Tummy hurts! How to treat poisoning in a baby. Food poisoning in infants

Infants are the most sensitive and at risk of food poisoning. The cause of child poisoning may be the consumption of chemically or bacterially contaminated food. The smaller your baby, the higher the risk of poisoning his body with bacterially contaminated and toxic substances.

Child poisoning with table salt

Such poisoning can occur as a result of an accidental mistake - adding salt instead of sugar to the baby's food. Such a mistake can lead to serious consequences - dehydration of body cells, even their death. For a baby, such poisoning can be fatal. Symptoms: vomiting, anxiety, high fever, breathing problems, convulsions. How to avoid poisoning? Every time you prepare food for a child, you need to taste it; experts advise not to add salt to a small child’s food at all.

This article highlights some types of food poisoning with a description of the main symptoms and ways to prevent the occurrence of this type of poisoning in infants.

Poisoning of a child with products containing high doses of nitrites and nitrates

Beets, carrots, spinach, cucumbers and other vegetables accumulate nitrates if the soil is richly fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrites form in such vegetables or prepared foods after a few days. Nitrites are toxic. Children under 4 months of age are at risk of nitrite poisoning. The main symptom of body poisoning is suffocation. To avoid poisoning, it is necessary to prepare your child’s food from vegetables that are not oversaturated with nitrates; it is also not recommended to use well water, since it may be rich in nitrates.

Poisoning a child with bee honey

Such poisoning can happen for 2 reasons: the content of spores of botulinum bacteria in honey, which leads to poisoning of the infant’s body with toxins and damage to the nervous system; even if the honey is collected from the flowers of poisonous plants. To avoid this type of poisoning, it is not recommended to sweeten the food of infants with honey.

Poisoning by bacterially contaminated food

Contaminated food, unwashed hands and dirty dishes can easily cause this type of poisoning. Various pathogenic bacteria, intestinal viruses and other bacteria can enter the child’s digestive canal. The main symptom of such poisoning is severe digestive upset, especially dangerous for infants. These types of symptoms can also be caused by food that has been stored for a long time. To avoid such poisoning, it is necessary to: maintain strict hygiene when preparing your child’s food; Always feed your child only freshly prepared food; Leftover food after feeding should not be given the next time.

What to do if a child is poisoned? Poisoning or intoxication is the body’s reaction to the introduction of a poison, a toxic substance that disrupts its normal functioning. Any poisoning in an infant is dangerous due to complications. Symptoms of intoxication can be specific and pronounced (vomiting, diarrhea), or hidden (headache, body aches, fever).

By severity intoxication there are different degrees of severity of poisoning:

• lungs;
• moderate severity;
• heavy;
• extremely heavy.

According to the method of penetration of the poison distinguish:

• oral poisoning (“by mouth”);
• inhalation (inhalation);
• percutaneous (injections and bites);
• cavitary (if it enters the lumen of the rectum, vagina, ear cavity).

Causes

Oral

Considering that the baby feeds mainly on breast milk, there are two main reasons:

• spoiled food (solar foods);
• poor quality processing of nipples and bottles.

Recommended for infants from six months of age. Sometimes complementary foods are introduced earlier, but pediatricians indicate precisely six months of age for a number of reasons. The start time of introducing complementary foods, its quality and quantity play an important role in the development of the digestive system.

Early (up to 6 months) “heavy” (porridge, meat purees, fermented milk products) complementary feeding is fraught with poisoning and indigestion.

Infectious

Infectious food at this age can be observed when the mother does not properly care for her breasts. Before feeding, you should wash your hands well and rinse your breasts with boiled water. The first few drops of milk need to be expressed, as they may contain pathogenic microbes. If a child eats complementary foods, meat and fish from which homemade purees are prepared must undergo careful temperature treatment.

Severe intestinal infectious diseases are dangerous for a child: botulism, salmonellosis, dysentery. All of them are caused by specific pathogens (botulism rods that secrete botulinum toxin, salmonella and shigella).

• Botulism is a dangerous toxin that affects the nervous system. The causative agent of botulism is found in canned products, both factory-made and home-made.
• causes severe dehydration in a short time. The main “dangerous” products are chickens and their eggs, duck. Turkeys and quail do not suffer from salmonellosis.
• (shigellosis) affects the intestines, causing profuse vomiting and diarrhea, which also leads to dehydration. It occurs due to insufficient hygiene and neglect of sanitary rules (washing hands, rinsing breasts before feeding, sterilizing pacifiers).

Inhalation

Inhalation poisoning occurs much faster than in adults due to the larger lung area relative to body weight and height, and symptoms are more acute.

The use of chemicals in an apartment with a small child should be kept to a minimum. Poisoning from gasoline, acetone vapors, and concentrated alkalis and acids is dangerous.. When washing and sterilizing nipples and bottles, do not use chemicals, preferably soda, distilled or boiled water.

Another very real situation is the use of gasoline by an infant. There are many options for events that led to gasoline getting into the child’s mouth and stomach. Poisoning a child with gasoline entails serious complications, including coma and death. It is important to act immediately, but not on your own, since pre-medical care in this case is limited.

You should not induce vomiting; vomiting will worsen the poisoning by toxic damage to the lungs, causing signs of edema. Siphon enemas, recommended by many Internet sources, can only be used if you know exactly the technique for administering them (you cannot pour 10 liters of water into the intestines at a time!), as is the case with tube gastric lavages.

Symptoms

In case of infectious poisoning:

• dyspeptic disorders of varying intensity (vomiting, diarrhea);
• flu-like symptoms (headache, muscle aches). An infant is unlikely to complain about this, but external manifestations are easy to notice;
• fever () and chills.

In case of poisoning by gasoline vapors (or other chemicals):

• excessive activity or drowsiness;
• facial redness;
• increased heart rate;
• frequent shallow breathing;
• vomit;
• convulsions;
• loss of consciousness.

An infant will not be able to complain of dizziness, abdominal pain or nausea. Therefore, you need to be very careful about mood swings, tearfulness, loss of appetite and signs of bowel dysfunction.

Mild poisoning is characterized by the following symptoms:

• weakness;
• dyspeptic disorders (mild vomiting or diarrhea);
• rise in temperature (this is a sign).

Moderate poisoning is caused by: a sharp rise in temperature, profuse vomiting, persistent stool and digestive upset. The child refuses to eat and drink, whines, and cries. Chills, fever, and bluish skin may appear (more often with inhalation poisoning, since the lungs are affected). Blood pressure may drop and loss of consciousness may occur.

Severe and extremely severe poisoning in young children is practically incurable, but occurs extremely rarely. Symptoms progress quickly and cause complications. Urgent hospitalization, immediate diagnosis and strong targeted treatment are required.

