The causes of this disease can be both infectious and non-infectious factors, and absolutely everyone can get sick. However, some categories of people are in the "risk group".
It includes:
- Students living in the hostel.
- Conscripts.
- Tourists.
- Children, students in preschools and schoolchildren.
These categories of people are more likely to be prone to illness due to a violation of the diet, deterioration in its quality and other factors.
What is this disease?
Acute gastroenteritis in adults (or, as it is also called, acute catarrh of the stomach) is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach or small intestine, which appeared without any tangible prerequisites. Most often, this inflammation lasts for several days and is accompanied by symptoms similar to those of food poisoning - vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
Reasons
There are several reasons that can cause acute gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis can be caused by taking medications that disrupt the intestinal microflora. Possible infection from another person with enterotropic viruses that affect the gastrointestinal tract.
- The most common is norovirus or rotavirus infection (the main cause of acute gastroenteritis in children).
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Poor hygiene in cooking, personal hygiene.
- Irregular diet.
- Eating food of poor quality, improper storage.
- Food intolerance due to food allergy.
- Poisoning from toxic substances, mushrooms or fish.
- Bad habits are also one of the causative agents of the disease.
- Smoking and drinking.
Be sure to tell the doctor when you visit the doctor what could provoke the disease in your opinion.
Symptoms
Symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, as a rule, appear in a short time - from several hours to a day from the moment the infection gets inside. This is preceded by an incubation period (from 5 days).
First of all, a person experiences vomiting, and then vomiting. In difficult cases, this process can be repeated many times and tediously, accompanied by pain around the navel, rumbling of the abdomen. After diarrhea appears, and up to 10 times a day. The stool has a yellow, greenish or orange tint with elements of undigested food, the person loses his appetite. On the basis of allergies, acute gastroenteritis can begin with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. Further, the condition immediately improves. If gastroenteritis is associated with toxic factors, the patient is not febrile for long. Infectious gastroenteritis will present with vomiting and loose stools, followed by a rise in body temperature.
Degrees
The trigger for the development of the disease can serve as the simplest bacteria and viruses, in rare cases, malnutrition. There are three degrees of severity of acute gastroenteritis:
- The first degree is accompanied by short bouts of diarrhea and vomiting, while there is no dehydration and body temperature is at a normal tolerable level.
- Second degree occurs with the same symptoms, only the number of visits to the restroom can reach up to 10 times a day, fever up to 38.5 ° C and slight dehydration.
- The third (severe) degree of the disease, acute gastroenteritis is quite painful, and the patient may experience not only severe dehydration, a decrease in body temperature to 35 ° C, but also fever, clouding of consciousness, weakness, tachycardia, and lowering blood pressure.
Diagnosis
For the correct diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis, the patient is prescribed an examination, whichwill allow not only to determine the etiology of the disease, but also the severity. Further treatment depends on the accuracy of the disease. Severe dehydration (more than 5% weight loss) requires fluid therapy.
Acute gastroenteritis is diagnosed after an examination that includes:
- OAK (blood test, general). With diarrhea, the absorption of vitamins, iron and trace elements is difficult, as a result of which the rate of red blood cells and hemoglobin decreases. The content of leukocytes in OGE increases significantly.
- OAC (coprogram, general analysis of feces). This includes macro- and microscopic and chemical analysis of feces. Macroscopy evaluates the (physical) properties of the stool, in particular the presence of blood/mucus or pus. Microscopy assesses chemical properties. OGE reveals the presence of epithelium and leukocytes. Chemical analysis is aimed at studying the alkaline reaction (pH 8-10).
- Bacteriological examination of feces and vomit. Allows you to identify the causative agent of the disease (Staphylococcus aureus, clostridia, fungi of the genus Candida, etc.).
- Analysis of feces for the presence of helminth eggs in them.
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS). With the help of a fibroendoscope, a visual assessment of inflammation of the stomach and small intestine is performed, as well as the exclusion of non-specific ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
- Contrast irrigoscopy is a method of x-ray examination of the large intestine. For this study, barium sulfate is injected into the large intestine using an enema (contrastsubstance), followed by a series of x-rays.
In addition to all this, they are studying the history of acute gastroenteritis, its course in a patient:
- gathering an anamnesis of the patient's life;
- examination of the anterior abdominal cavity (palpation of the anterior wall);
- body temperature and blood pressure are measured;
- the condition of the skin is being studied;
- a detailed survey of the patient is being conducted to establish the nature of the severity of the symptoms, which will make it possible to determine the severity of the course of the disease.
Medicated treatment
Enterosorbents are designed to remove toxins from the body. They are used in the development of gastroenteritis associated with poisoning or an allergic reaction. Small particles adsorb harmful substances on themselves and remove them from the body.
These include:
- activated carbon;
- "Enterofuril".
Means for the normalization of water and electrolyte balance
The treatment of acute gastroenteritis in adults is to take drugs that normalize water and electrolyte balance:
- "Rehydron";
- "Oralit";
- "Normohydron".
Drugs will allow you to replenish the lost fluid necessary for the body. In more serious cases of gastroenteritis, an intravenous infusion of saline or glucose solution is given.
Medicines that relieve spasm and have an analgesic effect:
- "But-shpa";
- "Buscopan".
Drugs stop the pathological contraction of smooth muscle organs, in turn, relieve spasms that cause pain.
Enzymatic preparations, which include:
- "Pancreatin";
- "Panzinorm";
- "Mezim".
Usually prescribed to normalize the performance of the gastrointestinal tract, facilitate the digestion of food, and also replenish the reduced secretory function of the pancreas.
Preparations that restore the intestinal mucosa, have anti-inflammatory properties and an astringent component ("De-nol", bismuth nitrate).
Probiotics ("Bifidumbacterin", "Linex") are designed to normalize the intestinal microflora.
Antibacterial drugs are used extremely rarely in the severe stage of the disease or in the development of a bacterial process. The use of antibiotics can only be prescribed by the attending doctor, based on the tests.
The following drugs are most widely used: Amoxicillin, Ceftriaxone. Symptomatic drugs (antipyretic, against vomiting) are prescribed depending on the manifestations of the disease, to alleviate the condition.
Folk ways to overcome illness
Gastroenteritis cannot be cured in a week, whether it is medication or home treatment (using folk recipes with tinctures, decoctions). Whatever the situation,patients want, if not completely cured of gastroenteritis, then at least partially relieve its symptoms with the help of alternative treatment.
Different recipes of folk herbal decoctions can have a significant beneficial effect on the general condition of the patient, but before you start taking any decoction, you should consult your doctor and make sure that there are no contraindications to such treatment. The reason for refusing alternative treatment may be intolerance to one of the types of herbs, the level of complexity of the disease.
For those patients who have not been banned by the attending physician from the use of alternative methods of treatment, the following recommendations can help:
- Use only fresh decoctions and tinctures.
- Steam herbs in a clean, enameled, chip-free bowl.
- Use fresh herbs.
- Don't come up with your own recipes without studying herbal compatibility reactions.
- Don't trust traditional healers, focused on big and obligatory profit from the patient.
Decoctions that are most effective in treating gastroenteritis:
- Tincture on mint leaves - one glass of dried leaves is poured with boiling water so that they are completely covered with boiling water. Insist 35 minutes. Filter, drink the decoction in small doses before meals. The serving at one time is 60 ml.
- Oatmeal - Pour boiling water over a portion of oatmeal so that the water is two fingers above the porridge. Let it brew for at least 40 minutes under a tightly closed lid. The liquid can be drunkand porridge should be eaten on an empty stomach daily.
- Oatmeal boiled or brought to a boil has other properties that are different from those that porridge steamed only with boiling water has. The amount of porridge per serving is 30 grams.
- Cranberries - 20 gr. plants are poured with 500 ml of recently boiled water (which has cooled to 80-90 degrees). Boil on a steam bath for 15 minutes, filter. The decoction is drunk 4 times a day, 80 mg each.
- Chernogolovka - pour the crushed raw materials into a thermos, pour a glass of water into it, tightly close the container with a lid. Infuse for two hours, strain. Blackhead tincture is drunk in small portions, 2 teaspoons before meals. During the day, the decoction can be taken no more than 5 times.
Complications of the disease
Complications of acute gastroenteritis, the symptoms and treatment of which depend on the severity, can be accompanied by various complications:
- Shock - toxic or hypovolemic.
- Collapse.
- Bleeding in the stomach and intestines.
- Development of peritonitis in the intestine.
- Toxic damage to the liver, kidneys, heart.
- Development of a chronic form of gastroenteritis.
- Intestinal dysbacteriosis.
Signs of complications:
- Dehydration - rapid heart rate, loss of consciousness, weak pulse, possibly fatal.
- Edema of the brain - occurs due to toxicity, when the body removes poisons through the fluid, followed by dehydration, intoxication, failure of the brain cells, due to which the fluid accumulates in the brain. Further cerebral edema and lethalexodus.
When bleeding occurs in the intestines, the patient has a headache, pallor, tachycardia, and blood pressure drops.
Disease prevention
Symptoms of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults depend on the level of immunity and how severe the toxins are in the body.
This disease is characterized by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, sometimes traces of blood and mucus can be found in the discharge, if you find such symptoms in yourself, you should immediately consult a doctor.
To prevent the disease, you must follow a diet consisting of he althy fats and proteins of animal origin - eggs, chicken, fish, cottage cheese, etc. At the same time, you should limit the amount of fiber, that is, spinach, lettuce, bran, etc. e. You should also not abuse carbonated drinks, sweets and citrus fruits. Meals should be fractional, 5-6 times a day, and soup must be included in the menu. For prevention, it is best to lead a he althy, active lifestyle, if it is not possible to exercise regularly, then at least do exercises in the morning and go for walks before bed. It is advisable to undergo a full examination with a doctor once every six months.
Diet for acute gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis occurs due to the reproduction in the gastrointestinal tract of certain viruses, diet plays an important role in recovery.
During the first week, doctors recommend following this diet:
- First day: do not eat, preferably drink plenty of clean water andherbal decoctions that have cooled to body temperature. Drink in small sips, slowly.
- Second day. You can add dried bread, but it must be chewed thoroughly.
- On the third day, steamed rice is added to the diet.
- Fourth day. Lean chicken broth, you can add boiled carrots or potatoes to the menu. Fruit can be grated banana or apple.
- On the fifth day, the servings can be slightly increased, the broth can be made more rich.
- By the end of the sixth and the beginning of the seventh day, you can return to a normal diet, but limit fatty, dairy products and sweets.
In the future, it is recommended to adhere to the so-called diet number 4, which consists of proteins and fats that are easily digestible (fish, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, beef), mashed soups, cereals. Steamed food is recommended. Food should be taken 5 times a day, in small portions. With gastroenteritis, the use of chocolate, pork and lamb, lard is strictly prohibited. With caution, you should eat foods rich in fiber, and figs, prunes and fresh bakery products are also prohibited.
