delat.html
Optimal food temperature - conclusions
Some nutritionists claim that the colder the food, the faster it is digested, others say the opposite. The results of recent foreign studies indicate that the speed of digestion is practically independent of the initial temperature of the dish. The main process of digestion occurs in the small intestine. And whatever the initial temperature of the food, by the time it enters the intestines from the stomach it will correspond to body temperature.
Enzymes in gastric juice function actively at 36-37 °C, so food at this temperature begins to be digested immediately. Hot or cold food entering the stomach reaches 37 °C within 15-20 minutes. The time required to cool or heat food does not significantly affect the duration of digestion.
Food stays in the stomach for at least 3 hours. It is soaked in hydrochloric acid, treated with enzymes, crushed and transformed into a semi-liquid mass - chyme. The speed of digestion is individual for each person. It depends on the activity of enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract, the acidity of the stomach, the composition of the food, but not on its initial temperature. The size of the pyloric sphincter at the exit from the stomach does not exceed 3 mm, so poorly digested food cannot pass through it into the intestines.
So, the initial temperature of the food does not affect the rate of digestion. Foods and drinks whose temperature differs slightly from body temperature are healthy and comfortable. The optimal temperature for dishes eaten hot is 40-45 °C, drinks - up to 50 °C, cold - not lower than 10 °C. Occasionally you can go beyond these limits. Excessive addiction to cold and hot has a negative impact on health.
A child has a high temperature and a stomach ache: what is the cause of the pain and how to bring down the fever?
Infants are highly susceptible to environmental conditions and their bodies quickly respond to any changes. Since pathological processes in children develop much more rapidly than in adults, parents should be attentive to the condition of the baby in order to recognize the symptoms in time and begin treatment.
Dangerous combinations of signs of the disease include high fever and abdominal pain. With such symptoms, it is important to immediately show the baby to a pediatrician to find out the cause. Trying to independently diagnose and treat the disease is fraught with serious complications for the child’s health.
How to recognize abdominal pain in infants?
To do this, parents must understand in time that the baby is in critical condition and requires medical attention.
If you complain of abdominal pain against the background of changes in temperature, whether it rises to 39 degrees or drops to 35, you should immediately consult a doctor. If the following symptoms appear in infants, you should always call an ambulance:
- vomiting and diarrhea in a child under three months of age;
- there is a gag reflex, but there are no bowel movements;
- blood appears in vomit or bowel movements;
- tension in the abdominal muscle tissue;
- sudden attacks of pain;
- The baby is breathing frequently and intermittently.
Particular attention should be paid to the appearance of such symptoms when undergoing a course of oncology treatment and after a recent abdominal injury. Infants are not yet able to communicate that their tummy hurts, so they constantly cry and curl their legs. It is possible to understand that their tummy is bothering them only through palpation and a corresponding acute response from the baby to the procedure.
First signs and development of symptoms
The occurrence of abdominal discomfort early in life in infants is not unusual.
This is a natural state, as the stomach is in the process of getting used to new food. Frequent pain in the umbilical region is a sign of a malfunction of the digestive system. Only a specialist can determine the factor that provokes pain. The entry of bacteria into the body that the child has not encountered before can cause diarrhea in the child. This also does not go beyond the norm. Normalization of stool occurs within 4 days. If the symptom appears longer than this period, a pathological process may develop - monitoring by a doctor is required.
Is it possible to bring down an elevated temperature due to gastritis?
It is a common belief that elevated temperatures do not need to be brought down. They say this is a manifestation of the immune system’s fight against infection. But gastritis is almost never provoked by viruses and bacteria. Its root causes are functional in nature. Therefore, it makes no sense to keep temperatures at a high level for a long time.
Another problem is that with gastritis the temperature is difficult to control. The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. When medications enter the body, they are not absorbed by the intestinal walls and do not have the desired effect at all. The problem can be solved, but in a hospital setting.
The doctor will tell you how to lower the temperature with gastritis and why this is important.
The doctor conducts the necessary examinations, making sure that gastritis has not yet turned into an ulcer, and that tumor processes are not developing in the gastrointestinal tract. When treating any illness, it is important to find its root cause. Then the treatment will be effective.
