Is acute gastroenteritis serious?

Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 14, 2024
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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 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 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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Can I eat apples with acute gastroenteritis?

Apples are one of the essential fruits in our daily life, containing a rich array of nutrients, such as minerals, fruit acids, vitamins, fiber, etc., which are greatly beneficial to our human body. Acute gastroenteritis is usually caused by exposure to cold or improper diet, primarily characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and sometimes fever and chills. In this case, targeted treatment should be firstly applied, and the diet should consist mainly of light and easily digestible food, such as porridge and soft noodles, while avoiding raw, greasy, spicy foods, and alcoholic beverages. Apples are relatively cold in nature; it is best to avoid eating them raw under these circumstances. If there is a real desire to eat apples, steaming them before eating should be feasible.

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Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
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Is acute gastroenteritis contagious?

Acute gastroenteritis is generally considered a self-limiting disease that is not contagious. The course of the disease is about a week, after which patients will gradually recover. Most patients with acute gastroenteritis have a history of unhygienic dietary practices, and the condition is caused by viral or bacterial infections. From a symptomatic perspective, the most obvious reasons for seeking medical advice are abdominal discomfort or abnormal stools. Abdominal discomfort can manifest as abdominal pain and bloating, with paroxysmal colic being relatively common in clinical practice. Of course, some patients also experience nausea and vomiting, with the vomit consisting of gastric contents and not accompanied by hematemesis, among other symptoms. Abnormal stools are often characterized by diarrhea, typically with an increased frequency of bowel movements, watery in nature, and possibly accompanied by bloody stools. The treatment of acute gastroenteritis generally focuses on symptomatic relief, including the consumption of easily digestible and clean foods. Treatment may include the use of gastroprotective agents, antispasmodics, and modifiers of the intestinal flora. Of course, if the patient has significant diarrhea, antidiarrheal medications may be added for symptomatic treatment.

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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.