Gastroenteritis

If you have gastroenteritis you are not feeling well.

Gastroenteritis is the inflammation of the stomach, small and large intestine. The main symptoms of gastroenteritis are watery diarrhea and vomiting. Other symptoms may be headache, fever, chills, and abdominal pain.

The symptoms may appear within hours or a few days of infection. They usually last for 1 to 2 days, but may last as long as 10 days. Gastroenteritis or viral gastroenteritis is caused by many different viruses. There are four types of viruses that cause most viral gastroenteritis are: Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Calicivirus and Astrovirus.

Rotavirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis among children from 3 to 5 months old. The symptoms for rotavirus are vomiting and watery diarrhea along with fever and abdominal pain. This virus will usually last 3 to 8 days.

Another gastroenteritis virus is Adenovirus. This virus affects children younger than 2 years old. After a week of exposure vomiting and diarrhea will appear.

Caliciviruses causes infection in people of all ages. This virus is transferred from person to person through contaminated water or food. With the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea people may also have muscle aches. These symptoms usually appear 1 to 3 days after exposure.

Astrovirus is the fourth virus which is most active during the winter months. This virus primarily affects infants, young children and the elderly. Vomiting and diarrhea will appear 1 to 3 days after exposure.

Most cases of viral gastroenteritis resolve over time without specific treatment. The use of antibiotics is not effective against viral infections.

The main goal of treatment is to reduce the symptoms and to prevent dehydration. Your body needs fluids to function.

Dehydration is the loss of fluids from the body. Important salts or minerals, known as electrolytes, can also be lost with the fluids. Dehydration can be caused by diarrhea, vomiting, excessive urination, or excessive sweating, or by not drinking enough fluids because of nausea, difficulty swallowing, or loss of appetite.

There are several steps that you can take to help relieve the symptoms of viral gastroenteritis.

The first step is to allow your gastrointestinal tract to settle down by not eating for a few hours. Take small sips of clear liquids or eat ice chips if you are still vomiting. Slowly reintroduce bland foods like toast, broth, bananas and rice. Try to avoid any dairy products, caffeine, and alcohol until recovery is complete and get plenty of rest.

There is no vaccine available for gastroenteritis but you can try to prevent it through washing your hands thoroughly throughout the day, using disinfecting spray or wipes and avoiding water or food that may be contaminated.