Gastroenteritis

Overview:

The other term used for gastroenteritis is “stomach flu”, in which people experience diarrhoea and vomiting. These effects are caused by infections and people consider it as “food poisoning”. Those people who travel to different places might experience traveler’s diarrhoea due to consumption of spoiled food and impure water.

The infections caused by gastroenteritis are not always severs. It depends upon the immunity system of an individual. Once the infection hits the person, he might lose the electrolytes from the body due to continuous vomits.

Most of the people recover quickly from the infections by having proper routine diet. But for younger children, it would be difficult to get back to normal condition easily as loss of fluids from the body can cause dehydration as well. And it takes time to restore and balance the fluids of the body.

Types:

The most common types of gastroenteritis are:

Protozoan, bacterial and viral gastroenteritis are types of gastroenteritis. Bacterial gastroenteritis is caused due to mucosal integrity and shows various symptoms. Viral gastroenteritis is caused due to interference of viruses in the body and the sufferers are the children of age 5 or less than that. Protozoan gastroenteritis is the condition which is occurred due to Entamoeba, cryptosporidium, and Giardia lamblia.

Causes:

Bacterial gastroenteritis can be developed by number of people at the same time if they consume the same food. It is mostly observed at the public places such as school cafeterias, social functions and restaurants. The entry of germs and bacteria in the food stuffs results into the condition.

If the food is handled improperly or is prepared in unhygienic conditions can damage the value of the food. If meat used for cooking is bacterial infected then its consumption can develop gastroenteritis.

If the dairy food products are kept outside the refrigerators for too long like mayonnaise can develop the condition.

The fruits that are not washed properly contain bacteria and thus can cause the diseased condition. Pasteurized food is always good to eat, hence make sure the food that you are eating is healthy and free from contaminations.

The bacteria that are responsible for causing gastroenteritis include: Campylobacter enteritis, E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Shigella and Yersinia.

Symptoms:

Gastroenteritis attacks on the intestines and stomach which gives following symptoms:

The people that suffer from gastroenteritis most often experience the symptoms such as low fever, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea (2-4 times stools per day for adults).

Painful bloating is also observed in some cases. Vomiting is the most common symptom which may come with diarrhoea. Vomiting also increases the rate of dehydration. It causes loss of body fluids which may result in sickness.

Sometimes the symptoms might get serious like blood in stools or vomit. Continuous vomit i.e. more than 1-2 days is experienced. The fever of temperature more than 101 degree Celsius is sometimes faced by the patients.  The sufferers might face pain in the abdomen on the right lower side. Also, dehydration is the most common symptom of the gastroenteritis.

Diagnosis/Tests:

Stool samples are tested to identify whether the virus is the cause of infection or the sickness. It is not needed for the examination of viral gastroenteritis. In order to carry out the test for diarrhoea, a stool culture is needed for the detection.

Laboratory tests are done to check out the cause of gastroenteritis. It is not necessary that the tests always give the positive results for diarrhoea.

Diagnosis is also done to check out whether there are any white blood cells in stools as a part of infection.

Treatments And Home Remedies:

Generally every treatment can be cured by number of treatments. The goal of taking treatments is to make you feel better and prevent dehydration. Drinking maximum amount of fluids can give you comfort. You may have to deal with diarrhoea to get over the infection.

Control vomits and nausea and have healthy foods and maintain diet. Take plenty of rest and try to sleep for maximum time. If you are suffering from diarrhoea and don’t feel like drinking water, in that case you may have to take the fluids through veins.

Water pills are also good, but that are to be consumed after the consultation of the health professional. If you have diarrhoea, you have to stop consuming diuretics. Don’t change the medications and their doses without consulting your doctor.

Doctors generally, do not prescribe antibiotics for the gastroenteritis until and unless the diarrhoea is severe. The medications are available at all the drug stores. If your child is suffering from diarrhoea then consult the child specialist.

Clay combined with water is a good treatment against gastroenteritis. Roots of blackberry used in teas are helpful in treating the problem of gastroenteritis.

Campfire ash is one of the solutions for treating gastroenteritis because of its drying up and astringent effect when it is prepared in tea.

These home remedies can be efficient but ask your doctor if its fine to take these along with antibiotics.

Preventions And Precautions:

Gastroenteritis is a very infectious state; so it is essential to take necessary steps to prevent it. The prevention ways include: washing your hands before having food. Maintain cleanliness in the washroom and use disinfectants after vomiting each time. Avoid sharing towels, cutlery and utensils and other household things. Take necessary rest and care during the infection. Use washed laundry to avoid further complications.

There are number of vaccinations available that are very effective against gastroenteritis. Vaccinations are not supposed to be taken without the consultation.

If you cannot tolerate lactose, then you can even take the supplementary enzymes that are available on the leading pharmacies.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor:

When you experience the above symptoms then contact your doctor immediately. If you see blood in stools then confirm from your doctor whether you have developed the gastroenteritis. Ask for the treatments if the diarrhoea or other symptoms get severe.

Special Note:

Avoid the medications that can develop allergies. Don’t try anything on your own otherwise you may have to suffer from serious issues.