Gastroenteritis is a disease of the digestive system, which is characterized by inflammation of the intestines with the stomach. This type of disease can be either primary or secondary. By the nature of the inflammation, they are exudative, alternative and, in rarer cases, productive. With the course of gastroenteritis is acute and chronic. The most common are precisely exudative gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis - causes
The cause of this disease can be a variety of viruses. This can be safely attributed to noroviruses, adenoviruses, rotoviruses, astroviruses, and many others. Viral gastroenteritis cannot be caused by bacteria, parasites, medications or diseases. Although the symptoms may be very similar. The doctor will always be able to determine the true cause of gastroenteritis, so that the patient will be able to avoid re-illness in the future.
Gastroenteritis - Symptoms
The main symptoms of a disease such as gastroenteritis are vomiting and diarrhea, although each of these symptoms may be dominant. Quite often, a person may experience headache, fever, as well as abdominal pain. In total, all symptoms begin somewhere on the 1-2 day of a viral infection, which, in turn, is considered the cause of gastroenteritis. Symptoms can last up to 10 days - it all depends on which viruses are the result of the disease. Sometimes the disease can occur within 1-3 days.
Gastroenteritis - diagnosis
Diagnosis of gastroenteritis begins with a study of the clinical picture. The doctor who is involved in the treatment examines in detail all the data of the epidemiological history and the directly available laboratory results. If the diagnosis of the disease could not be confirmed by laboratory tests, then it can not be called reliable. As for laboratory research methods, those are used that provide the opportunity to find a virus or a viral antigen in feces, as well as to find certain antibodies in the blood serum.
Gastroenteritis - treatment
It is worth noting that this disease as its treatment does not imply the use of antibiotics. Other medications should be used only after the diagnosis of gastroenteritis, as well as the appointment of the attending physician.
After detecting the first symptoms of this disease, certain methods must be used. For several hours after the onset of symptoms, you need to completely abandon the use of food, due to which it can restore the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Also in this case, it is highly recommended to drink plenty of fluids (juice or water). When you feel that the nausea is moving away, you can already eat a little rice, banana or cracker. With an exacerbation of the disease, the patient is transferred to hospital conditions.
When gastroenteritis is found in children, then you need to be more careful about such a problem. After the first symptoms appear, you need to replenish the body with liquid. During oral rehydration, pedialitis is used. It is often necessary to water the child with water, a rosehip broth or tea. It is worth noting that the use of apple juice or milk negatively affects the condition of the stomach.
If such a disease is observed in an infant, then it is advisable to shift the feeding by one hour, and when its time comes, then the baby should be applied for a short time. Children who are switched to artificial feeding need to be given very small doses of specialized oral rehydration medications.
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