Acute gastroenteritis requires medication.

Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 04, 2024
00:00
00:00

The drug treatment for acute gastroenteritis should be based on the specific cause. If it is a viral infection that causes gastroenteritis, it can generally be treated with oral antiviral drugs and astringent antidiarrheal drugs to achieve good therapeutic effects. If it is caused by improper food intake and bacterial infection, it usually requires the use of antibacterial drugs, such as cephalosporins or quinolones for anti-inflammatory purposes. If diarrhea is severe, appropriate antidiarrheal drugs can be taken for symptomatic treatment. At the same time, attention should be paid to a light and easily digestible diet, avoiding raw, greasy, spicy food and alcohol, which can generally relieve symptoms gradually.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
1min 17sec home-news-image

How long does acute gastroenteritis take to heal?

The natural course of acute gastroenteritis is about one to two weeks, so it is recommended that patients undergo regular treatment. Acute gastroenteritis is commonly seen in clinical practice, with patients generally presenting with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and abnormal stools. The main manifestation of stool abnormalities is an increase in the frequency of bowel movements, appearing as diarrhea, with the stools being watery. Additionally, patients may experience some fever and chills. Given the symptoms of acute gastroenteritis and its short duration, it is generally considered to be caused by viral or bacterial infections. Therefore, treatment can involve the use of anti-infective medications in small doses, especially when the patient has a fever. Other medications can include acid suppressants, mucosal protectants, antidiarrheals, and those affecting the intestinal flora, so the treatment generally has a good effect. Patients need not worry too much, and we adhere to a 1-2 week treatment period. (Medication should be taken under the guidance of a doctor.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
47sec home-news-image

How long does it take to get an IV for acute gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis, as understood literally, occurs quite suddenly and rapidly. Therefore, its treatment is not very complicated. Typically, it can be cured in a short term. If it is a bacterial infection, you might choose Levofloxacin, which is quite effective in reducing intestinal inflammation. Generally, about three days of intravenous infusion can cure it. After stopping the infusion, you can take some probiotics orally and adjust the intestinal microenvironment, which can make recovery more thorough. So, if you suffer from acute gastroenteritis, there's no need to panic. As long as you maintain good dietary hygiene, you can recover quickly.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
46sec home-news-image

Acute gastroenteritis anti-inflammatory drugs

For acute gastroenteritis, if there is a bacterial infection, antibiotics can be used. Empirical use primarily involves quinolones or cephalosporins. If stool bacterial culture is possible, antibiotics sensitive to the results of the test should be chosen. However, it is important to note that if acute gastroenteritis is caused by a viral infection, the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs is very limited. Therefore, it is advisable to diagnose which bacteria are more sensitive based on the stool sample, and then select the appropriate antibiotic. This approach is more targeted, and also less harmful to the body. The specific medication should still be primarily based on the diagnosis of the clinical doctor.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
1min 24sec home-news-image

What to eat for acute gastroenteritis?

For the diet of acute gastroenteritis, we recommend that patients consume easily digestible, clean foods and avoid overeating and pickled, spicy foods. It's important to maintain fluid intake to prevent dehydration. For medication, the use of anti-diarrheal, antispasmodic pain relievers, and drugs that regulate the intestinal flora can be added to treat the symptoms. Acute gastroenteritis is quite common in clinical practice, with patients presenting symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Abdominal pain often manifests as episodic colicky pain around the navel and dull pain. The main symptoms of nausea and vomiting are vomiting of stomach contents. Among these, diarrhea is the most common symptom, characterized by an increased frequency of bowel movements and watery stools, but most patients do not have symptoms of bloody stools. Of course, a small number of patients may also experience symptoms of chills and low fever. Thus, for patients with acute gastroenteritis, we can use antibiotics in small doses. (Medication should be administered under the guidance of a doctor.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
54sec home-news-image

Acute gastroenteritis treatment

The treatment of acute gastroenteritis should be based on the specific cause. For those cases caused by exposure to the cold or other reasons leading to gastrointestinal flu, the main treatment is antiviral and antidiarrheal. For infectious diarrhea caused by improper diet and other reasons, the treatment generally focuses on antibacterial and antidiarrheal measures. Generally, patients with mild acute gastroenteritis can still eat on their own, and other symptoms are not very severe, so they can be treated by taking oral medications. In more severe cases, such as significant vomiting and diarrhea, where the patient cannot eat, intravenous therapy may be necessary. In cases with severe symptoms such as dehydration, dry mouth, reduced urine output, and poor skin elasticity, hospitalization may be required.