As soon as spring or autumn comes, many children and adults begin to get colds. They can be caused by both bacteria and viruses. But it often happens that simple poisoning by symptoms resembles a viral infection, so it is very important to be able to differentiate diseases. At this time of the year, rotavirus is often the cause of malaise. In adults and children, the symptoms may resemble intestinal poisoning, but there are manifestations by which pathologies differ from each other, respectively, and the therapy will be completely different. Let's look at the difference between poisoning and rotavirus.
What is rotavirus?
Rotavirus is a microorganism in which RNA is the custodian of hereditary information. Penetrating into the human body, it causes an infectious lesion of the gastrointestinal tract. If you look at the virus under a microscope, then the shape of its body resembles a wheel.
Typically, the virus begins to show its maximum activity in the autumn-winter period. The disease that he provokes is called rotavirus infection, or rotavirus gastroenteritis.
The parasite multiplies rapidly in the body and causes a violation of the digestive tract. A huge danger, especially for children, is dehydration.
Infection occurs from a sick person or carrier of infection. Ingestion occurs through the mouth with food, water. It should be noted that rotavirus is quite resistant to environmental factors, therefore, the seasonality of the disease.
Causes of Rotavirus and Poisoning
Before looking for the difference between rotavirus and poisoning, you should understand the causes of their appearance.
Poisoning, as a rule, develops through the fault of microorganisms that enter our body along with food. Their enhanced development provokes improper storage, violation of transportation conditions, and non-observance of personal hygiene. Most often, the environment for the active propagation of pathogenic microorganisms is products that are not subjected to heat treatment before use, for example, sausages, cheeses, semi-finished products.
But rotavirus enters the body from a sick person. It begins to multiply intensively in the intestines, leaves from the first days along with feces. It should be noted that the immune system does not suffer from the virus, repeated cases are rare.
All the insidiousness of the virus lies in the fact that an infected person may not even suspect about his existence in the body, because it can manifest itself with a slight malaise and one-time diarrhea.
To find out how rotavirus differs from poisoning, it is necessary to study the symptoms of pathologies.
Manifestations of rotavirus infection
Penetrating into the gastrointestinal tract, rotavirus multiplies rapidly and can cause severe dehydration in a short period of time. Even in the appearance of a person, this is noticeable:
- Sunken eyes.
- Dry mucous membranes.
- Folds may appear on the skin.
One day for the virus is enough for a person to significantly lose weight. Rotavirus in adults can manifest the following symptoms:
- Body temperature rises.
- General weakness appears.
- The appetite completely disappears.
- Often there is vomiting, abdominal pain
- There is pain when swallowing.
- If you look at the language, you can see a white coating on it.
- Constant rumbling in the stomach.
- Redness of the throat.
- The conjunctiva turns red.
- Nasal congestion appears.
- Mild coughing.
Often, symptoms disappear after about a week.
How does poisoning manifest itself?
Symptoms of food poisoning in adults can be divided into several groups.
- Signs of inflammation of the intestinal mucosa:
- pain in the abdomen;
- nausea;
- vomiting
2. Symptoms of intoxication :
- general weakness appears;
- headache;
- muscle pain
- nausea;
- chills;
- body temperature may rise.
3. Signs of dehydration:
- general weakness;
- dry mucous membranes;
- frequent stools;
- heart palpitations;
- nausea and vomiting;
- urine is poorly separated;
- feeling of thirst.
As a rule, symptoms of food poisoning in adults go away after a couple of days. If signs of dehydration are pronounced, then it is necessary to see a doctor, because appropriate treatment may be required.
If the question arises, how to distinguish poisoning from rotavirus, then you need to know that the first occurs suddenly and develops rapidly. As a rule, poisoning can be associated with the consumption of certain foods or dishes. If there was a meal with someone, then several people may experience similar symptoms at once.
How to distinguish poisoning from rotavirus
We examined the symptoms of pathologies, and several criteria can be distinguished:
- Rotavirus infection is characterized by an increase in temperature, which lasts several days, and in case of poisoning, if it rises, then slightly and briefly.
- Rotavirus is usually a seasonal causative agent, often affects young children and is transmitted from the patient to healthy, but poisoning can occur at any time of the year and is associated with poor-quality products. It is impossible to get poisoned.
- If there is a question: rotavirus or poisoning, then it must be borne in mind that with viral pathology, symptoms of SARS, such as a runny nose, sore throat, are necessarily associated with nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The urine becomes dark in color, as there is severe dehydration.
- If rotavirus infects one family member or someone in the team gets sick, then, as a rule, others also begin to get sick. In case of poisoning, similar symptoms can only be observed in those who ate the same product or dish.
Rotavirus or poisoning? You can answer by looking at a person: with a viral infection, you can see reddened eyes and throat, coughing happens, but this does not happen in case of poisoning.
Of course, it is very difficult for a person ignorant in such matters to answer the question of how to distinguish poisoning from rotavirus, therefore, at the first signs of any disease, it is better to consult a doctor.
Rotavirus infection treatment
Despite the fact that poisoning and rotavirus infection can have a similar manifestation, but the causes (and hence the treatment) are different. At the first signs, for example, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, most rush to take antibiotics, antidiarrheal drugs, and this only smoothes the picture, and it will be more difficult for the doctor to make the correct diagnosis.
Treatment for rotavirus infection is usually carried out according to the following scheme:
- To prevent dehydration, the drug "Rehydron" or saline is prescribed.
- Since this is still a viral infection, the use of antiviral drugs is indicated: Kagocel, Tsitovir. You can not take antibiotics, they can not overcome the virus, but only weaken the body's defenses.
- The virus infects the intestines, so to facilitate its work it is necessary to take the enzymes Festal, Mezim, Pancreatin.
- Adsorbent preparations will help: Polysorb, Smecta.
- “Atsilak”, “Lactobacterin”, “Linex” will help restore the beneficial intestinal microflora.
- At elevated body temperature, you can take an antipyretic, such as Paracetamol.
- If dehydration is found in a small child who cannot be forced to drink, intravenous solutions are given.
If correctly determined - rotavirus or poisoning in an adult, such treatment will quickly give positive results.
Nutrition - an integral part of treatment
Not only drug therapy will help to cope with rotavirus, it is important to follow some recommendations in nutrition:
- Exclude dairy products and dishes based on them.
- It is better to eat steamed dishes.
- Drinking plenty of fluids is good if it is fruit drinks, compotes, herbal teas.
- It is recommended to add porridge, but cooked in water.
- Light meat and fish dishes.
- Carbonated drinks are not allowed.
- You will have to give up baking, sweets, raw fruits and vegetables for a while.
Even after the body has managed to cope with the infection, the doctor, as a rule, recommends following these recommendations for a while.
How to protect yourself from rotavirus?
The disease is easier to prevent than to treat later. With rotavirus, this is, of course, difficult, but possible. The following recommendations are important:
- Strictly observe hygiene standards, both at home and at work. Inoculate their children.
- You can be vaccinated against rotavirus.
- If a patient appears at home, he should be isolated from the rest to prevent the spread of infection.
The doctor will tell you how to disinfect the room in which the sick person was.
Food poisoning therapy
Usually, poisoning that occurs in everyday life does not apply to serious illnesses. Even if nothing is done, symptoms disappear in 2-3 days. Therapy is aimed at:
- Elimination of intoxication and elimination of pathogenic microorganisms.
- Prevention of dehydration.
- Recovery of intestinal microflora.
- Normalization of the digestive tract.
If poisoning has serious symptoms, accompanied by severe vomiting, diarrhea, fever, you must consult a doctor for the appointment of appropriate treatment.
We have already examined how to distinguish poisoning from rotavirus, so it should be obvious that a viral infection requires a more serious attitude and long-term therapy.
Food Poisoning Prevention
In order to prevent food poisoning, it is important to follow some recommendations:
- Follow all sanitary standards in the kitchen.
- Stick to cooking technology.
- Follow the rules for storing food and prepared meals.
- Do not purchase products of dubious quality in stores.
- Avoid fast food.
To prevent the development of the disease is always easier than then treating it. Quite often, when we go to another country or even to the sea, many have acclimatization. Poisoning or rotavirus can lie in wait here. The body gets used to new conditions, dishes and can rebel with the manifestation of various symptoms that resemble food poisoning or a viral infection.
That is why during long trips it is very important to comply with all standards of sanitation and personal hygiene. Be sure to be able to distinguish between these two pathologies. If it is difficult to do it yourself, you will have to remember about doctors on vacation.