acute gastroenteritis symptoms

Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 26, 2024
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Acute gastroenteritis caused by catching cold is due to viral infection. This condition often accompanies symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection and acute gastroenteritis, such as fever, chills, dizziness and weakness, generalized body ache, sore throat, and other symptoms of viral infection, along with abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The abdominal pain is usually not very pronounced, and the stool is mainly watery. Laboratory tests generally do not show significant abnormalities. Acute gastroenteritis caused by bacterial infection can also present with fever, chills, chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. The abdominal pain is often more pronounced and typically presents as episodic periumbilical pain. The stool characteristics are often mucous or jelly-like, and may even include pus and blood. Laboratory tests often show clear abnormalities, such as elevated white blood cells, pus cells in stool, white blood cells, or occult blood, etc.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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How long does acute gastroenteritis take to get better?

Acute gastroenteritis is one of the common diseases of the digestive system, and occurs more frequently in the summer and autumn seasons. During these seasons, the hot weather can lead to food spoilage. Additionally, people often like to eat cold drinks and use air conditioning, which can easily trigger acute gastroenteritis. It usually presents with symptoms such as intermittent abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and bloating, and sometimes symptoms like fever and chills may also appear. In such cases, examinations like routine blood tests, stool tests, and C-reactive protein tests can be conducted to determine whether it is infectious diarrhea or a gastrointestinal type of cold, and then targeted treatment can be applied. How long it will take to recover depends on specific symptoms and the patient's medical history among other factors. Generally, for a gastrointestinal cold, symptoms typically alleviate in about 2-3 days; for bacterial gastroenteritis, recovery might take a bit longer, generally about 3-5 days. If the patient is elderly, frail, or has underlying conditions such as chronic bronchitis, heart failure, or diabetes, the recovery might take slightly longer, but generally it can still be cured.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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How to treat gastroenteritis?

The treatment of gastroenteritis primarily depends on the cause and specific symptoms to determine the treatment plan. Exposure to cold or improper diet may cause acute gastroenteritis. In such cases, it is recommended to first check routine blood tests, C-reactive protein, stool routine, etc., to identify the cause. Gastroenteric flu can be treated with antiviral drugs and astringent antidiarrheal medications to achieve satisfactory results. Infectious diarrhea caused by bacterial infection generally uses antimicrobial drugs combined with antidiarrheal medications to also achieve satisfactory effects. Commonly used drugs include cephalosporins or quinolones anti-inflammatory. At the same time, it is important to pay attention to a light and easily digestible diet, and if diarrhea is severe, infusion treatment may be necessary to prevent dehydration.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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What to do about acute gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis is considered to be caused by unclean food or bacterial and viral infections. It is important to actively provide symptomatic treatment. For nausea and vomiting, use antispasmodic and antiemetic medications; for repeated diarrhea and dehydration, use intestinal firming and antidiarrheal medications; for obvious bacterial infections, antibiotics should be used, preferably quinolones. Be sure to drink plenty of water and replenish fluids in a timely manner. During the acute phase, do not eat anything to avoid overburdening the gastrointestinal tract. After recovery, increase the consumption of vegetables to enhance nutrition and improve the body's resistance. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Which department should I go to for acute gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis should be treated in the gastroenterology department of the hospital. Acute gastroenteritis is mostly caused by unclean food or excessive fatigue, with the main symptoms being abdominal pain and diarrhea, accompanied by signs of dehydration in the body. Treatment mainly involves the use of antibiotics to control the infection and antidiarrheal medications to treat diarrhea. It is important to promptly replenish fluids and water if there is significant dehydration. During treatment, a light diet should be maintained, eating small meals frequently, and avoiding spicy, stimulating, and greasy foods. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Zhang Peng
General Surgery
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What foods are good for acute gastroenteritis?

For patients with acute gastroenteritis, it is mainly important to prevent very strong irritation to the entire mucosa of the digestive tract, otherwise symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea may occur. For patients with acute gastroenteritis, in terms of diet, it is mainly important not to consume spicy and stimulating foods, to eat easily digestible foods as much as possible, and not to eat too much coarse dietary fiber, as this may be beneficial for alleviating the disease.