If the patient does not listen to the doctor’s recommendations and ignores his instructions, especially in matters of nutritional correction, then one should not expect a positive result. The temperature will not decrease because there is an uncontrolled, sluggish inflammatory process in the body. The more advanced the patient’s condition, the more difficult and lengthy the treatment will be. There is no need to take a disease such as gastritis lightly. From its consequences you can remain disabled or say goodbye to life altogether. Watch your health if you do not want this outcome.
Reasons that cause abdominal pain and high fever in a child
Abdominal pain accompanied by an increase in temperature always signals some kind of disease. It could be:
- Appendicitis. The child does not allow his belly to be touched. At the very beginning, the pain is felt in the navel, then moves to the right side. A thermometer can show a temperature of forty degrees, but it happens that temperature readings remain within normal limits. Possible vomiting.
- Peritonitis. It is characterized by rapid development. Temperature 40 and pain in the entire abdominal area.
- Acute diverticulitis. Fever, vomiting, and constipation are observed. The pain affects the umbilical region or suprapubic region.
- Acute cholecystitis. The gallbladder becomes inflamed. The abdomen hurts on the upper right side, the pain may radiate to the lower back or right arm. The abdomen is swollen and hard, there is a coating on the tongue and bile in the stool.
- Acute pancreatitis. The pancreas becomes inflamed. Symptoms: girdle pain, fever, dry mucous membranes, pale skin, diarrhea and frequent vomiting.
- Intestinal infection. At elevated temperatures, severe vomiting and diarrhea are observed. The danger is dehydration.
- Viral or bacterial infections. Fever and abdominal pain can occur with sore throat, measles, whooping cough or acute respiratory infections. The pain intensifies when the child takes a breath.
Increased temperature in acute and chronic form
The chronic course of the disease should not raise temperatures, even if the patient smokes, does not follow a regular diet, or is exposed to stress. But the presence of hyperthermia in chronic gastritis indicates that the disease has entered the acute stage and requires therapy. In addition, fever in the chronic course of the pathology is due to other reasons.
- Hypoacid or atrophic gastritis “gives” high numbers after eating high-calorie food that the stomach cannot digest. He lacks enzymes for this, since the enzymatic function of the mucous membrane is reduced.
- Hyperacid gastritis, due to the high content of hydrochloric acid, provokes an inflammatory process and death of epithelial cells of the stomach wall. This causes temperature fluctuations.
- Fever against the background of erosive gastritis is a dangerous phenomenon, as it may mean the development of internal bleeding.
The acute course of the pathology is caused by both external and internal causes (poisoning, abdominal trauma, exacerbation of chronic processes). But high rates may not be from gastritis, but from pathologies developing in parallel with it:
- acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas);
- gastrointestinal bleeding;
- hepatic colic;
- acute cholecystitis;
- perforated ulcer;
- stomach phlegmon;
- stomach tumors.
Helpful information. These are quite serious diseases, the timely detection of which will help prevent progression. Therefore, you should not try to reduce the temperature on your own, and if it appears, you should seek medical help.
Additional symptoms and diagnosis
A high asymptomatic temperature in a child or abdominal pain may go away on its own. In order to recognize the problem in time and diagnose a dangerous disease, special attention should be paid to additional symptoms:
- presence of bloating;
- changes in skin and facial color;
- the color of feces and urine, as well as the presence of impurities in them;
- duration of symptom manifestation.
Diagnostics includes examination, recording of all complaints, studying the baby’s vital activity for 1–2 days before symptoms appear to narrow the range of causes of the problem. This is followed by testing and laboratory testing of the obtained material.
First aid and treatment
There are situations when it is impossible to do without calling an ambulance and subsequent hospitalization. However, often a child with stomach pain, indigestion and fever is not in critical condition. It is enough just to visit a doctor so that he can identify the cause and prescribe treatment.
Before consulting with a specialist, you can provide first aid to your child to make him feel better and reduce the severity of unpleasant symptoms:
- Constipation. Fermented milk products such as kefir, yogurt or fermented baked milk, as well as beets and vegetable soup will help cleanse the intestines.
- Diarrhea. Oatmeal and chicken broth with breadcrumbs, dried apricots and dried fruit compote will help you cope with it. You need to give up flour and sweets for a while. A glycerin suppository also gives a positive effect, and is a safe method for the baby. “Linex” or “Laktovit” reliably eliminate the consequences of disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Flatulence. Eliminate trigger foods from your diet, such as raw milk or legumes.
