Suggest treatment for loose stools and anal rash in a child
Patient: I have a 3 year old boy , im really concerned at the minute as i took my son to school and got pulled aside not the first time either , I take him to my doctors as the school and my self are very worried about the loose stool i explained to the doctor who sent his stool away to test for diary intellorant ,which it come back fine . Ive a big concern as it has an awful smell to it as well and im going though so many items of clothing and cant potty train him as if he past wind his stool will come out , it has also made his whole bum sore , so sore you cant wipe it , its hard to get him in a bath ,its horrible seeing him in so much pain when i wipe it he is crying and screaming uncontrolable . I ve used bum cream but it goes then come back 3 days down the line Doctor: Hi,It will be very useful for me if you give few more details- 1) How long this problem is there?2) Does the stool contain blood / mucus / lot of air3) Approximately how many time a day he passes stools4) Whether he passes stools after each feedsIf its recent onset, of a few days only, this may be just a food poisoning which can be treated with antibiotics If it is there for a long time, we have to think other conditions like intolerance to particular food item, malabsorption conditions, chronic worm infestation etc. If I were your doctor (depending on duration), I would have given a short course of antibiotics, zinc supplementation and a probiotic to see the response, and plan further workup accordingly. Meanwhile, to control the rash there- keep the area as dry as possible, apple an emolient (like some diaper creams you used) 3-4 times a days for 7 days.Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Regards, Dr. Muhammed Aslam T. K, Pediatrician