Treatment

Treatment should be carried out by specialists. Self-treatment is unacceptable. Any signs of poisoning in a baby require immediate contact with an ambulance or a local pediatrician. In infants, poisoning is treated in a hospital setting; rehabilitation is complex and multi-stage.

First aid

First aid is aimed at stopping the effects of poison on the body. In the case of gasoline fumes or other vapors, provide access to fresh air: take the baby outside or bring it to an open window.

If poisoning occurs due to food, then gastric lavage is used, which is best left to health workers. Needed at home give as much water as possible to drink, with specific pathogens, vomiting will not take long to occur. Do not provoke vomiting yourself, do not use solutions of potassium permanganate. Lay the child on his side and wait for the ambulance to arrive (or for the doctor to arrive). Vomit should not enter the respiratory tract, otherwise breathing will stop.

The most dangerous poisoning occurs when consuming chemicals, gasoline, and acetone. The entry of gasoline and acetone into the baby’s digestive tract is extremely dangerous, so do not leave the child near the chemical storage area with unreliable people or completely alone unattended.

If you smell gasoline on your breath or vomit:

• Call an ambulance;
• lay the child on his side;
• Give a little Vaseline oil, ordinary vegetable oil will do: sunflower, olive or mustard.

Drugs

Special solutions are used. They can be prescribed in drinking form or in the form of droppers. Saline and glucose are administered intravenously, and Oralit or is prescribed in drinking form. For any poisoning, you need to drink plenty of fluids: fruit drinks, juices, weak tea with sugar. Sorbents are used (like). They are given to children in crushed form. Poisoned by chemical vapors (gasoline, acetone, etc.) carry out oxygen therapy.

Probiotics

Bacterial preparations are used to restore intestinal microflora: probiotics and prebiotics. The former contain living forms of beneficial bacteria, and the latter - a nutrient medium for their better reproduction in the intestines. Drugs for treatment: Bifidumbacterin, Acylact, Probifor.

Washing

If gasoline is swallowed, a gastric tube lavage is necessary (vomiting cannot be induced unless it occurs on its own). To prevent the absorption of gasoline, give 1-2 tablespoons of Vaseline oil. Place: a large amount of water (up to 10 liters) is poured into the intestines (0.5–1 liter each). Glucose, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, aminophylline are administered intravenously.

Diet

Your doctor may recommend following a diet: give up some foods introduced into complementary foods for the next 2–3 weeks after poisoning- nutritional treatment. It is very important to follow the recommendations regarding the baby’s nutrition, because the stomach and intestines are weakened and need easily digestible foods.

• Note to parents:

For a long time after poisoning, signs of indigestion may be observed.

In severe cases, coma and depression of the respiratory center are possible. These complications have certain consequences that ultimately lead to death. Therefore, with the most minor symptoms, it is highly advisable to consult a doctor.

Lactation

Should I avoid breastfeeding if my mother is poisoned? No no need. If the mother is poisoned, the milk is enriched with antibodies to the infection, which means that the child has immunity and the likelihood of getting sick is reduced. Infectious food poisoning during feeding, in a sense, benefits the infant.

If gasoline enters the body of a nursing mother and severe forms of poisoning occur, feeding becomes physically impossible. The mother needs thorough treatment.

Breastfeeding should be stopped if the mother is severely dehydrated, since the body's strength should be directed toward a speedy recovery. Treatment must be safe for the child.

Poisoning in infants develops rapidly and in severe cases can lead to the death of the infant. Fortunately, severe poisonings are rare, but, nevertheless, the mother always needs to carefully monitor the condition and behavior of the child in order not to miss the emergence of a threat to the baby’s health.

Causes of poisoning in infants

There are few reasons for poisoning in infants: if the child is breastfed, then the mother does not follow the rules of hygiene; if the child is bottle-fed, then a low-quality, expired formula is used. If the child is older than 6 months, then poisoning can occur when feeding foods inappropriate for age or spoiled.

Types of poisoning in infants

Let us consider in more detail the types of poisoning in infants:

1. Oral, poisoning occurs through the mouth. It can occur from food, water, medications, bacteria from untreated nipples, toys, or the mother’s failure to comply with personal hygiene rules.
2. Inhalation, poisoning occurs through the respiratory system. Such poisoning is very dangerous, because The volume of the lungs, compared to body weight, is large and toxic substances quickly penetrate into the blood.
3. Through the skin, poisoning occurs through a syringe or insect bites.
4. Cavitary, poisoning occurs when toxic substances enter through the ear or rectum.

The main causes of poisoning in infants

The main causes of poisoning in infants are as follows:

1. Getting in contact with food, unboiled water, care items or toys of pathogenic bacteria: dysentery bacillus, salmonella, hepatitis A, E. coli.
2. Inhalation of vapors of toxic substances: acetone, gasoline, chlorine, ammonia, alkalis, acids, household gas.
3. Poisoning through breast milk when the mother takes medications, drugs, psychotropic substances, alcohol, and also, if a woman smokes, then nicotine.
4. Poisoning with drugs when self-medicating a child, violating the dosage or taking an age-inappropriate drug.

Food poisoning in infants

If the mother did not wash her hands and breasts before feeding, and did not sprinkle the first drops of milk, then poisoning of the baby is quite possible, because milk is a breeding ground for various bacteria. The same can happen if the technology for preparing the mixture was violated, it was stored for a long time at high temperatures, or an expired mixture was used. Poisoning can also occur through unboiled water, especially in countries with hot climates, where there are many bacteria in the water, including cholera bacillus.

If the baby has already reached the age when they begin to feed him, then he can be poisoned by food that is not suitable for his age and, moreover, poorly processed. For infants, it is better to prepare food separately, starting with liquid cereals and purees, introducing each new product gradually and one at a time, then the risk of indigestion and poisoning will be minimized.

Infant alcohol poisoning

A child’s body is very sensitive to alcohol; a newborn can be poisoned even by an alcohol compress or rubbing, so parents who use vodka rubdown to lower the baby’s temperature are at great risk. It is known that a drinking mother has an increased concentration of alcohol in her breast milk; a child is likely to get alcohol poisoning through such milk. In addition, some nations have a tradition of giving a child diluted wine; in this case, it is also easy to exceed the dosage and poison the baby.

Infant poisoning with mixture

In order not to poison the child with the mixture, you must strictly follow the rules for preparing and storing the mixture, including already prepared ones. Never use mixtures that have expired. When buying a mixture, choose products from well-known companies, do not buy cheap fakes.

Do not use detergents to wash feeding bottles and nipples; it is better to wash them with baking soda and then simply boil them in clean water.

