Gastroenteritis or gastrointestinal flu is usually brief, but its symptoms are severe. In children and the elderly, vomiting diarrhea can even cause life-threatening dehydration.
- The gastroenteritis, or gastrointestinal flu, comes on suddenly and violently.
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The gastrointestinal flu (also called gastoenteritis or, colloquially, vomiting diarrhea) is an inflammation of the human gastrointestinal tract caused by viruses. The pathogens include noroviruses, rotaviruses, astro and adenoviruses.
Gastrointestinal Flu: What To Do If It Got Me?
Gastrointestinal flu is a very common disease, with viral gastroenteritis mainly occurring in the winter months. In most cases the infection is severe, but harmless. Especially with children, however, there is a risk that an infection with noro- or rotaviruses leads to circulatory problems due to the loss of fluid.
Gastroenteritis caused by viruses, bacteria or protozoa
That is why it is particularly important for young and older patients to supply the body with water and mineral salts that have been lost through diarrhea (rehydration).
Aside from viruses, bacteria can also cause gastroenteritis. Salmonella, Campylobacter and EHEC are among the potential culprits. Furthermore, single-cell parasites can cause gastrointestinal flu, an example of which is so-called amoebic dysentery.
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Vomiting diarrhea: These symptoms suggest gastrointestinal flu
As the term vomiting diarrhea suggests, the symptoms of gastroenteritis are diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Diarrhea is the most common sign of gastroenteritis, but it doesn't necessarily happen. Nausea and abdominal cramps are also common, but not every patient experiences them.
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The sometimes severe symptoms of gastrointestinal flu usually only affect patients for a few days. However, if there is blood in the stool or a high fever in addition to watery diarrhea, gastrointestinal flu is a case for the doctor. The persistent loss of fluid (dehydration) can lead to dehydration (desiccosis). The clearest sign of a dangerous drop in the water content in the body: a fold of skin on the back of the hand remains after you let go.
Nonspecific symptoms of gastrointestinal flu
In addition, gastrointestinal flu can be associated with severe, cramping abdominal pain and loud bowel noises. More general symptoms such as fever, dizziness and a feeling of exhaustion are also typical of gastroenteritis.
Causes of gastroenteritis
While rotaviruses usually cause gastrointestinal flu, which is dangerous for them, in infants, noroviruses are the most common pathogen type among adults. In addition to a wide variety of virus types, bacteria can trigger gastroenteritis. The pathogen species include Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Clostridia, Listeria and Yersinia.
Protozoa can also cause gastroenteritis
Unicellular parasites (giardia, amoeba) cause diarrhea to vomit less often, the associated clinical pictures are called lamblia or amoebic dysentery.
Gastrointestinal flu is transmitted through a (fecal-oral) smear infection, but droplet infection through fine particles of vomit is also possible. Many gastroenteritis pathogens are highly infectious; protection against vomiting and diarrhea is only possible with very careful hygiene and distance from the sick.
Gastrointestinal flu: important points for diagnosis
A diagnosis of gastrointestinal flu rarely involves more than describing the symptoms. Cases of highly contagious gastroenteritis in the family and pressure pain in the lower abdomen and intestinal noises are also clear indicators for the doctor. Often the brief gastrointestinal infection can be cured at home anyway. However, life-threatening fluid loss can occur in infants and young children. Therefore, they definitely belong in medical care.
Stool sample for the detection of pathogens in gastroenteritis
You only have to see a doctor with gastrointestinal flu if gastroenteritis is unusually difficult or long, or if there is a lot of mucus or blood in the stool. If necessary, he sends a stool sample to the laboratory to identify the causative agent of gastroenteritis. However, the pathogen detection is limited to bacteria and toxins, so noro- or rotaviruses cannot be recorded with it. A blood count can be used to determine the level of electrolytes in the blood.
Therapy for gastrointestinal flu: what helps against vomiting and diarrhea?
