Today, many people are susceptible to various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Both adults and children are at stake. And the reason for this is an unbalanced diet, an improper lifestyle, poor ecology, harmful working conditions, and, of course, the activity of various parasites. In this article, we will talk about what gastroenteritis is, and also find out what are the main symptoms and causes of this ailment and get acquainted with effective methods of its treatment. Carefully read the information provided in order to protect yourself and arm yourself as much as possible.
What is gastroenteritis: a description of the disease
Gastroenteritis is an infectious pathology that attacks the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. In third world countries, this disease is very often fatal. Most often, this disease occurs in young children. Every year, a very large number of people go to the hospital with unpleasant symptoms. Based on the results of the diagnosis, it is possible to establish that the patient has a disease such as gastroenteritis (the ICD-10 code for this disease is indicated below).
Often, test results indicate that the disease was caused by pathogenic viruses, fungi, or bacteria. If you immediately seek medical help at the first symptoms, then the disease will pass very quickly, without leaving behind any serious consequences.
The main types of disease
With what gastroenteritis, we figured out. There are several varieties of this pathology. The main ones are:
- If the disease has an infectious nature, then types of pathology such as coronavirus gastroenteritis, as well as rotavirus and parvovirus, are distinguished. Most often, diseases of an infectious origin are transmitted by airborne droplets.
- The disease may also have bacterial etymology. In this case, the most common pathogens are dysentery bacillus, as well as salmonella.
- There is also an alimentary type of disease. It arises as a result of the fact that a person regularly overeats, abuses alcohol-containing drinks, and also eats a lot of spicy foods.
- Toxic gastroenteritis usually develops when poisoning with various toxic substances or medications.
A few words about acute and chronic disease
Most often, acute gastroenteritis, the symptoms of which are nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness, occurs precisely because a person eats a large amount of low-quality foods. Usually, in the acute stage, this disease is very easy to confuse with other pathologies, so an accurate diagnosis can only be made after a complete diagnosis.
But chronic gastroenteritis, as a rule, is not of an infectious origin. Such a pathology is very complex, and it will not be so easy to cure it. If a person does not completely change his lifestyle and does not go on a special diet, then he simply will not be able to get rid of the disease.
What you need to know about symptoms
A lot of people wonder what gastroenteritis is. This disease has a lot of varieties, but most often it manifests itself in the same way. The disease has very vivid symptoms:
- At the very initial stages of the disease, patients complain of pain in the abdomen, as well as nausea and indigestion.
- If you do not start treating the disease when the first symptoms occur, then it will begin to actively progress. The patient will significantly increase body temperature, lethargy and loss of strength will be observed.
- In addition, intoxication of the body may occur, as well as vascular collapse.
- In some cases, inflammatory processes that occur in the intestine have also been detected.
Symptoms of coronovirus gastroenteritis, as well as other varieties of this disease, differ very little from other pathologies that have a bacterial or infectious origin. The patient often goes to the toilet. The number of visits to the restroom per day can reach even twenty to thirty times. In this case, emptying can be with impurities of mucus and even blood.
The onset of the disease in children
Gastroenteritis in children, the symptoms and treatment of which are described in this article, is much more common than in adults. Moreover, the disease mainly attacks small children up to the age of three. The disease is much brighter than in adults. It is very important to observe preventive measures in school and preschool institutions and to timely identify the carrier of this disease.
Quite often, gastroenteritis appears in children who are forced to urgently go on a diet or introduce new foods into the diet. In newborns, pathology can occur due to the fault of the mother. If her nutrition is defective, then breast milk will be of poor quality. At risk are also babies who are breast-fed, because their body does not receive enough of the necessary trace elements responsible for strengthening the immune system.
Also, the disease can make itself felt if the parents do not comply with all hygiene requirements, namely: they do not bathe the baby, do not wash their toys, and also do not thoroughly clean the dishes and household items that the baby touches.
What are the causes of the disease?
Symptoms and treatment of gastroenteritis are important information that every person should be familiar with in order to be as armed as possible. We have already said that most often this pathology occurs due to the activity of pests. Therefore, the main reason for the development of the disease is precisely the infection of the body with various viruses, bacteria or protozoa.
The disease can also occur as a result of exposure to the digestive organs of chemical or physical irritants. This includes the use of drugs, alcoholic beverages, and toxic substances. The ailment can also appear due to radiation.
In some cases, the acute form of the disease occurs as a result of the consumption of a large number of sharp foods, as well as allergens.
The chronic stage of the disease can occur after an acute or when helicobacteria enter the body. It is not so easy to get rid of such bacteria, as they perfectly adapt to the acidic environment and begin to conduct active life activities. In this case, the inflammatory processes that occur affect the production of gastric juice, and also lower the defenses of the human body.
Diagnostic Features
If the disease is acute, then the main role in the diagnosis will be assigned to exactly what complaints are present in the patient, as well as the anamnesis of the disease itself. In addition, the presence of epidemics in the region and the methodology for identifying pathogens will be taken into account.
