Child Having Fever, Bowel Movement With Mucus And Stains Of Blood In It. What Is The Problem?

Posted on Wed, 28 Nov 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 Answered on

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : We came from US, my son 2 yrs old is having problem with his Bowl movements, he is having it every time he eats. His stool has mucus and some stains of blood. He is running fever of 101 - 102. My guess is he got some infection when traveling in the train.

Answered by Dr. Hema Yadav (1 hour later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Considering the details you have provided your son is most probably suffering from infection causing gastroenteritis either viral or bacterial ( if gross blood present in stools it is dysentery ) .
First and foremost you have to maintain his hydration by giving him
Frequent sips of WHO recommended ORS solution or any other home available fluids ( rice kangi , soups , juices etc) .
Next you need to consult a pediatrician who can assess him and confirm the diagnosis which might require tests like stool routine and culture test.
The doctor can start supportive management straightaway like probiotics ( enterogermina ) , zinc supplement ( zinconia etc) twice daily to help him recover faster.
If needed the doctor will start him on antibiotics like Cefixime or Colistin etc .
Please do not delay the treatment as further delay may cause him to lose more nutrients and decrease his hydration further.
In most cases of viral gastroenteritis the symptoms resolve within a week and your child can be fine with minimal supportive therapy .
However in some cases antibiotic course of minimum five days is required ( depending on result of stool test).
Hope I have answered your query.
I'll be available for any follow up query.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar