Gastroenteritis is related to inflammation and irritation in the lining of stomach and intestines. It is caused by the viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites attacks. Usually these are not contagious and last for 1 to 3 days but sometime it can become a reason of chronic diseases, when you travel abroad or after your arrival from different country. As this disease spread through the contaminated water or food so while travelling there are more chances of you catching this disease. The inflammation and irritation in the stomach and intestines are caused by the infection from virus, bacteria, fungi, any parasites or by eating contaminated food or water or irritation by any drug or chemicals.
People must have talked about the term “stomach flu” in front of you. When people refer this, they mean to talk about the gastroenteritis caused by virus not by flu or influenza. Influenza affects the upper part of the body that means nose and lungs get affected by influenza.
Gastroenteritis Symptoms
Beginning of the gastroenteritis shows the early symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. If you get affected by this disease then you will have to run to the toilet several times. It causes severe dehydration and fatigue. Other symptoms that comes when it gets worsen are given below-
- Stomach pain
- Lack or loss of appetite
- Mood swings or chills
- Fatigue or lethargic body
- Body cramps and aches
- Fever
Diarrhea and vomit causes severe dehydration and fatigue. Observe your body’s reaction, if you see the changes in your body such as dry skin, dehydration, less urine, more water intake, body aches then call your doctor immediately for taking the treatment on time.
How long does gastroenteritis last?
Depending on the cause of gastroenteritis, it lasts for different time period. If the gastroenteritis is acute then it will last for less than 2 weeks. If the gastroenteritis is persistent then it will stay for 2 to 4 weeks and if the gastroenteritis is chronic then it will last for a month.
Stomach Flu and Children
Kids and infants get dehydrated easily. If they do show the signs of dehydration then you must contact your nearest doctor as early as possible to avoid the spread of this disease. Below some of the symptoms are given that show the signs of dehydration among children-
- Sunken and soft spot on the baby’s head
- Sunken eyes
- Dry throat
- Dry and chapped lips
- No tears come out when the baby cry
- Not peeing or peeing very little or the color of urine is dark yellow
- Low alertness and energy (lethargy)
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Anger
- Fatigue
If the gastroenteritis is caused by an infection then it is contagious. Do not send you kid to school while he or she is suffering from this disease. It is spreadable so keep a distance and proper hygiene at your place.
Usually it is caused by rotavirus and there are two types of vaccines available in market for this. Usually it is taken orally. Consult your doctor that which dosage is suitable for your kid.
Gastroenteritis Causes
The most common cause of gastroenteritis is by virus and the two main viruses are-
- Norovirus
- Rotavirus
This is a contagious disease and it spreads through the below ways-
- Eating food or drinking water that is contaminated with the virus.
- Having any contact and physical touch with the affected person.
- Eating the food that is provided by the affected person.
- Touching the dirty and contaminated surfaces and putting your dirty fingers on your face, near eyes or inside the mouth.
Norovirus
Norovirus is the most contagious virus that means if you get affected by this virus this will spread easily in your body and it will take so much time to recover from it. It will start showing its symptoms within 24 hours and you will remain sick for 2 weeks.
Rotavirus
This virus affects all the age group of people. But it severely affects the kids by showing severe symptoms of dehydration in them. You can get infected by this infection any time of the year. But this infection is on its peak from January to june in US country. This infection shows its symptoms within 2 to 3 days and you will stay contaminated for 10 days until you start feeling better.
Conclusion-
Gastroenteritis is an issue related to the inflammation in the stomach and intestines lining. There are various reasons that can cause irritation in the stomach and intestine lining. Drinking too much alcohol and smoking can also cause irritation and inflammation in the stomach and intestinal lining. There are several foods that you may be allergic to so try to observe what causes inflammation in your stomach and avoid that food. Stomach lining and intestinal lining can also get inflamed by taking a specific drug that shows its adverse side effect onto your organs and causes inflammation. If you see symptoms like diarrhea, vomit, fatigue and dehydration at a same time then consult the doctor immediately as ignoring these symptoms will only worsen the health.
Go for frequent checkups and try to avoid any physical contact with the infected person. Maintain a proper hygiene schedule after reading details from wellhealthorganics. Gastroenteritis is normal and curable disease but you must always take prevention and precautions.
It may also be the reason that you travelled in the past 1 week and now you got infected by the virus. You will not see the changes in your body on the same day as different people have different immune system so it may also happen that you got infected by your immune system is strong and your immune system is fighting against that virus. Consult your doctor about all these symptoms he will tell you about its exact treatment and causes. Never guess about any disease and start taking medicine to treat it by taking guidance from the Google.