Poisoning in infants: symptoms

Parents need to closely monitor the baby’s condition, because he cannot talk about his feelings, the main thing is not to miss the onset of the disease. In addition, sometimes the signs of poisoning are initially similar to the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection.

In case of poisoning by vapors and gases, the disease develops rapidly, the child becomes apathetic, the skin turns red or blue, the pulse increases sharply, breathing becomes intermittent, the pupils do not respond to light, convulsions and loss of consciousness occur. If these symptoms appear, you should call a doctor immediately.

Signs of food poisoning in a baby

The main symptoms of food poisoning in an infant are: refusal to eat, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, loud crying. The child cannot complain of nausea and abdominal pain; he reacts to everything with the indicated actions.

With further development of the disease, the temperature may rise sharply, the child becomes weak, diarrhea and vomiting may occur hourly. Due to frequent vomiting and diarrhea, signs of dehydration develop: decreased urine volume, slow heartbeat, pale skin, convulsions. In this case, there is no need to delay contacting a doctor.

Infant poisoning: treatment

If a baby is poisoned, especially in a severe form, it is better not to self-medicate, but to entrust it to specialists.

Poisoning in a baby, what to do?

If food poisoning is diagnosed, then you should immediately try to remove harmful substances from the body and to do this, give the baby warm boiled water more often, you can add a little salt to it, or it is better to dilute the drug Regidron. In this case, a solution of potassium permanganate should not be given. If the child is too small, then you should not induce vomiting, but in any case, put him on his side so that he does not choke. You should not feed him for the first 2-3 hours.

If the baby is poisoned by acid, you can give him milk to drink; in other cases, milk is not recommended, it speeds up the absorption of poisons.

In case of poisoning by vapors or gases, provide fresh air. You should not rinse the stomach or induce vomiting; toxic damage to the lungs may occur.

What to give to a baby in case of poisoning?

In case of food poisoning, a child can take sorbents, for example, Enterosgel or activated carbon. If the poisoning is not severe, then after 3 hours you can give him breast milk to avoid dehydration. For the same purpose, give a solution of Regidron or glucose to drink. The remaining medications and procedures will be prescribed by the doctor after testing and diagnosis.

Diet for mother in case of poisoning in infant

If an infant is poisoned, the cause of the poisoning must be determined and eliminated. Also, for a couple of weeks, it is better for mom to follow a diet herself, eat easily digestible foods: from cereals - buckwheat and rice, from vegetables - carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, from fruits - bananas and baked apples. Exclude baked goods, chocolate, fatty meat. To restore the lack of vitamins and minerals, it is good to use dried fruits and decoctions from them. Use milk in the form of fermented milk products.

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Poisoning or intoxication is the body’s reaction to the introduction of a poison, a toxic substance that disrupts its normal functioning. Any poisoning in an infant is dangerous due to complications. Symptoms of intoxication can be specific and pronounced (vomiting, diarrhea), or hidden (headache, body aches, fever).

Kinds

By severity intoxication there are different degrees of severity of poisoning:

• lungs;
• moderate severity;
• heavy;
• extremely heavy.

According to the method of penetration of the poison distinguish:

• oral poisoning (“by mouth”);
• inhalation (inhalation);
• percutaneous (injections and bites);
• cavitary (if it enters the lumen of the rectum, vagina, ear cavity).

Causes

Oral

Considering that the baby feeds mainly on breast milk, there are two main reasons:

• spoiled food (solar foods);
• poor quality processing of nipples and bottles.

Infants from six months of age are recommended to introduce complementary foods. Sometimes complementary foods are introduced earlier, but pediatricians indicate precisely six months of age for a number of reasons. The start time of introducing complementary foods, its quality and quantity play an important role in the development of the digestive system.

Early (up to 6 months) “heavy” (porridge, meat purees, fermented milk products) complementary feeding is fraught with poisoning and indigestion.

Infectious

Infectious food poisoning in children of this age can occur if the mother does not properly care for her breasts. Before feeding, you should wash your hands well and rinse your breasts with boiled water. The first few drops of milk need to be expressed, as they may contain pathogenic microbes. If a child eats complementary foods, meat and fish from which homemade purees are prepared must undergo careful temperature treatment.

Severe intestinal infectious diseases are dangerous for a child: botulism, salmonellosis, dysentery. All of them are caused by specific pathogens (botulism rods that secrete botulinum toxin, salmonella and shigella).

• Botulism is a dangerous toxin that affects the nervous system. The causative agent of botulism is found in canned products, both factory-made and home-made.
• Salmonellosis causes severe dehydration in a short time. The main “dangerous” products are chickens and their eggs, duck. Turkeys and quail do not suffer from salmonellosis.
• Dysentery (shigellosis) affects the intestines, causing profuse vomiting and diarrhea, which also leads to dehydration. It occurs due to insufficient hygiene and neglect of sanitary rules (washing hands, rinsing breasts before feeding, sterilizing pacifiers).

Inhalation

Inhalation poisoning occurs much faster than in adults due to the larger lung area relative to body weight and height, and symptoms are more acute.

The use of chemicals in an apartment with a small child should be kept to a minimum. Poisoning from gasoline, acetone vapors, and concentrated alkalis and acids is dangerous.. When washing and sterilizing nipples and bottles, do not use chemicals, preferably soda, distilled or boiled water.

Another very real situation is the use of gasoline by an infant. There are many options for events that led to gasoline getting into the child’s mouth and stomach. Poisoning a child with gasoline entails serious complications, including coma and death. It is important to act immediately, but not on your own, since pre-medical care in this case is limited.

You should not induce vomiting; vomiting will worsen the poisoning by toxic damage to the lungs, causing signs of edema. Siphon enemas, recommended by many Internet sources, can only be used if you know exactly the technique for administering them (you cannot pour 10 liters of water into the intestines at a time!), as is the case with tube gastric lavages.

Symptoms

In case of infectious poisoning:

• dyspeptic disorders of varying intensity (vomiting, diarrhea);
• flu-like symptoms (headache, muscle aches). An infant is unlikely to complain about this, but external manifestations are easy to notice;
• fever (high temperature) and chills.

In case of poisoning by gasoline vapors (or other chemicals):

• excessive activity or drowsiness;
• facial redness;
• increased heart rate;
• frequent shallow breathing;
• vomit;
• convulsions;
• loss of consciousness.

An infant will not be able to complain of dizziness, abdominal pain or nausea. Therefore, you need to be very careful about mood swings, tearfulness, loss of appetite and signs of bowel dysfunction.

Mild poisoning is characterized by the following symptoms:

• weakness;
• dizziness;
• dyspeptic disorders (mild vomiting or diarrhea);
• rise in temperature (this is a sign of intoxication).

