Rotavirus infection is an acute disease that most often occurs in children. The main symptoms of the disease are intoxication, dehydration, and malfunction of the digestive tract. Often found in adults, but in them the disease proceeds in a milder form.
Causative agents of the disease
The causative agents of rotavirus were first discovered in 1973. They got their name as a result of the fact that they look like small wheels. Interestingly, these microorganisms can be grown artificially. For this, green monkey cells are used. Human rotaviruses are not dangerous for animals.
Transmission and course of the disease
Pathogens can appear only in the human body. Moreover, they are transmitted only to people, that is, animals will not suffer after contact with the patient. The incubation period of rotavirus can last up to one week. The infection is transmitted through the oral-fecal mechanism. There is also the possibility of respiratory infection. In hot countries, rotavirus, the incubation period of development of which can be individual for each person, occurs all year round. In the temperate zone, the disease spreads mainly in the winter.
The disease can affect both adults and children, and the elderly. Sometimes rotavirus proceeds without any symptoms, so only a doctor can determine it. The reproduction and accumulation of microorganisms occurs in the upper parts of the stomach. First, inflammation develops in the duodenal epithelium, and then it enters the intestinal lumen. Because of this, mature cells of the intestine die off, being replaced by new ones. This causes the absorption of nutrients, which leads to osmotic diarrhea. Many are frightened when they hear the name of this disease - rotavirus. The incubation period in children is the same as in adults - from several hours to a week. But the immunity in babies is still weak, so the disease is more acute. Frequent stools can be observed, so everything should be done to avoid dehydration of the child's body.
Signs of infection in adults
The incubation period of rotavirus lasts from 15 hours to a week. That is, at first the patient may not have signs of the disease. But when it progresses, the symptoms are very acute. A day after the onset of the disease, pain in the stomach, nausea and vomiting begin. The patient may also have enlarged cervical lymph nodes. However, one of the most characteristic signs of infection is damage to the digestive system.
Patients themselves often confuse this infection with a common digestive disorder, since both diseases have similar symptoms. However, when the incubation period of rotavirus has not yet ended, the patient is very contagious to others. It can be dangerous. After all, if in the team someone started the incubation period of rotavirus, then in just a few days the infection will appear in the rest of its members. A disease does not develop only if a person has strong immunity. There is no mucus or blood in the fluid, but the stool has an unpleasant odor. There is also a loud rumbling in the stomach.
Rotavirus without temperature
The incubation period of rotavirus infection can last only a few hours, after which the patient has the first signs of the disease. Although intoxication occurs in approximately 10% of patients. More often, the disease occurs without fever. With the help of palpation, you can determine in which place the stomach hurts. Soreness in the epigastrium and near the navel signals the development of rotavirus. If the disease is acute, then the amount of urine may decrease, leukocyturia and erythrocyturia may appear.
Disease duration
The disease usually makes itself felt after the incubation period ends. After rotavirus, the patient may need a few more days to recover, because during the period of the illness, the body could become very weak. The duration of the disease depends on how quickly the diagnosis has been made. Typically, rotavirus symptoms last from 2 to 6 days. Complications are rare, and they appear only if treatment has begun inopportune. Due to acute diarrhea, dehydration may occur. It is much worse if a secondary bacterial intestinal infection occurs , due to which the course of rotavirus worsens.
How to treat an infection?
The incubation period of rotavirus can last only a few hours. If the disease manifests itself suddenly, then not all patients know what needs to be done. At first, some even refuse treatment, while others, on the contrary, begin to take a huge amount of medication. Nevertheless, no one better than a doctor can answer the question of how to properly treat the infection? There are two types of treatment: symptomatic and pathogenetic. To prevent intoxication, which in rare cases appears on the second day after the incubation period of rotavirus infection in adults or children ends, the doctor prescribes sorbents for patients. If the disease is severe, then a specialist can inject glucose with colloidal solutions intravenously . Antiviral drugs have a very effective effect. Usually, treatment includes the same measures, regardless of the incubation period for rotavirus.
Diet during rotavirus infection
It is very important during a disease to follow a diet, due to which the manifestation of gastroenteritis in the body will decrease. This, in turn, will reduce the likelihood of dehydration. For the duration of the disease, dairy products that can cause diarrhea should be completely excluded from your diet. Food should be boiled or steamed. Most attention should be paid to the use of fluids. To avoid dehydration, it is advisable to use special solutions sold in a pharmacy. If there is no way to buy them, then you can make such a composition at home. To do this, take a liter of boiled water and add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Such a solution can be stored for no more than a day. The diet after the end of the disease should also be lactose-free, so that normalization of the intestines occurs. Returning to a normal diet is necessary gradually.
Thus, rotavirus can appear in any person. Its treatment should begin immediately, since the effectiveness of all the procedures performed depends on this. It is impossible to self-medicate, since only a doctor can determine which drugs to use.