Gastroenteritis in adults

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Dang Xuan Cuong - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital. The doctor has 14 years of experience in the field of emergency resuscitation and poison control.

Gastrointestinal tract infection, gastroenteritis can cause diarrhea from mild to severe, serious illness when not treated promptly.
Viruses are the causative agents of gastroenteritis, in the UK 2 strains of viruses cause this disease: Norovirus and Adenvirus. Viruses are present after we go to the toilet, easily spread from person to person by direct contact or indirect contact through touching objects.
Food poisoning from eating food contaminated with viruses can also cause gastroenteritis. Common pathogens are Campylobacter, Salmonella and E.Coli. Toxins secreted by bacteria can also cause poisoning, some groups of parasitic organisms can also be the cause of the disease.

The typical symptom of gastrointestinal pain is diarrhea accompanied by vomiting. Loose or watery stools, the patient can pass at least 3 times in 24 hours. In case of infection may appear mucous blood. Abdominal pain, however after diarrhea the abdominal pain usually stops. Occasionally patients may present with fever or headache.

Prolonged diarrhea and vomiting will cause dehydration of the body. In mild cases, it can be supplemented simply by drinking plenty of water. However, if the patient is severely ill, prompt treatment is required. Some symptoms of dehydration can include:
Headache, dizziness, muscle aches, fatigue Less urination Dry mouth and tongue When severe dehydration can lead to the following conditions:
Coma Tachycardia abnormal Very weak person.

Your body will return to normal once your immune system has eliminated the risk of infection. Some of the treatments you can do are as follows:
3.1. Drink plenty of water After each diarrhea should drink about 200ml of water If vomiting occurs, wait 5-10 minutes before drinking water, drink slowly each time hydrate for about 2-3 minutes. Do not drink water containing a lot of sugar, soft drinks because it will make diarrhea worse. Rehydration drugs are indicated for elderly patients with weak health. This medication should be carefully prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. 3.2 Diet Eat as soon as possible, do not skip meals and always drink enough water. In the early stages, avoid spicy, fatty foods. Start with wholemeal bread and rice. 3.3 Use of medication Using anti-diarrheal medication is not necessary, but if you want to reduce the number of times you need to go to the bathroom, you should use Loperamide. Adults take 2 tablets each time, maximum use in 24 hours is 8 tablets, should not use this medicine for more than 5 days. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen can be used to relieve fever or headache. If severe symptoms persist and there are no signs of improvement, you need to go to a medical center to conduct tests.

Although rare, complications can still occur if you do not conduct timely treatment, which can be harmful to health.
4.1 Loss of fluids and electrolytes Occurs when the body loses too much water through diarrhea or vomiting, the amount of water you drink daily is not enough to make up for the loss.
If the condition lasts for a long time, it will cause a drop in blood pressure, reducing the blood supply to the body's organs. Without prompt treatment, it can lead to kidney failure.
The safest treatment is to perform intravenous infusion in hospitals and medical centers.
4.2 Complications to some other organs of the body Diseases that can cause joint pain, arthritis Diseases such as dermatitis, conjunctivitis, hard conjunctivitis Spread of the disease to the meninges, bone marrow . Very rare cases have only occurred in patients with gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella spp. However, these complications are rare when a virus is the cause of the disease. 4.3 Lactose intolerance Lactose intolerance occurs after a patient has gastroenteritis, because your intestinal wall is damaged leading to lactose deficiency. .
This complication causes bloating, abdominal pain, watery diarrhea and gas if the patient drinks milk.
The disease will gradually heal when the intestinal wall is not infected and restored to its state.
4.4 Hemolytic uremic syndrome Rare complication, only due to the disease associated with gastritis caused by E.coli strain. Causes anemia, thrombocytopenia and kidney failure. However, the disease only occurs in children and does not appear in adults.
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