- Bloating. Espumisan or Disflatil will help babies with bloating.
- Pain after eating. “Festal” or “Mezim” will improve digestion due to the content of enzymes.
In what cases does the temperature rise during inflammation of the stomach?
The main causes of fever in acute gastritis:
- Infectious process. A temperature reaction occurs in response to the penetration of a pathogenic microbe into the digestive tract. In this case, inflammation usually develops not only in the stomach, but also in the intestines. The temperature rises to 38˚C, and sometimes higher.
- Autoimmune gastritis , associated with impaired immunity and the production of antibodies against the body's own cells, is usually accompanied by an increase in temperature to low-grade levels.
- Chemical damage to the gastric mucosa . Under the aggressive action of acids, alkalis, and high doses of alcohol, processes of necrosis—tissue destruction—begin in the wall of the stomach. Against this background, toxic substances are released and body temperature rises.
- Aggressive eating or overeating. After consuming indigestible or irritating foods, inflammatory changes in the mucous membrane also begin, accompanied by a slight rise in body temperature to 37.5˚C.
Dangerous conditions: when do you need to see a doctor urgently?
Not every attack of abdominal pain in a child or a temperature above 38 degrees signals a dangerous pathology and a serious threat to the health and life of the baby.
Often it is enough to provide first aid to the child and not delay going to the hospital for consultation. However, there are symptoms and circumstances of the disease that require immediate medical attention, because lost time can negatively affect the future health of a small patient. Parents should immediately call an ambulance if they observe the following symptoms in their child:
- sharp and acute pain in the abdomen that lasts more than half an hour;
- high temperature, above 38–39 degrees, which persists and is not brought down by antipyretic drugs;
- the appearance of blood or spotting when vomiting, defecating, or urinating;
- prolonged vomiting that cannot be stopped on your own;
- chronic digestive disorders accompanied by constipation or diarrhea;
- prolonged diarrhea;
- fainting;
- breathing problems and shortness of breath;
- increasing pain syndrome;
- periodic appearance of wandering pain in the navel area.
Brief attacks of pain are usually caused by a malfunction of the digestive system, and long-term ones are a sign of inflammation. The above signs indicate a serious and serious problem that needs to be solved quickly and with the help of qualified specialists.
Hot food and drinks
If the temperature of a food or drink exceeds 50 °C, it is considered hot. Eating this kind of food every day has negative consequences:
- The risk of developing esophageal cancer increases. If you regularly drink tea at a temperature of 70 °C, the likelihood of getting sick increases 8 times. Thermal burns of the mucous membrane of the esophagus provoke cancer. In Iran, scientists examined cancer patients and found that 98% of them were hot tea drinkers.
- Burn of the mucous membrane of the lips, tongue, cheeks. The oral mucosa is very sensitive, even minor injuries cause severe pain. In Latin America, locals drink the hot tonic drink mate through a straw. The liquid, bypassing the oral cavity, immediately enters the esophagus.
- Destruction of tooth enamel. Under the influence of heat, microcracks form on the surface of the enamel.
How to determine the safe temperature of a drink without a thermometer:
- a glass of tea, colder than 60 °C can be held in your hands;
- food or drink hotter than 65 ° C burns the mucous membrane of the mouth.
Food whose temperature is not lower than 10 °C is safe for the body. Problems arise when you indulge in too cold dishes, which hurt your teeth:
- Inflammation of the back wall of the pharynx and tonsils. Under the influence of low temperature, opportunistic microorganisms of the oral cavity are activated, which leads to a sore throat.
- Damage to tooth enamel. Cold, like hot, is detrimental to enamel. Bacteria penetrate into microcracks and caries develops.
- Decreased performance. People who are forced to go without hot food for a long time feel worse.
Many nutritionists claim that the colder the food, the faster and worse it is digested. That's why all fast food places have cheap combo meals with ice-cold soda. And if you take the same dishes, but with coffee or hot tea, they will turn out to be much more expensive. Cold food causes faster gastric emptying and a person becomes hungry faster.
Thus, supposedly, fast food corporations profit - corporations that do not care that cold and poorly digested food will rot in the human intestines, forming excess weight, and also turning into toxins that contribute to various diseases. The main thing is that a quickly hungry visitor will come to the restaurant again.