Moderate poisoning is caused by: a sharp rise in temperature, profuse vomiting, persistent stool and digestive upset. The child refuses to eat and drink, whines, and cries. Chills, fever, and bluish skin may appear (more often with inhalation poisoning, since the lungs are affected). Blood pressure may drop and loss of consciousness may occur.

Severe and extremely severe poisoning in young children is practically incurable, but occurs extremely rarely. Symptoms progress quickly and cause complications. Urgent hospitalization, immediate diagnosis and strong targeted treatment are required.

Treatment

Treatment should be carried out by specialists. Self-treatment is unacceptable. Any signs of poisoning in a baby require immediate contact with an ambulance or a local pediatrician. In infants, poisoning is treated in a hospital setting; rehabilitation is complex and multi-stage.

First aid

First aid is aimed at stopping the effects of poison on the body. In the case of gasoline fumes or other vapors, provide access to fresh air: take the baby outside or bring it to an open window.

If poisoning occurs due to food, then gastric lavage is used, which is best left to health workers. At home you can give as much water as possible to drink, with specific pathogens, vomiting will not take long to occur. Do not provoke vomiting yourself, do not use solutions of potassium permanganate. Lay the child on his side and wait for the ambulance to arrive (or for the doctor to arrive). Vomit should not enter the respiratory tract, otherwise breathing will stop.

The most dangerous poisoning occurs when consuming chemicals, gasoline, and acetone. The entry of gasoline and acetone into the baby’s digestive tract is extremely dangerous, so do not leave the child near the chemical storage area with unreliable people or completely alone unattended.

If you smell gasoline on your breath or vomit:

• Call an ambulance;
• lay the child on his side;
• Give a little Vaseline oil, ordinary vegetable oil will do: sunflower, olive or mustard.

Drugs

For dehydration, special solutions are used. They can be prescribed in drinking form or in the form of droppers. Saline and glucose are administered intravenously, and Oralit or Regidron is prescribed in drinking form. For any poisoning, you need to drink plenty of fluids: fruit drinks, juices, weak tea with sugar. Sorbents are used (like activated carbon). They are given to children in crushed form. Poisoned by chemical vapors (gasoline, acetone, etc.) carry out oxygen therapy.

Probiotics

Bacterial preparations are used to restore intestinal microflora: probiotics and prebiotics. The former contain living forms of beneficial bacteria, and the latter - a nutrient medium for better reproduction of bacteria in the intestines. Drugs for treatment: Linex, Bifidumbacterin, Bifiform, Acylact, Probifor.

Washing

If gasoline is swallowed, a gastric tube lavage is necessary (vomiting cannot be induced unless it occurs on its own). To prevent the absorption of gasoline, give 1-2 tablespoons of Vaseline oil. They give a siphon enema: a large amount of water (up to 10 liters) is poured into the intestines (0.5-1 liter each). Glucose, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and euphilin are administered intravenously.

Diet

Your doctor may recommend following a diet: give up some foods introduced into complementary foods for the next 2-3 weeks after poisoning- nutritional treatment. It is very important to follow the recommendations regarding the baby’s nutrition, because the stomach and intestines are weakened and need easily digestible foods.

• Note to parents: nibbler for feeding children

For a long time after poisoning, signs of indigestion may be observed.

In severe cases, coma and depression of the respiratory center are possible. These complications have certain consequences that ultimately lead to death. Therefore, with the most minor symptoms, it is highly advisable to consult a doctor.

Lactation

Should I avoid breastfeeding if my mother is poisoned? No no need. If the mother is poisoned, the milk is enriched with antibodies to the infection, which means that the child has immunity and the likelihood of getting sick is reduced. Infectious food poisoning during feeding, in a sense, benefits the infant.

If gasoline enters the body of a nursing mother and severe forms of poisoning occur, feeding becomes physically impossible. The mother needs thorough treatment.

Breastfeeding should be stopped if the mother is severely dehydrated, since the body's strength should be directed toward a speedy recovery. Treatment must be safe for the child.

• Read also: rotavirus infection in children

Is it possible to breastfeed if a child is poisoned? If the baby is poisoned, then natural feeding with mother's milk is the healthiest and most balanced diet. Mother's milk is almost 100% digestible and rich in vitamins, fats and proteins.

Prevention

A nursing mother should eat high-quality foods, then both her and the baby will be fine. Maintaining feeding hygiene is important - the child may feel unwell due to microbes accumulating on the nipple halos or in the “top” drops of mother’s milk.

If the mother is poisoned by specific pathogens (botulism, salmonellosis, shigellosis), you need to consult a doctor about preventing poisoning in the child. Your doctor may recommend expressing milk, sterilizing it, and bottle feeding.

Avoid work areas with strong smells of gasoline, kerosene or acetone. Moreover, do not store such solutions at home.

In infants, of all existing types of poisoning, food intoxication usually occurs. What is she? In general, food intoxication is a whole complex of different symptoms that begin to appear after a person consumes or enters the body of toxic, poor-quality products.

In medicine, the term “toxicoinfection” is often used. It combines a variety of causes of food poisoning - toxic lesions, bacterial lesions or a mixed type.

In general, in a child, food poisoning is a digestive disorder that is caused by food that contains pathogenic microbes. And such intoxication in infants usually occurs with high intensity. The reason for this is that the child’s body, including the immune system, is not fully formed.

Causes of poisoning

The cause of food poisoning in a baby can only be poor quality food that the mother ate. Poor quality food products become so for several reasons:

• Expiration of the product's shelf life (at this point, the process of rotting and decomposition begins in it, and the product is filled with toxins that are dangerous to health and often even life-threatening).
• Contamination of the surface of the product with harmful microbes and bacteria (for example, fruits, vegetables, eggs on their surface may contain spores of poisonous mushrooms and other types of toxic bacteria, so they should not be eaten without thorough washing and heat treatment).
• If the technological process is not followed, some products, even in a fresh state, may contain toxins (for example, confectionery creams may contain staphylococcus).

All dangerous rods and bacteria, even in small quantities, even if they do not harm the mother, can be extremely dangerous for the child and cause severe intoxication.

Another cause of poisoning of a baby can be the mother’s consumption of poisonous plants or chemical poisons (medicines). Therefore, if a nursing mother is prescribed drug therapy, then to prevent intoxication of the child she needs to stop breastfeeding and transfer the baby to artificial formula and other baby products. nutrition.

Features of childhood intoxication

In a child, in infancy, food intoxication is characterized by high intensity and particular severity. This occurs due to the immaturity of the body as a whole, and in particular of all internal organs and systems. And even if the mother’s body processes and assimilates poor-quality food well and without negative symptoms, it causes a toxic infection in the child.

