Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis Causes
The inflammation caused most often by infection with the certain viruses, less often by bacteria or their toxins, parasites, or adverse reaction to something in the diet or medication. Many different bacteria can cause gastroenteritis including, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Yersinia etc. Some sources of the infection are improperly prepared food, reheated meal dishes, seafood, dairy, and other bakery products.
Gastroenteritis Definition
Also known as gastro, gastric flu, and stomach flu. It refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, involving both the stomach and the small intestine resulting to acute diarrhea.
Gastroenteritis Diagnosis
Few loose stools and vomiting may be the result of systematic infection such as pneumonia, septicemia, urinary tract infection and even meningitis. Surgical conditions such as appendicitis, intussusception and, even Hirschsprung's disease may mislead the clinician. Non-infectious causes to consider are poisoning with heavy metals, seafood. Secretory tumors and endocrine disorders are disorders that can cause diarrhea
Gastroenteritis Symptoms and Signs
It often involves stomach pain or spasms sometimes to the point of being crippling, diarrhea and/or vomiting, with no inflammatory infection of the upper small bowel, or inflammatory infections of the colon. The main factors include poor feeding in infants. Diarrhea is common, and followed by vomiting. A child with gastroenteritis may be lethargic, lack of sleep, or run a low fever and signs of dehydration, which include dry mucous membranes, tachycardia, reduced skin turgid, skin color discoloration, sunken fontanel's and sunken eyeballs and darkened eye circles, poor perfusion and ultimately shock. Symptoms may happen for up to 6 days on average. Given appropriate treatment, bowel movements will be back to normal within a week after that.
Gastroenteritis Treatment
The objective of treatment is to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. The person's usual foods and drinks should not be withheld, but consume as the person is able to tolerate them.