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Antibiotics for Intestinal Infections

Antibiotics for intestinal infections

Antibiotics for intestinal infections

Intestinal infections are one of the most common types of infectious diseases in both children and adults.

The incidence of acute intestinal infections does not tend to decrease. And today the emergence of new strains that cause a severe progress of a disease is observed. Totally, there are about 30 types of intestinal diseases and about half of them are of infectious origin.

As a rule, infection is a result of not following your personal hygiene, sharing other household items with infected people and eating unwashed vegetables and fruits.

A disease can be determined by disruption of defecation, nausea, vomiting, a sharp decrease in appetite and an increase in body temperature.

Young children, people with reduced immunity are most vulnerable to infectious agents.

Specifics of children intestinal infections

In children, intestinal infections are diagnosed 3-4 times more often than in adults. This is due to several factors:

  • Low stomach acidity;
  • Weaker immune system;
  • Neglect of hygiene rules.

When pathogenic microflora gets into the gastrointestinal tract, intoxication, which is accompanied by symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract, is quite fast.

At the same time, children treatment is complicated by a limited number of drugs.

Treatment of acute intestinal infections of bacterial etiology includes 3 main types of therapy:

  • Antibacterial therapy for suppressing infectious agents;
  • Rehydration for restoring the water-salt balance;
  • Adjunctive therapy (probiotics) for restoring the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.

But it is at the first stage that difficulties arise. Antibiotics for the treatment of children intestinal infections should be selected taking into account many factors: age, body weight, comorbidities, etc. Besides, most of the strongest antibiotics are not suitable for children. For this reason, in pediatrics, drugs are used in a reduced dosage to minimize the risks. At the same time, standard drugs that are prescribed for adults are used.

Antibiotics for treatment of intestinal infections

An antibacterial drug for the treatment of acute intestinal infections must meet the following requirements:

  • Bactericidal effect;
  • High bioavailability, high concentration in the gastrointestinal tract;
  • Low level of resistance of the main pathogens to the drug;
  • High safety profile.

Most intestinal pathogens have developed resistance to many antibiotics. It is inappropriate to use Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, tetracyclines and aminoglycosides for intestinal infections. So, before the treatment of intestinal infections, you should not only take note of symptoms, but also do tests to identify the pathogen.

At the initial stage, patients are recommended to take Azithromycin, Ciprofloxacin. Then, after 3 days from the start of treatment, having knowledge of the infection pathogen, you can change the antibiotic. At the same time, you should keep it in mind that Ciprofloxacin is not recommended for children.

Azithromycin dosage for intestinal infections

You should start taking Azithromycin before you get the test results. Treatment usually lasts no more than 3 days, and then the intake of pills is stopped.
The daily dose is only 1 tablet of Azithromycin 500 mg. The drug is taken in the morning, an hour before meals.
For children, Azithromycin dosage can be reduced to 250 mg per day, in case of poor tolerability of the drug.

Ciprofloxacin dosage for intestinal infections

Ciprofloxacin is a perfect bactericidal agent for the treatment of intestinal infections in adults.
For acute infections, 750 mg of Ciprofloxacin per day is prescribed. Treatment is longer than that of Azithromycin and lasts 7-10 days. Accordingly, the effect manifests only on day 2-4 of treatment.

You can buy Ciprofloxacin under the brand name Cipro. It is available worldwide and approved for use by patients over 18 years of age.

This antibiotic is not recommended for children. Side effects of Cipro may include abnormalities in skeletal formation in children. So, for children, it would be better not to use Azithromycin for intestinal infections.