Let's take a closer look at why a child's body is unable to resist pathogens:

1. The first reason is low acidity of gastric juice. But it is precisely this that becomes with age the main barrier to pathogens and bacteria.
2. The protective function of the liver is not yet sufficiently developed, that is, the enzyme system has not yet reached its full formation to ensure neutralization, binding and complete removal of toxins from the body.
3. But the blood supply system to the organs is already formed and functions absolutely normally in infants, so the absorption of toxins from the mucous membranes of the stomach, intestines and oral cavity occurs quickly and unhindered, which leads to the rapid development of intoxication symptoms in the baby.
4. The kidneys are not yet able to efficiently filter the products entering them.
5. Dysbacteriosis or a violation of the protective intestinal microflora also often occurs in infancy and is the cause of food intoxication.

All this leads to the more frequent occurrence of food poisoning in childhood and infancy than in adults. And a more severe course of these conditions.

It is very important to remember that in this case, self-medication can lead to very sad consequences, for example, lifelong disability or even death. Therefore, self-medication in this case is completely unacceptable.

Symptoms of food intoxication in infants

Infant intoxication in children is divided into two periods - asymptomatic with developed symptoms.

1. It lasts from the start of bacteria entering the child’s body until the onset of intoxication, that is, from half an hour to a day, depending on the age of the baby, the amount of food consumed, the type of infectious agent and the individual characteristics of the body. Symptoms may be completely absent or may manifest themselves through weakness and lethargy of the baby, mild malaise, sweating and general discomfort.
2. The second period begins when toxic substances enter the child’s blood and lasts until they are completely removed from the body (elimination). The duration and intensity of the clinical picture in this case will directly depend on the child’s body’s reaction to the toxin and on the timeliness of therapy (generally this period lasts no more than 6 days).

In general, food intoxication in a child can manifest itself through the following signs:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (up to 10-12 times a day);
• Refusal of the child to eat food;
• Increasing lethargy, drowsiness;
• Increase in body temperature, and up to significant levels – 39.5;
• Increased fluid loss (dehydration);
• Development of acute gastroenteritis, a painful syndrome in the abdomen caused by smooth muscle spasms

In case of childhood intoxication, signs of dehydration are: pale skin, sharpened facial features, excessive dry skin, anuria, convulsive syndrome, hypotension, acidosis. All this refers to dangerous complications of the child’s condition and requires immediate medical attention.

First aid for childhood intoxication

The first aid at the slightest manifestation of toxic infection in a baby will be to call an ambulance team. Remember, any self-medication can lead to harmful consequences. Infants under 12 months of age should undergo food intoxication therapy only under the strict supervision and control of a specialist physician.

And in case of severe intoxication, therapy will be carried out in a hospital setting.

Medical care for childhood intoxication

Treatment is prescribed in direct proportion to the severity of the ongoing clinical picture, the type of toxic substance and the age of the child.

1. In the presence of severe diarrhea and vomiting, first of all, therapy is aimed at preventing dehydration. For this purpose, Regidron solution is used orally. The child must be provided with a drink - pure mineral non-carbonated water, in small doses, but often.
2. For mild intoxication and minor manifestations of poisoning, sorbent preparations (usually activated carbon) are used. They, sorbents, help stop the development of intoxication, prevent toxins from entering the blood, and speed up the process of removing them from the body.
3. Intestinal antibacterial agents and intestinal strengthening drugs can also be used. They are prescribed by a doctor only if diagnoses such as botulism, salmonellosis or dysentery are established.
4. In order to restore the intestinal microflora, the child may be prescribed probiotics. But, they are prescribed only in the absence or cessation of vomiting. These drugs, in addition, are able to effectively fight pathogenic bacteria and relieve the intensity of the clinical picture.
5. And lastly: if infants are intoxicated, a strict diet is prescribed for the nursing mother, since both beneficial and harmful substances enter the baby’s body through breast milk. The usual diet consists of a large number of vegetables that have been heat-treated with steam or boiled in water. In addition, milk and dairy products, spicy, salty, canned foods, juices, and semi-finished products are completely excluded.

Prevention of poisoning in infants

To prevent intoxication in infancy, it is very important for the mother to follow all hygienic and sanitary rules: eat only thoroughly washed fruits and vegetables, heat them, and if the product expires, mercilessly throw it away.

It is also important to treat all medications with caution, and not to take even such seemingly harmless pharmacological agents as vitamin and mineral complexes without special prescriptions from a doctor.

Poisoning in infants is common. Despite the fact that babies are surrounded by increased attention, care and care, this does not always guarantee complete health safety. Poisoning in an infant can occur in the first days after birth.

Causes of poisoning in infants

The main mechanism of poisoning is domestic, since children do not yet attend preschool institutions.

Ingestion of toxins (orally)

The main food for children of this age is breast milk. Therefore, the causes of food poisoning are as follows:

• spoiled expressed milk;
• poor-quality or age-inappropriate complementary feeding;
• violation of sanitary and hygienic standards when processing bottles and nipples.

If a woman has a sufficient amount of milk, then pediatricians strongly recommend not introducing complementary foods until 6 months. This approach will prevent the risk of food poisoning in a child during the first six months of life, when the digestive system is actively adjusted and adapted.

Penetration of infection into the body

Pathogenic microorganisms can enter the baby's body during breastfeeding if the woman does not follow the rules of personal hygiene. Milk is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Within a few hours, entire colonies of microbes grow in a small drop of milk. If a woman does not perform breast hygiene after feeding, this can become a source of infectious disease for the baby.

The second cause of food poisoning is violation of the standards for heat treatment of products during the preparation of complementary foods. Also, improper storage of complementary foods and non-compliance with temperature conditions contribute to intoxication of the body.

Acute food poisoning in infants is caused by specific pathogens: salmonella, dysentery bacillus, staphylococcus.

Inhalation poisoning

The main reason is vapors of poisonous and toxic substances. These are construction materials and household chemical products.

Sources:

• acetone;
• chlorine;
• gasoline, kerosene;
• ammonia;
• concentrated acids and alkalis;
• agricultural chemistry.

The risk of such poisoning arises when a child begins to crawl around the house and explore the world around him. Parental carelessness can lead to tragic consequences, as vapor poisoning in infants is the most severe. Toxins immediately enter the bloodstream through the lungs and affect the immature central nervous system. Brain poisoning causes coma and death.

Domestic gas poisoning should also be included in this group.

Drug poisoning

Such poisoning can occur if a nursing mother takes pharmacological drugs for medicinal purposes. Once in breast milk, medications have a significant effect not only on the female body, but also on the child’s. The degree of negative impact depends on the following factors:

• chemical and physical properties of the substance;
• volume of daily dose;
• general condition of the woman;
• genetic characteristics of the baby.

