Gastroenteritis It is a disease of the digestive system, it becomes inflamed, which affects the stomach and intestines. It can affect anyone. It does not matter the age, race or history of the disease. It occurs frequently in developed countries, and those that are developing.
Una A pregnant woman has the same chances as the rest of suffering from it. And they are that children, and the elderly who are potentially closer to suffering it. It is often caused by a viral or bacterial infection. But it can also be caused by parasitic infections or non-infectious diseases such as Crohn's disease. And in certain cases, gastroenteritis is associated with the ingestion of drugs and toxic substances.
What is gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is a disease whose main characteristic is inflammation or irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and the small and large intestine. It causes in those who suffer it vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, moderate fever, dehydration, and headaches. Not all patients have the same intensity of symptoms.
This inflammation usually originates from viral and bacterial infections. Rotavirus is the main infectious agent in children. Other viruses that cause gastroenteitis are norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus. The causative bacteria are Escherichia coli. campylobacter jejuni. Salmonella, clostridium difficile, ibrio cholerae. They tend to cause gastrenterities due to food contamination.
The illness it is more common in children, because their immune system is not fully developed. And in many cases they do not keep excellent hygiene when it comes to eating. This is why it is so important to remind them of the need to wash their hands often. In fact, more than 70% of infectious diarrhea in childhood are caused by viruses.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis
As we have commented anyone can get gastroenteritis. Its symptoms are vomiting, nausea, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, moderate fever, chills, a feeling of fatigue, bloody stools, loss of appetite, dehydration, and headaches. If there is a member at home with these symptoms, it is advisable to take extreme hygiene measures.
Not all people have all symptoms, or with the same intensity. Some signs vary depending on the cause. Gastroenteritis it can last between 1 and 3 days, and it is also called the stomach flu. Gastroenteritis only requires further testing if it has a severe course or stools contain blood, or complications develop, such as sepsis.
La The most common complication of gastroenteritis is dehydration, as a consequence of diarrhea. This symptom can be mild, moderate, or severe. In most cases, a diagnosis is not made about what has caused the disease, but treatment is proposed with the symptoms. Therapeutic measures are mainly based on rehydration, with fluid and electrolyte replacement, and a good diet.
What to do with more serious symptoms?
Some people go the first day of gastroenteritis without paying attention to the symptoms and without consulting the doctor. But it is It is important to reduce the intake of sugars, fatty foods, dairy and acidic foods from the first hour. In most cases there is no specific medical treatment for gastroenteritis, the goal is to avoid dehydration with water, whey, broths and other healthy beverages.
In this sense, if the person has vomiting, he has to do everything possible to make it hydrate properly. If the diarrhea is mild, just increase your water intake. In the most extreme situations, it must be treated with intravenous rehydration, in this case it is necessary to go to the hospital. Antidiarrheals such as diphenoxylate or loperamide should not be used in children under two years of age.
The probiotics They help to overcome the good bacteria in the intestine. Its consumption is a good complement to treat gastroenteritis, it can shorten the duration of diarrhea and favors the health of the gastrointestinal tract. However, probiotics cannot prevent the most serious consequences of the disease.