If your child has an upset stomach, especially one accompanied by vomiting and a high fever, you may be looking at a case of stomach flu. While you can't give your child medication to make the stomach flu go away -- your child's immune system has to clear out the virus on its own -- there are things you can do to help ease discomfort in the meantime.
Stomach Flu
Stomach "flu" isn't actually a type of flu, which is short for influenza. Instead, it's the common name given to viral gastroenteritis, which is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract caused by any one of a number of different viruses. You can get viral gastroenteritis from eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or you can get it from someone else with stomach flu, as it's very contagious. Bacteria and parasites are less common causes of gastroenteritis, but can be confused with viral gastroenteritis. Typical symptoms of stomach flu, apart from nausea and vomiting, can include chills, cramping, and muscle pain. While stomach flu isn't typically serious by itself, the vomiting and diarrhea that often accompany the virus can result in severe dehydration. Because of this -- and because children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults -- physicians have to manage severe cases of stomach flu carefully. While mild cases are easily treated at home, a very dehydrated child may require hospitalization.
Be Cautious With Medication
Unfortunately, since stomach flu is viral, you can't take antibiotics to help your body get rid of the infection. However, there are some medications that your doctor might recommend in certain instances. You should consult your child's pediatrician before giving a sick child medication, however, as your pediatrician will have input on appropriate choices and dosage. Acetaminophen -- sold under the brand name Tylenol -- can help bring down a fever. Don't give your child or teenager aspirin, as it can cause Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious side effect. Since your child's stomach flu may come with diarrhea, your doctor might recommend an antidiarrheal medication. However, stopping diarrhea can make stomach flu last longer, so again, you shouldn't use this medication unless your pediatrician recommends it.
Rehydration
During the initial phase of stomach flu, pediatrician William Sears recommends complete bowel rest. Typically, children in the first hours of stomach flu can't keep anything down, and giving food or drink just upsets the stomach more. He suggests allowing small sips of a beverage if the child requests it, but notes that your child isn't likely to keep even this small amount of fluid in the stomach. In general, during the most acute phase of illness, the best way to help calm an upset stomach is to leave it completely alone.
After several hours, your child will pass from the acute phase of stomach flu into a second phase, which is characterized by less frequent vomiting. During this phase, Dr. Sears recommends oral rehydration or electrolyte fluids. You can find these at the drugstore and grocery store. If your baby or young child is still nursing, breast milk helps to soothe a stomach during the second phase of stomach flu.
In a 2003 article published in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Recommendations and Reports," Dr. Caleb King and colleagues note that oral rehydration salt solutions are underutilized in the United States, though they're used extensively elsewhere in the world. These solutions help replace salts lost with vomiting and diarrhea, which your child needs for normal cellular function and to prevent further dehydration.
Nutrition
Once your child is vomiting only a few times a day or not at all, you can offer bland foods such as bananas, rice and dry toast. These will help soothe and calm the stomach, and aren't likely to induce another round of vomiting. Dr. Sears notes that if even bland foods cause your child to vomit, however, you may need to stick with clear fluids and breast milk for another several hours, or until your child tolerates bland food well. You should stay away from dairy products and most fruit juices until your child is fully recovered, because they can exacerbate diarrhea. Nursing mothers, however, can continue to breastfeed.
Severe Cases
Contact your doctor if your child has severe stomach flu and can't stop vomiting, blood appears in the vomit or diarrhea, or a high fever develops. You may need to go to the hospital for intravenous fluid administration and other therapies. One drug therapy that is somewhat controversial among physicians is the use of antiemetics, which help stop vomiting. While they can prevent dehydration, side effects can occur. A 2009 article published by Jacob Manteuffel in the "Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock," reports the use of a particular antiemetic called ondansetron, which children seemed to tolerate well. Manteuffel found that in severe cases of gastroenteritis, ondansetron helped stop vomiting and reduced the need for intravenous fluid and hospitalization.
References
- "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Recommendations and Reports"; Managing Acute Gastroenteritis Among Children; Caleb King et al.; 2003
- "Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock"; Use of Antiemetics in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis: Are They Safe and Effective?; J. Manteuffel; 2009
- AskDrSears.com: Stomach Flu