The rate of development of poisoning in children of the first year of life is determined by:

• rapid absorption in the digestive tract;
• high concentration of the drug in plasma (due to the fact that the drug does not completely bind to blood proteins);
• the slow process of breaking down and removing chemicals from the body.

Particular attention from the doctor requires a history of a woman’s abuse of narcotic, psychotropic substances, barbiturates, and alcohol. A newborn can be poisoned by nicotine smoke.

Signs of poisoning in infants

The child cannot say that he feels nausea, heartburn, and cannot indicate whether his stomach or head hurts. The main subjective symptoms are continuous crying, complete refusal to eat, restless sleep or lack thereof, physical lethargy. These are the signs by which a mother should suspect that something has happened to her child.

For any poisoning, the diagnosis is made based on objective symptoms.

Food poisoning is accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders. The child experiences bloating, gas, and diarrhea. The temperature rises slightly – up to 37.5 °C, mild chills. Minor vomiting. Outwardly, the child is restless and refuses to take the breast. At the initial stage, flu symptoms are observed.

Food poisoning, regardless of the pathogen, manifests itself in the same way. The disease occurs suddenly and is characterized by the following signs of development:

1. Intoxication – high temperature (39 - 41 °C), chills, severe weakness, the child is exhausted, pale skin, slow heartbeat, low blood pressure.
2. Gastroenteritis – simultaneously repeated vomiting and watery diarrhea (every hour), severe abdominal pain.
3. Dehydration of the body – decreased daily diuresis, anuria.
4. From the nervous system – convulsions, collapse.

In infants, the risk of developing infectious-toxic shock, acute cardiovascular failure, vascular thrombosis of the peritoneal ligaments, and sepsis increases.

Symptoms of poisoning by vapors or gases manifest themselves in the form of severe disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular systems:

• sudden change in physical activity, drowsiness, apathy;
• redness of the skin, bluish tint of the skin;
• increased sweating;
• frequent heartbeat and pulse (in newborns up to 200 beats per minute);
• shallow intermittent breathing;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• weak reaction of the pupils to a light stimulus;
• visual impairment;
• convulsions, paresis of limbs (partial paralysis);
• collapse, loss of consciousness.

All these symptoms in infants progress at lightning speed. Poisoning by gases and toxic fumes is a common cause of sudden death in infants.

Symptoms of drug poisoning appear in stages, with the development and decline of intoxication.

• 1st – hidden, time interval from the drug entering the body to the appearance of the first symptoms (depending on the chemical composition and dose of the drug);
• 2nd – toxicogenic, pronounced symptoms until they are eliminated from the body;
• 3rd – somatogenic, the appearance of complications – morphological or functional changes in internal organs, specific syndromes (complex of symptoms) develop;
• 4th – restorative, can last several years, while residual effects of damage to the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems remain.

Signs of drug poisoning are varied and depend on the group of drugs. But many of the symptoms are the same as with other poisonings. Therefore, they will not go unnoticed.

Treatment of poisoning

Poisoning in an infant is treated exclusively in a hospital setting, since the risk of death is very high.

In case of non-infectious poisoning, the child is treated in a children's therapeutic department, where important components of treatment are nutritional adjustments and the correct selection of complementary foods.

In case of a serious illness caused by bacteria, the baby is hospitalized in an infectious diseases hospital. He is placed in a separate unit and given intensive therapy: combating dehydration through intravenous infusions of rehydration solutions, parenteral nutrition (glucose), antibiotics against bacterial infections.

In case of gas poisoning, the baby is placed in intensive care, where, in addition to basic treatment, artificial ventilation of the lungs and round-the-clock monitoring of the vital functions of the body are provided - heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, pulse.

Treatment of drug poisoning is carried out in the children's toxicology department. The main directions in treatment are neutralization of chemicals, hormones and specific serums.

Providing first aid to infants

It is difficult to provide assistance to infants independently at home. At this age, it is prohibited and not always possible to induce artificial vomiting or give activated charcoal.

Algorithm for a mother’s actions in case of poisoning of a baby:

1. Call an ambulance.
2. Providing your child with fresh air. Open the window wide, or the vent in winter.
3. If the child has the urge to vomit, place him on his side.
4. If you have a chill, cover with a warm blanket or blanket.
5. In case of household gas poisoning, remove the child from the room.

If the child is conscious, provide plenty of fluids - water. It is better if it is a saline solution. The powder for its preparation is sold in all pharmacies, it is affordable and should be in every home medicine cabinet.

Poisoning of an infant is a dangerous condition that poses a direct threat to life baby. Therefore, it is important to prevent it in time. To do this, parents are required to comply with basic rules of behavior, safety and sanitation.

Foodborne illness is caused by pathogenic microbes and bacteria that colonize spoiled food and leave poisons in it. The causative agents of the disease can be toxins of streptococci, staphylococci, various types of E. coli, salmonella, clostridia and many other representatives of “fauna” invisible to the human eye. Under favorable conditions - high humidity and temperatures ranging from 5°C to 60°C - bacteria multiply at a rate that is difficult to imagine. In one hour, an entire enemy legion can grow from one bacterium. Symptoms of food poisoning in children usually appear suddenly, shortly after ingesting the suspect food.

Types of food poisoning

There are three main types of poisoning.

• Poisoning when chemicals enter the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Requires specific treatment and emergency care.
• Poisoning by poisonous plants, mushrooms, animals, fish. It also requires specific treatment and emergency care.
• Microbial poisoning from spoiled, contaminated products. This is actually food poisoning.

How to distinguish food poisoning from acute intestinal infection

Table - Comparative characteristics of diseases

First symptoms

There is no person who has not experienced food poisoning at least once in his life. Toxic infection is more common in children. This is explained by the physiological immaturity of the body, low protective functions, and failure to comply with basic rules of personal hygiene and sanitary standards. The signs of food poisoning in children are familiar to many parents firsthand, but from their own experience.

• Nausea . It all starts with nausea. In this way, the body signals that toxins have entered the gastrointestinal tract.
• Vomit . Next, the body makes a wise decision - to get rid of toxins. Vomiting begins.
• Stomach ache . They may manifest themselves in the form of pain or spasms. In everyday language this is called “twists in the stomach.” The pain may be accompanied by bloating and rumbling in the stomach.
• Diarrhea. Diarrhea usually appears after abdominal cramps. Can be single or multiple.

The first symptoms of poisoning in a child occur within two days after eating a suspicious dish. It depends on the type of toxin, its quantity, and metabolic rate. Within half an hour, the child may begin to feel nausea and vomiting. This means that the stomach has reacted. If the reaction occurs after 4 hours or later, the toxin has entered the intestines and the liver and pancreas respond. The faster the body reacts, the less intoxication there will be.

