What should I do about acute gastroenteritis?

Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 03, 2024
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Acute gastroenteritis typically presents with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, and sometimes accompanied by fever and chills. In such cases, it is important to rest, keep warm, avoid cold, and follow a diet that is light and easy to digest, such as rice porridge, soft noodles, etc. It is advisable to avoid raw, greasy, spicy, and alcoholic foods. Treatment should be based on the specific cause. For viral infections causing gastroenteric flu, antiviral and antidiarrheal astringents are commonly used. For bacterial infections causing infectious diarrhea, antibacterial and antidiarrheal treatments are needed, typically involving cephalosporins or quinolones. Generally, symptoms will gradually ease.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
1min 7sec home-news-image

acute gastroenteritis symptoms

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 Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
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Gastroenteritis dehydration symptoms

Gastroenteritis, also known as stomach flu, mainly occurs due to simultaneous infections in the stomach and intestinal mucosa by bacteria or viruses. The primary clinical symptoms are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and watery stools—some experience it five or six times a day, and others more than ten times a day. Increased frequency of stools can lead to symptoms of dehydration. Excessive loss of body fluids can cause electrolyte imbalance and dehydration, presenting symptoms such as pale complexion, cold limbs, fever, and decreased blood pressure. In such cases, it is essential to go to the hospital for intravenous fluids as soon as possible. Oral rehydration solutions can also be used, but if the patient experiences severe nausea and vomiting, intravenous administration of glucose, saline, and potassium chloride is necessary. (Please rehydrate under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Is acute gastroenteritis serious?

Acute gastroenteritis is quite severe, as it can cause significant vomiting and diarrhea. Severe diarrhea can lead to symptoms of dehydration. Additionally, acute gastroenteritis can lead to decreased appetite, weight loss, and lethargy, affecting normal life and work. For acute gastroenteritis, treatment primarily involves medication, mainly antibiotics and antidiarrheal drugs. During treatment, it is recommended to eat smaller, more frequent meals. For severe diarrhea, it is advisable to refrain from eating and rely mainly on intravenous fluids for nutrition. Moreover, meals should be regular and controlled in quantity, avoiding overly spicy or greasy foods. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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Can acute gastroenteritis cause shock?

Acute gastroenteritis often manifests as symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by fever, dizziness, fatigue, etc., often caused by factors such as exposure to cold or improper diet. These include what we refer to as viral enteritis and bacterial enteritis. In most cases, symptoms gradually alleviate after symptomatic treatment, and some may improve without treatment. However, a few patients, such as those with uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, coupled with an inability to eat, may experience worsening dizziness, significant fatigue, dry mouth, poor skin elasticity, and reduced urine output. These symptoms indicate the development of hypovolemic shock, which requires attention.

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Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
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How long to rehydrate for acute gastroenteritis

Acute gastroenteritis is relatively common in clinical settings. Generally, if patients receive fluid therapy, it may be appropriate for about five to seven days. For treating acute gastroenteritis with fluid therapy, symptomatic treatment is typically chosen, including drugs that protect the intestinal mucosa, stop diarrhea, and regulate the intestinal flora. Of course, if the patient develops a fever, a small dose of anti-infection treatment may be appropriately added, but the treatment course should not be too long, generally three to five days would be suitable. Of course, we generally consider acute gastroenteritis to be a self-limiting disease. Patients can exhibit symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, typically frequent watery stools, but without bloody stools. Therefore, treatment is mainly symptomatic, so patients should not worry too much. (Use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)