Candidate of Medical Sciences, Professor Vitaly Lindenbraton decided to test such a theory while writing his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Materials and questions about the effect of heat on the body.” To do this, he set up an experiment. The volunteer ate very cold porridge, and research assistants used an X-ray machine to trace the path of food through the digestive tract.
It turned out that instead of the prescribed 2 hours, the porridge left the stomach after 20 minutes. This means that the marketers of fast food corporations are partly right. But how harmful is such cold food? From a medical point of view, food of any temperature entering the stomach begins to become saturated with gastric juice and gradually grind.
It enters the next section of the gastrointestinal tract - the duodenum - only if it is already sufficiently acidified and its pieces have a minimum diameter - no more than 2-3 mm. This means that this product has already acquired body temperature during the process and therefore is further digested in the intestines as much as usual.
It is believed that hot food is better digested in the stomach and intestines. However, according to the results of recent foreign studies, the speed of digestion is almost independent of the initial temperature of the food. The main process of digestion occurs in the small intestine, but by the time food arrives from the stomach, even if it was initially very hot, it will still correspond to body temperature.
But how does eating hot food affect the stomach itself? Recently, employees of the Iranian Institute for Research and Population Management studied the data of all its citizens who were diagnosed with gastric cancer. They found out that 98% of them are former hot tea drinkers. Moreover, they drank it approximately at a liquid temperature of about and even above 70 degrees Celsius and more than 3 times a day.
Moreover, in 60% of patients at the Iranian Institute, old ulcers from burns with hot liquids were noted in the oral cavity. Doctors conducting research at the department of the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, also found out that high temperatures of consumption of food and drinks are fraught with serious consequences for the digestive tract.
Throughout Latin America, one of the traditions is the consumption of hot, tonic mate. Brazilians and other peoples of the continent like to drink it through a straw. The liquid, bypassing the oral cavity, immediately enters the esophagus. Burns of the walls of this organ are one of the most frequently diagnosed diseases among the population of Latin America.
Oncological consequences for the esophagus from the use of mate by Brazilian doctors were almost not noted. However, they state that most burn patients were later diagnosed with acid reflux, which is often a prerequisite for the development of gastric ulcers. Brazilian doctors strongly advise their fellow citizens not to drink drinks at temperatures higher than 55 degrees Celsius, so as not to risk their own health.
Preventive measures
It is impossible to completely eliminate diseases from a child’s life, but parents have the power to reduce the likelihood of infection and the frequency of diseases to a minimum, and reduce the severity of the disease.
There are certain preventive measures for this. In most cases, they are associated with a healthy lifestyle, the conditions in which the baby lives, and maintaining immunity. For gastrointestinal pathologies, when there is abdominal pain and a rise in temperature, the main preventive measure is a balanced diet:
- The child’s menu, like that of a nursing mother, should not contain too fatty or fried foods;
- maintaining a drinking regime and getting enough fluid in the body;
- Drinking carbonated drinks should not be encouraged;
- Overfeeding should be avoided, so it is better to feed the little one more often, but the portions should be small.
Other preventive measures include:
- Calm environment. Constant stress, screams and scandals in the family, a tense atmosphere - all this increases the child’s nervousness.
- Physical training. With your baby you need to do daily exercises, special gymnastics and massage. With older children, you can exercise and lead an active lifestyle.
- Hygiene. From an early age, parents should teach their child the rules of personal hygiene. You should always wash your hands after walking, going to the toilet, and before eating. All these everyday nuances have a positive effect on physical and mental health in general.
What should you not do?
When a baby has a high temperature and a stomach ache, parents should call an ambulance. While waiting for the doctors to arrive, the natural desire of worried mothers is to help the baby and somehow alleviate his condition. However, in such a case, it is better to wait for specialists, because any actions taken, instead of benefit, can only harm the baby and aggravate the situation.
There are a number of measures that you should not resort to until an ambulance arrives:
- Take medications. Medicines can not only cause worsening, but also make it difficult to establish a diagnosis.
- Use a heating pad or do an enema. Additional heating and the flow of water increase inflammation, which is fraught with complications in the future.
- Water and feed the child. If anesthesia is required, for example, for appendicitis, everything eaten and drunk before will provoke a gag reflex.
Source of the article: https://rosmedplus.ru/simptomy/obshchee-sostoyanie/u-rebenka-bolit-zhivot-i-temperatura-39.html