Principles of home care

How to treat poisoning in children? Two main points are taken into account: get rid of toxins and eliminate the risk of dehydration. The child’s body will do the rest itself.

Artificially induce vomiting

It is advisable to do gastric lavage at the first suspicion of poisoning, when the child begins to feel sick. To speed up and facilitate the process, the baby should be given two glasses of warm boiled water to drink (or as much as he can) to stretch the stomach as much as possible and induce vomiting. If the child is old enough, he can put two fingers in his mouth and induce vomiting. If the baby is unable to do this on his own, you can help him by lightly pressing on the root of the tongue with a spoon. Why is it so important to induce vomiting early in poisoning? Toxins will not have time to be absorbed into the blood, then the malaise will end quickly. The next morning the child may be completely healthy.

Give activated carbon

Activated carbon is the main and safest medicine against poisoning for children and adults. This universal sorbent neutralizes toxins in the gastrointestinal tract. The dose is calculated according to the formula: per 1 kg of weight 1 g of activated carbon. If you get more, it won’t hurt the child.

Hunger pause

An important point in therapy. The first sign of poisoning is refusal to eat, loss of appetite. You cannot force a child to eat if he does not want to. It is useful to fast on the first day of poisoning or at least skip several meals. As a rule, children themselves, when they feel better, ask for food. The appearance of appetite is a symptom of recovery. It is important to know that fasting breaks are not suitable for infants, especially low birth weight and premature babies.

Drink plenty of fluids

If food intake should be limited, then the opposite is true with drinking. Children should be offered liquids as often as possible. If toxins have managed to be absorbed into the blood, they need to be “washed out” from the body. More fluid means urination more often. How and what to give a child to drink?

• Liquid temperature. It is important that the drink is at body temperature. This ensures rapid absorption of fluid into the blood.
• Reception frequency. Soldering a child in case of poisoning is a troublesome task that requires time and attention. It is necessary to offer a drink every 10 minutes, or even more often.
• Fractional drinking. Within an hour, the child can drink two glasses of liquid, but not in one gulp, but in small sips. This is the essence of fractional drinking. This principle allows the liquid to be quickly absorbed, does not stretch the walls of the stomach and does not cause vomiting.
• Rehydration solution. If a child is poisoned, you need to give him special electrolyte solutions. The most famous commercial names of the drugs are Regidron, Hydrovit, Trihydron, Reosolan, Oralit and others. These remedies will help restore the water-salt balance in case of acute diarrhea and vomiting. They are sold in pharmacies without a prescription in powder form, which must be diluted according to the instructions.
• How to prepare a solution at home? In 1 liter of boiled (cooled) water, dilute 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of soda.
• What can replace the solution? There are situations when a child completely refuses to drink a rehydration solution. You need to offer him what he wants. And be guided by the principle: something is better than nothing at all. You can replace the solution with compote, chamomile decoction, weak unsweetened tea, juice, water. Even carbonated drinks can be used, as long as the child drinks.
• What to do if you can’t get drunk? This is, rather, not a medical question, but a pedagogical one. Parents can solve this problem in different ways: through coercion, blackmail, threats, promises. What is important to know? Long persuasion and lost time can lead to dehydration due to acute diarrhea and vomiting. If parents are powerless and unable to help their child at home, they need to call an ambulance. There is no other way out.

Do not self-medicate

The task of parents is to correctly provide first emergency aid. Medicines for poisoning in children are prescribed by a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to give your child antibiotics, antiemetics, antidiarrheals, or painkillers on your own. Firstly, it can harm your health and complicate the process. Secondly, the symptoms will disappear, by which the doctor can determine the true cause of the disease and make an accurate diagnosis.

Diet features

The diet for poisoning in children is similar to the diet for all intestinal infections with acute diarrhea and vomiting.

Primary requirements

• Mashed, chopped food.
• Fractional portions.
• Increasing the frequency of doses up to 6 times a day.
• Cooking technology: boiling, stewing, steaming or oven.
• Feeding on demand: Give food as desired, but do not overfeed.

Approximate power supply diagram

• First day . When a child is sick and vomits, he has no time to eat. The benefits of a fasting break were discussed above.
• Second day . In mild forms of poisoning, the next morning, yesterday's patient may be like a cucumber. His appetite returns with a vengeance. But this does not mean that he should eat everything. The diet after poisoning in children should be followed with the same strictness as at the time of poisoning. You can offer: porridge with water (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal), pureed soups, mashed potatoes without milk and butter.
• The third day . You can add crackers, biscuits, baked apples, fermented milk products (low-fat cottage cheese and biokefir).
• Fourth day . Includes protein foods of animal origin: dishes from lean fish, turkey, rabbit, veal.

Diet after poisoning

What can a child eat after poisoning? It often happens that children refuse the food they were poisoned with: and do not eat fish, meat or eggs for a long time. Children should be offered other food options, but culinary experiments should not be carried out. You need to go on a diet for a week.

• Food should be light and freshly prepared. The best option is a variety of cereals.
• Fried, fatty, spicy, smoked, pickled foods are not allowed.
• All types of canned foods are excluded.
• You can and should offer fermented milk products to restore intestinal microflora.
• Juices, fresh fruits and vegetables are given as a last resort, in small quantities.
• It is better to dry fresh bread, and temporarily exclude sweets.

In general, the diet after poisoning should be vegetarian so as not to burden the digestive system. To restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the doctor may recommend taking enzymes. Taking them will facilitate the digestion of dairy products and foods of animal origin.

Under what conditions should you seek medical help?

An experienced pediatrician will say that for any seemingly mild course of food poisoning in children, you should seek medical help. The most harmless situation can result in unpredictable consequences. But there are a number of signs and conditions under which the help of a doctor is necessary without doubt or hesitation. When does this happen?

Prevention: 5 main principles

To prevent poisoning, you need to adhere to basic rules. Which ones?

Food poisoning is much more common in the summer, during vacations, vacations, and travel. Preventive measures at this time must be observed with particular rigor.

What to do if a child is poisoned? The principle of treatment at home is simple: rinse the stomach and give it something to drink to prevent dehydration. It is also important to know under what circumstances medical and emergency care is needed.

Poisoning in infants is common. Despite the fact that babies are surrounded by increased attention, care and care, this does not always guarantee complete health safety. Poisoning in an infant can occur in the first days after birth.

Causes of poisoning in infants

The main mechanism of poisoning is domestic, since children do not yet attend preschool institutions.