The simplest therapy for an uncomplicated gastrointestinal flu is to drink a lot to compensate for the loss of water. If this is not enough or if the symptoms persist, symptomatic therapy for gastroenteritis takes effect. The active ingredient dimenhydrinate, for example, can relieve nausea and vomiting. Stomach drops with the plant derivative butylscopolamine have a relieving effect on vomiting and diarrhea.
Gastrointestinal flu: symptoms and home remedies
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What to do if you have diarrhea Don't eat anything, pills from the pharmacy
The active ingredients Racecadotril and Loperamide, which are available over the counter from pharmacies, help against acute, watery diarrhea. In addition, capsules with medicinal yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii), which pregnant women and children can also take. Another remedy that alleviates the symptoms of gastroenteritis is often taken automatically by patients: the so-called food abstinence, i.e. the renouncement of food as part of a therapy.
Cola and pretzel sticks for gastrointestinal flu are considered obsolete
Those who prefer to use home remedies for diarrhea and nausea have had the blessing of their family doctor for a long time to consume cola and salt sticks or pretzels to combat the symptoms of gastrointestinal flu. This advice, especially popular with children, is now considered outdated. With caffeine and a lot of sugar, cola is not suitable for relieving diarrhea in children.
Rusks and lightly sweetened tea help better to regain strength. Special electrolyte solutions from the pharmacy work even better. They contain glucose and mineral salts, which the body excretes in excess through diarrhea and vomiting. Light foods such as white bread and bananas are easy to digest even for gastrointestinal patients.
While dairy products are not advisable in acute diarrhea – they can bloat the irritated intestine – probiotic yogurts are suitable for the prevention of diarrhea with antibiotics and help the intestine to recover after gastroenteritis.
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This is how you can make an electrolyte solution yourself.
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This is how gastroenteritis works
Similar to the pathogen after the smear infection, the symptoms of gastroenteritis also move from the top (mouth, stomach) down into the intestine, so to speak. Patients usually notice the loss of appetite in the form of a sore stomach as the first sign, before severe nausea and sudden, severe diarrhea and vomiting afflict them.
As soon as the vomiting diarrhea appeared, it usually goes away in otherwise healthy adults. The gastrointestinal flu lasts one to a few day (s), in rare cases just under a week.
Severe courses of gastrointestinal flu are rare
In children and the elderly, complications can arise in the course of gastroenteritis. These include water and electrolyte losses caused by severe diarrhea and prolonged vomiting, volume shock or severe hypoglycaemia and circulatory collapse.
In rare cases, gastrointestinal flu complications can result in death. If symptoms of dehydration (desiccosis) or high fever occur, a visit to the doctor is advisable. This also applies if severe diarrhea persists for more than three days.
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Can you prevent gastrointestinal flu?
Noroviruses, which cause gastroenteritis in adults, are highly contagious and robust. Careful hygiene is therefore important in order to avoid epidemics. The most effective measures include washing your hands (half a minute with lukewarm water and soap) and disinfecting shared items such as the phone, keypad, light switches.
If possible, the gastrointestinal flu patient uses a separate toilet to protect the rest of the family from the virus. In addition to a smear infection via viruses in the feces, transmission of gastroenteritis via tiny droplets of sudden vomit is also possible (droplet infection).
Rotavirus vaccination protects babies from gastrointestinal infections
There is also a vaccination against rotaviruses, the main cause of gastroenteritis in babies and children. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has recommended since 2013 to protect all infants from six weeks, including premature babies, from rotavirus infection with oral vaccinations. Unvaccinated children catch the virus with almost one hundred percent probability by their fifth birthday. According to the RKI, around half a million children die each year after being infected with rotavirus.
Bacteria and viruses that cause gastroenteritis can also sit on food. Soft cheese made from raw milk, fish, seafood and raw fruit and vegetables are at risk. Washing and cooking well are then the best methods to render the pathogens of gastrointestinal flu harmless.
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