What Causes Persistent Vomiting And Diarrhea In A Child?

Posted on Sat, 6 May 2017

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

Sat, 6 May 2017 Answered on

Tue, 30 May 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : My grandaughter who is 10has been sick for a month and a week. She started out with what seemed like a stomach bug, vomiting, diaharra but no fever. She became dehydrated and has had two iv'S. She has had blood tests, urine tests, and x ray of her stomach and they can find nothing. She is nauesous every day. We don't know what to do for her, they keep sending her home saying that she is too small to be exposed to Ct scans etc. She has lost 7 pounds and we need some direction

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (44 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Get some tests done, give some anti-emetic/acid reducing agent and observe

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for asking on this platform

I have gone through the query and do understand your concern well.
The duration of illness is unusually prolonged, but can be seen in some stomach infection.
The reports are absolutely normal and do not shows any infection in urine or blood.
Weight loss is very common during any illness particularly in loose motion and vomiting.
The only thing which hits is that she is still nauseating. Here I would like to get some tests done to see the function of liver and kidney like serum SGPT(for liver) and urea/creatinine for kidney.
I won't get overly worried if the liver and kidney function test is OK. Nausea can be due to unresolved gastritis and giving some anti-emetic like ondensetron with acid reducing agent like lansoprazole or esomeprazole helps in this condition.
I would like to observe the condition of the child over next few days whether the condition is improving or not.
I don't think that CT will help much here.

I hope this helps.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Wishing for your child's good health.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T