Gastroenteritis Symptoms and Treatment
posted by: Dennis
Gastroenteritis is a condition which causes inflammation and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract or the stomach and intestine as eMedicine defines it. Other names associated to the condition include stomach flu or intestinal flu. Viral gastroenteritis is a more common occurrence, although bacterial infection can be one of the causes as well. In today’s post learn more as well tell you about gastroenteritis symptoms and treatment. So make sure to read the article below.
Signs and Symptoms of Gastroenteritis
Apparently, the most common symptoms of the illness are the following:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal cramping
Since it is termed as “flu”, other accompanying symptoms include fever, general weakness including muscle aches, and headache. The duration of the course usually runs for about three days. And although it can happen to anyone, the risk of dehydration is high in infants, in children, and the elderly when left not treated. So, what does one do if he is suffering from gastro-enteritis? Let’s see.
How to Treat Gastroenteritis
Treatment of the disease is focused on hydrating the patient since dehydration as a result of diarrhea and vomiting is very likely. Therefore, it is encouraged that fluids should be forced in order to replace electrolytes and fluids lost. However, forcing fluids may not be in a form of big shots of water. Instead, you should give the sufferer small and frequent drinks through a straw. This way nausea and vomiting won’t be triggered. In addition, another home remedy is the oral rehydration solution (ORS) which may be given to replace electrolytes.
Some home remedies done revolve around the diet. Therefore, bland and soft foods may be given to avoid further irritation of the gastrointestinal lining. Soft diet includes jello which is beneficial especially in children. The BRAT diet which consists of bread, rice, apple, and toast are also among the best food of choice to help in treating the condition. Children should not be given formula milk as it can trigger diarrheic episodes, however if the baby is breastfed, one can continue feeding milk.
In severe cases, hospitalization may be required and intravenous fluid therapy may be needed to prevent dehydration. And although over the counter anti-diarrheal drug such as Loperamide may be taken to reduce frequency of diarrhea in adults, one should still seek doctor’s advice for proper medication treatment since Loperamide doesn’t actually kill the organism causing the condition.
Finally, since this is a highly contagious disease especially the viral one, preventive care and measures should be taken thus preventing transmission from other individuals. But as far as gastroenteritis symptoms and treatment is concerned, the aforementioned tips in the article are some which could help.
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