What should I do about acute gastroenteritis?

Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 03, 2024
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Acute gastroenteritis typically presents with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, and sometimes accompanied by fever and chills. In such cases, it is important to rest, keep warm, avoid cold, and follow a diet that is light and easy to digest, such as rice porridge, soft noodles, etc. It is advisable to avoid raw, greasy, spicy, and alcoholic foods. Treatment should be based on the specific cause. For viral infections causing gastroenteric flu, antiviral and antidiarrheal astringents are commonly used. For bacterial infections causing infectious diarrhea, antibacterial and antidiarrheal treatments are needed, typically involving cephalosporins or quinolones. Generally, symptoms will gradually ease.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Can acute gastroenteritis cause shock?

Acute gastroenteritis, if it causes severe vomiting and frequent diarrhea, can lead to obvious dehydration and may cause shock. During shock, symptoms such as a drop in blood pressure, pale complexion, lethargy, and physical weakness appear, and timely fluid replenishment therapy is necessary. Additionally, proactive use of anti-inflammatory and anti-infection medications, as well as drugs that stabilize the intestines and stop diarrhea, can reduce symptoms of diarrhea. Moreover, during treatment, it is important to adjust the diet, eat smaller and more frequent meals, and consume more vegetables and fruits to supplement plant-based fibers.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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What to do about acute gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis is considered to be caused by unclean food or bacterial and viral infections. It is important to actively provide symptomatic treatment. For nausea and vomiting, use antispasmodic and antiemetic medications; for repeated diarrhea and dehydration, use intestinal firming and antidiarrheal medications; for obvious bacterial infections, antibiotics should be used, preferably quinolones. Be sure to drink plenty of water and replenish fluids in a timely manner. During the acute phase, do not eat anything to avoid overburdening the gastrointestinal tract. After recovery, increase the consumption of vegetables to enhance nutrition and improve the body's resistance. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Causes of Acute Gastroenteritis

Acute gastroenteritis mostly occurs in summer and autumn, due to unhygienic eating habits and consumption of spoiled food. Additionally, a weak immune system or excessive fatigue can gradually lead to acute gastroenteritis. Therefore, it is important to prevent acute gastroenteritis by adopting a healthy lifestyle. This includes having meals regularly and in proper amounts, avoiding spoiled food, drinking plenty of water (preferably boiled water), ensuring the water is thoroughly boiled, maintaining a reasonable work-rest schedule, avoiding excessive fatigue, and eating less greasy and spicy food.

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Written by Zhang Peng
General Surgery
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What foods are good for acute gastroenteritis?

For patients with acute gastroenteritis, it is mainly important to prevent very strong irritation to the entire mucosa of the digestive tract, otherwise symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea may occur. For patients with acute gastroenteritis, in terms of diet, it is mainly important not to consume spicy and stimulating foods, to eat easily digestible foods as much as possible, and not to eat too much coarse dietary fiber, as this may be beneficial for alleviating the disease.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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How many days to get an IV for acute gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis can be divided into bacterial enteritis and gastroenteric flu. When this condition occurs, it is first necessary to conduct relevant examinations such as routine blood tests, C-reactive protein, and routine stool tests. After identifying the specific cause, targeted treatment can be administered. Generally, for mild acute gastroenteritis, treatment can be achieved through oral medication. If symptoms of severe vomiting and diarrhea are present, and normal eating is impossible, then infusion therapy is required. As for the duration of infusion therapy, it depends on the specific situation; generally, if it is not very severe, a complete cure can be achieved in two to three days. If the inflammation is more severe, and the patient is elderly, weak, or has underlying diseases, the duration of infusion therapy may be appropriately extended. (Please use medication under the guidance of a doctor.)