Today, many people are prone to various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Both adults and children are at risk. This is due to an unbalanced diet, an unhe althy 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 disease and get acquainted with effective methods of its treatment. Carefully read the information provided in order to protect 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 diseaseoccurs in young children. Every year, a very large number of people go to the hospital with unpleasant symptoms. According to the results of the diagnosis, it is possible to establish that the patient has such a disease as gastroenteritis (the ICD-10 code for this disease is indicated below).
Often, test results show that the disease was caused by pathogenic viruses, fungi or bacteria. If you immediately seek medical help at the first symptoms, the disease will pass very quickly, without leaving behind any serious consequences.
Main types of disease
We figured out what gastroenteritis is. There are several varieties of this pathology. The main ones are:
- If the disease is of an infectious nature, then there are such types of pathology as coronavirus gastroenteritis, as well as rotavirus and parvovirus. Most often, diseases of infectious origin are transmitted by airborne droplets.
- The disease may also have a 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 occurs 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 poisoned by various toxic substances or medicines.
A few words aboutacute 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 infectious origin. This 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 sit down on a special diet, then he simply will not be able to get rid of the disease.
What you need to know about symptoms
So many people wonder what gastroenteritis is. This disease has a lot of varieties, but most often manifests itself in the same way. The disease has very bright symptoms:
- In the earliest 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, it will begin to actively progress. The patient will have a significant increase in body temperature, there will be lethargy and loss of strength.
- In addition, intoxication of the body, as well as vascular collapse, may occur.
- In some cases, inflammatory processes in the intestines were also found.
Symptoms of coronovirusgastroenteritis, as well as other varieties of this disease, differ very little from other pathologies of bacterial or infectious origin. The patient goes to the toilet very often. The number of visits to the restroom per day can even reach twenty to thirty times. At the same time, emptying can be mixed with mucus and even blood.
Occurrence of illness in children
Gastroenteritis in children, the symptoms and treatment of which are described in this article, is much more common than in adults. In this case, the disease mainly attacks small children up to the age of three. The disease proceeds much brighter than in adults. It is very important to observe preventive measures in schools and preschool institutions and to identify the carrier of this disease in a timely manner.
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 through the fault of the mother. If her nutrition is inadequate, then breast milk will be of poor quality. Formula-fed babies are also at risk, because their bodies do not receive enough essential trace elements that are responsible for strengthening the immune system.
Also, the disease can make itself felt if parents do not comply with all hygiene requirements, namely: they do not bathe the baby, do not wash his toys, and do not thoroughly clean dishes and household items that the baby touches.
What are the reasonsdisease occurrence
The symptoms and treatment of gastroenteritis is important information that every person should be familiar with in order to be as armed as possible. We have already said that most often such a pathology occurs due to the activity of harmful organisms. 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 should include the use of drugs, alcoholic beverages, toxic substances. The disease can also appear due to radiation.
In some cases, the acute form of the disease occurs as a result of the use of a large number of spicy foods, as well as allergens.
The chronic stage of the disease can occur after an acute one or when Helicobacter pylori enters the body. Getting rid of such bacteria is not so easy, as they perfectly adapt to an acidic environment and begin to lead an active life. At the same time, the resulting inflammatory processes affect the production of gastric juice, and also lower the defenses of the human body.
Diagnostic features
If the disease has an acute form, then the main role in the diagnosis will be given to exactly what complaints the patient has, as well as the history of the disease itself. In addition, the presence of epidemics inregion and pathogen detection methodology.
The initial stages of treatment usually depend on the type of bowel movements the patient has, as well as the degree of dehydration of the body. But to make an accurate diagnosis to the patient is possible only after diagnostic tests for the presence of pathogens have been carried out. However, this may take more than a week.
As a rule, during examination, the patient has overdried skin, and palpation of the abdomen causes severe pain. His tongue is dry and covered with a whitish-gray coating.
With the help of a coprological study, it is possible to determine the presence of mucus, pus, blood, undigested fiber, as well as fibers, fat and starch in the feces. It is also very important to do a blood test, which can determine leukocytosis, as well as insufficient fluid content in the blood cells.
It is possible to establish the presence of infections in the body using virological and bacteriological methods. To do this, doctors take urine, feces and blood tests.
If the disease has already become chronic, the patient will be additionally assigned to undergo procedures such as biopsy and ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs.
Features of treatment
Treatment of gastroenteritis in adults and children is usually carried out at home if the disease is detected in the early stages of its development. If the disease has managed to go into a neglected form, then hospitalization may be required. Remember: whenthe first signs of the disease urgently need to 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 must adhere to the doctor's recommendations:
- It is very important to normalize the water-s alt balance in the body. To do this, you need to drink plenty of purified water, as well as take a mineral complex.
- As soon as the symptoms of the disease begin to appear, 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 medicines designed to eliminate diarrhea, as well as vomiting.
- The patient needs to take antibiotics that can cleanse the body of harmful microorganisms. However, the selection of antibacterial medicines should be de alt with by the doctor only after the diagnosis has been accurately established, and all the features of the patient's he alth have been taken into account.
Features of the treatment of infectious gastroenteritis
Treatment of gastroenteritis in adults involves restoring the water-s alt balance of the body, as 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 a very strongintestinal dysbacteriosis.
It is also necessary to use products that can cope with vomiting, diarrhea and reduce body temperature. Very often, doctors recommend patients drugs that contain enzymes. With their help, you can improve the processes of digestion, as well as improve the condition of the intestinal mucosa.
Features of the treatment of the disease in children
The symptoms and treatment of gastroenteritis in children do not differ much from those in adults. If you have the first symptoms of the disease, you need to urgently contact a pediatrician, and he will tell you if the child needs hospitalization. If the baby's condition begins to improve quickly after the medication prescribed by the doctor, then he can continue treatment at home.
If an illness occurs in an infant, in no case stop breastfeeding, otherwise you risk reducing the child's defenses, which means that it will be much more difficult for his body to fight the disease.
How to eat right
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. In order for recovery to come as soon as possible, it is very important to eat right. Consider what foods to avoid during treatment therapy, as well as two weeks after it:
- refuse to eat fruits and vegetables;
- do not eat fatty meat, as well as rich broths;
- stay away from pastries and sweets;
- also not recommendeddairy products (with the exception of breastfed babies);
- never drink alcohol.
All food should be light and not too hot. Also avoid spicy foods during therapy, as they can cause even more inflammation in the mucous membranes.
Preventive measures
The symptoms of gastroenteritis in adults and children, as already mentioned, are always very pronounced. Therefore, if they are present, immediately contact a medical institution. And in order to prevent pathology, you need to follow preventive measures:
- Wash your hands regularly before eating, after going to the toilet and after using public transport.
- Make sure to store all perishable foods in the refrigerator, wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating them.
- If someone has been diagnosed with an infectious disease at home, try to isolate him from other household members, allocate separate dishes and other household items for him.
- If you eat in public places, only go to places you trust.
Conclusions
According to doctors, this disease occurs much more often in young children than in adults, which means that parents should be careful. If there is an ailment, the baby will cry often and strongly, because he will be tormented by pain in the tummy, so do not ignore such a signal.
Adults are also affectedoccurrence of gastroenteritis. It is very difficult not to notice it, since 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 complex use of drugs, negative symptoms will disappear in a few days. However, if treated on your own, or, even worse, not treated at all, then the disease will become chronic, and then it will be very, very difficult to get rid of it.
The code for gastroenteritis in ICD-10 is A09. By this code you can find this disease in the international classification.