The initial stages of treatment usually depend on what kind of bowel movements the patient has, as well as on the degree of dehydration of his body. But to make an accurate diagnosis to a patient is possible only after diagnostic tests for the presence of pathogens are carried out. However, this may take more than a week.
As a rule, when examined, the patient has over-dried skin, and upon palpation of the abdomen - severe pain. His tongue is dry and at the same time covered with a whitish-gray coating.
With the help of a coprological study, it is possible to determine the presence in the feces of mucus, pus, blood, undigested fiber, as well as fibers, fat and starch. It is also very important to do a blood test, with which you can determine leukocytosis, as well as an insufficient fluid content in blood cells.
It is possible to establish the presence of infections in the body using virological and bacteriological methods. For this, doctors take tests of urine, feces and blood.
If the disease has already managed to become chronic, then the patient will be additionally assigned to undergo such procedures as a biopsy and ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs.
Treatment features
Treatment of gastroenteritis in adults and children is usually carried out at home if the disease was detected in the early stages of its development. If the disease managed to go into a neglected form, then hospitalization may be required. Remember: if you have the first signs of the disease, you must urgently go to the hospital. The sooner you do this, the faster and easier it will be to eliminate the pathology.
So, whatever the form of the disease, the patient should adhere to the doctor's recommendations:
- It is very important to normalize the water-salt balance in the body. To do this, you need to drink more purified water, and also take a mineral complex.
- As soon as the symptoms of the disease begin to manifest, completely refuse to eat food for several hours, and noticeably follow a diet, limiting the intake of fatty, fried and spicy foods.
- Be sure to take medications designed to eliminate diarrhea, as well as vomiting.
- The patient needs to take antibiotics that can cleanse the body of harmful microorganisms. However, the doctor should deal with the selection of antibacterial medicines only after the diagnosis has been accurately established, and all the features of the patient's health have been taken into account.
Features of the treatment of infectious gastroenteritis
Treatment of gastroenteritis in adults involves restoring the water-salt balance of the body, since the disease can cause severe dehydration. If the disease has an acute infectious form, it is very important to take antibiotics. In this case, the treatment regimen should be determined only by the attending physician after the patient has passed all the necessary tests. If the treatment was wrong, then this can further worsen the situation due to the occurrence of very strong intestinal dysbiosis.
It is also necessary to use tools that can cope with vomiting, diarrhea and lower body temperature. Very often, doctors recommend patients with enzymes. With their help, you can establish digestion processes, as well as improve the condition of the intestinal mucosa.
Features of the treatment of ailment in children
Symptoms and treatment of gastroenteritis in children are not much different from those in adults. If you have the first symptoms of the disease, you need to urgently consult a pediatrician, and he will say whether the child needs hospitalization. If the baby's condition begins to improve rapidly after the medications prescribed by the doctor, then he can continue treatment at home.
If the ailment occurs in a baby, in no case do not stop breastfeeding, otherwise you risk lowering the baby's defenses, which means that it will be much harder for his body to fight the disease.
How to eat
Symptoms and treatment of gastroenteritis in adults is important information that every patient who has noticed diarrhea, abdominal pain and other signs should be familiar with it. In order for recovery to occur as soon as possible, it is very important to eat properly. Consider what products should be avoided during treatment therapy, as well as two weeks after its completion:
- refuse to eat vegetables and fruits;
- do not eat fatty meat, as well as rich broths;
- refuse baking and sweets;
- it is also not recommended to take dairy products (with the exception of babies who are breast-feeding);
- In no case should you drink alcohol.
All food consumed should be light and not very hot. During the course of therapy, also discard spicy foods, as they can cause even greater inflammatory processes in the mucous membranes.
Preventative measures
Symptoms of gastroenteritis in adults and children, as already mentioned, are always very pronounced. Therefore, if available, urgently contact a medical institution. And in order to prevent pathology, it is necessary to observe preventive measures:
- Wash your hands regularly before eating, as well as after going to the toilet and after staying in public transport.
- Be sure to store all foods that quickly deteriorate in the refrigerator, thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits before eating them.
- If you have found an infectious disease in someone’s home, try to isolate it from other household members, select separate dishes and other household items for it.
- If you eat in public places, only visit places you trust.
conclusions
According to doctors, this disease is much more common in young children than in adults, which means that parents should be careful. In the presence of an ailment, the baby will often and strongly cry, because he will be tormented by pain in his stomach, so do not ignore this signal.
Adults are also prone to gastroenteritis. It is very difficult not to notice it, as it is accompanied by rather vivid symptoms. In the reviews, both patients and specialists confirm that the disease is treated very quickly if you do not delay going to the hospital. And with the combined use of drugs, negative symptoms will disappear in a few days. However, if it is treated independently, or, even worse, not treated at all, the disease will turn into a chronic form, and then getting rid of it will be very, very difficult.
The gastroenteritis code in the ICD-10 is A09. By this code you can find this disease in the international classification.