Ingestion of toxins (orally)

The main food for children of this age is breast milk. Therefore, the causes of food poisoning are as follows:

• spoiled expressed milk;
• poor-quality or age-inappropriate complementary feeding;
• violation of sanitary and hygienic standards when processing bottles and nipples.

If a woman has a sufficient amount of milk, then pediatricians strongly recommend not introducing complementary foods until 6 months. This approach will prevent the risk of food poisoning in a child during the first six months of life, when the digestive system is actively adjusted and adapted.

Penetration of infection into the body

Pathogenic microorganisms can enter the baby's body during breastfeeding if the woman does not follow the rules of personal hygiene. Milk is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Within a few hours, entire colonies of microbes grow in a small drop of milk. If a woman does not perform breast hygiene after feeding, this can become a source of infectious disease for the baby.

The second cause of food poisoning is violation of the standards for heat treatment of products during the preparation of complementary foods. Also, improper storage of complementary foods and non-compliance with temperature conditions contribute to intoxication of the body.

Acute food poisoning in infants is caused by specific pathogens: salmonella, dysentery bacillus, staphylococcus.

Inhalation poisoning

The main reason is vapors of poisonous and toxic substances. These are construction materials and household chemical products.

Sources:

• acetone;
• chlorine;
• gasoline, kerosene;
• ammonia;
• concentrated acids and alkalis;
• agricultural chemistry.

The risk of such poisoning arises when a child begins to crawl around the house and explore the world around him. Parental carelessness can lead to tragic consequences, as vapor poisoning in infants is the most severe. Toxins immediately enter the bloodstream through the lungs and affect the immature central nervous system. Brain poisoning causes coma and death.

Domestic gas poisoning should also be included in this group.

Drug poisoning

Such poisoning can occur if a nursing mother takes pharmacological drugs for medicinal purposes. Once in breast milk, medications have a significant effect not only on the female body, but also on the child’s. The degree of negative impact depends on the following factors:

• chemical and physical properties of the substance;
• volume of daily dose;
• general condition of the woman;
• genetic characteristics of the baby.

The rate of development of poisoning in children of the first year of life is determined by:

• rapid absorption in the digestive tract;
• high concentration of the drug in plasma (due to the fact that the drug does not completely bind to blood proteins);
• the slow process of breaking down and removing chemicals from the body.

Particular attention from the doctor requires a history of a woman’s abuse of narcotic, psychotropic substances, barbiturates, and alcohol. A newborn can be poisoned by nicotine smoke.

Signs of poisoning in infants

The child cannot say that he feels nausea, heartburn, and cannot indicate whether his stomach or head hurts. The main subjective symptoms are continuous crying, complete refusal to eat, restless sleep or lack thereof, physical lethargy. These are the signs by which a mother should suspect that something has happened to her child.

For any poisoning, the diagnosis is made based on objective symptoms.

Food poisoning is accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders. The child experiences bloating, gas, and diarrhea. The temperature rises slightly – up to 37.5 °C, mild chills. Minor vomiting. Outwardly, the child is restless and refuses to take the breast. At the initial stage, flu symptoms are observed.

Food poisoning, regardless of the pathogen, manifests itself in the same way. The disease occurs suddenly and is characterized by the following signs of development:

1. Intoxication – high temperature (39 - 41 °C), chills, severe weakness, the child is exhausted, pale skin, slow heartbeat, low blood pressure.
2. Gastroenteritis – simultaneously repeated vomiting and watery diarrhea (every hour), severe abdominal pain.
3. Dehydration of the body – decreased daily diuresis, anuria.
4. From the nervous system – convulsions, collapse.

In infants, the risk of developing infectious-toxic shock, acute cardiovascular failure, vascular thrombosis of the peritoneal ligaments, and sepsis increases.

Symptoms of poisoning by vapors or gases manifest themselves in the form of severe disorders of the nervous and cardiovascular systems:

• sudden change in physical activity, drowsiness, apathy;
• redness of the skin, bluish tint of the skin;
• increased sweating;
• frequent heartbeat and pulse (in newborns up to 200 beats per minute);
• shallow intermittent breathing;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• weak reaction of the pupils to a light stimulus;
• visual impairment;
• convulsions, paresis of limbs (partial paralysis);
• collapse, loss of consciousness.

All these symptoms in infants progress at lightning speed. Poisoning by gases and toxic fumes is a common cause of sudden death in infants.

Symptoms of drug poisoning appear in stages, with the development and decline of intoxication.

• 1st – hidden, time interval from the drug entering the body to the appearance of the first symptoms (depending on the chemical composition and dose of the drug);
• 2nd – toxicogenic, pronounced symptoms until they are eliminated from the body;
• 3rd – somatogenic, the appearance of complications – morphological or functional changes in internal organs, specific syndromes (complex of symptoms) develop;
• 4th – restorative, can last several years, while residual effects of damage to the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems remain.

Signs of drug poisoning are varied and depend on the group of drugs. But many of the symptoms are the same as with other poisonings. Therefore, they will not go unnoticed.

Treatment of poisoning

Poisoning in an infant is treated exclusively in a hospital setting, since the risk of death is very high.

In case of non-infectious poisoning, the child is treated in a children's therapeutic department, where important components of treatment are nutritional adjustments and the correct selection of complementary foods.

In case of a serious illness caused by bacteria, the baby is hospitalized in an infectious diseases hospital. He is placed in a separate unit and given intensive therapy: combating dehydration through intravenous infusions of rehydration solutions, parenteral nutrition (glucose), antibiotics against bacterial infections.

In case of gas poisoning, the baby is placed in intensive care, where, in addition to basic treatment, artificial ventilation of the lungs and round-the-clock monitoring of the vital functions of the body are provided - heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, pulse.

Treatment of drug poisoning is carried out in the children's toxicology department. The main directions in treatment are neutralization of chemicals, hormones and specific serums.

Providing first aid to infants

It is difficult to provide assistance to infants independently at home. At this age, it is prohibited and not always possible to induce artificial vomiting or give activated charcoal.

Algorithm for a mother’s actions in case of poisoning of a baby:

1. Call an ambulance.
2. Providing your child with fresh air. Open the window wide, or the vent in winter.
3. If the child has the urge to vomit, place him on his side.
4. If you have a chill, cover with a warm blanket or blanket.
5. In case of household gas poisoning, remove the child from the room.

If the child is conscious, provide plenty of fluids - water. It is better if it is a saline solution. The powder for its preparation is sold in all pharmacies, it is affordable and should be in every home medicine cabinet.

Poisoning of an infant is a dangerous condition that poses a direct threat to life baby. Therefore, it is important to prevent it in time. To do this, parents are required to comply with basic rules of behavior, safety and sanitation.