Ginger for pediatric gastroenteritis

Tummy trouble in kids? 🦠🤢

Viral gastroenteritis (also called the stomach flu) refers to inflammation of the intestines or stomach and typically causes diarrhea or vomiting.

In adults the most common cause of gastroenteritis is Norovirus and Rotavirus is a culprit in infants. Antibiotics do not treat viruses, so what’s a person to do?

A double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial published just last year in kids aged 1 to 10, evaluated the effects of ginger as a treatment for VOMITING, associated with acute gastroenteritis.

✨They found an absolute risk reduction of 20% in the kids who took ginger compared to the control group. The number needed to treat was 5.

✅ Translation: the group of kids who took a specific dose of ginger had 20% less episodes of vomiting compared to the placebo group!

🥳 More good news was that no adverse events were reported.

The study only included 150 participants but it’s exciting to see some promising options, particularly in the pediatric population. Talk to your healthcare team about an appropriate dosing regimen for you or your kiddos. 👩🏻‍⚕️🩺

PMID: 34018223