What Is Acute Gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis is an acute inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. The clinical manifestations are mainly nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever. This disease is common in summer and autumn, and its occurrence is mostly due to improper diet, overeating; or eating cold, rotten, dirty and unclean food.

Basic Information

TCM disease name

English name

acute gastroenteritis

Visiting department

Gastroenterology

Common causes

Salmonella and halophile (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) infections are most common

Common symptoms

Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, bloating, etc.

Contagious

no

Causes of Acute Gastroenteritis

1. Bacterial and toxin infections

Salmonella and halophile (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) infections are most common. Toxins are common to Staphylococcus aureus, and viruses can also be seen. There are often cases of collective illness or multiple families. Such as eating the contaminated poultry, livestock meat, fish; or eating crabs, snails and other seafood grown by halophilic bacteria; and eating leftovers and leftovers contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus to induce the disease.

2. Physical and chemical factors

Eating cold food or certain drugs such as salicylate, sulfa, certain antibiotics, etc .; or taking strong acids, alkalis and pesticides by mistake can cause this disease.

Clinical manifestations of acute gastroenteritis

Mild diarrhea caused by acute gastroenteritis is generally in good condition. The stool is less than 10 times a day. It is yellow or yellow-green, with a small amount of mucus or white soap. Acute gastroenteritis can also cause severe diarrhea, with stools several to dozens of times a day. A lot of watery stools, a small amount of mucus, nausea and vomiting, low appetite, and sometimes vomiting coffee-like substances. If hypokalemia occurs, there may be abdominal distension and symptoms of systemic poisoning; such as irregular low or high fever, irritability and consequent loss of energy, unconsciousness, and even coma.

Acute gastroenteritis examination

Routine stool examination and stool culture; white blood cell count may be normal or abnormal.

Acute gastroenteritis diagnosis

The diagnosis can be confirmed based on the patient's clinical symptoms and laboratory tests.

Differential diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis

Parasitic infection

Peripheral blood eosinophilia can be seen in parasitic diseases caused by hookworms, schistosomiasis, roundworms, and cystic elegans, each with its clinical manifestations.

2. Gastrointestinal cancer and malignant lymphoma

There may also be increased peripheral eosinophils, but it is secondary and should have other manifestations of cancer and lymphoma.

3. Eosinophilic granuloma

It mainly occurs in the stomach and large intestine. The small intestine presents a localized mass. Pathological examination shows that eosinophilic granuloma is mixed in the connective tissue matrix, and the history of allergies is rare. The number of white blood cells and eosinophils in peripheral blood often does not increase.

4. Eosinophilia

In addition to the increase in peripheral blood eosinophils, the lesions not only affect the intestine, but also extensively involve other parenchymal organs, such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, etc., which have a short course, poor prognosis, and often die in a short period of time.

Acute gastroenteritis complications

Water and electrolyte imbalance, bowel perforation, sepsis.

Acute gastroenteritis treatment

General treatment

Stay in bed as much as possible. Those with a mild condition take glucose-electrolyte fluid to supplement the loss of body fluids. If continuous vomiting or obvious dehydration, 5% to 10% glucose saline and other related electrolytes need to be added intravenously. Encourage a light or semi-liquid diet to prevent or treat dehydration.

Symptomatic treatment

If necessary, antiemetics and antispasmodics can be injected: belladonna, 3 times a day. Antidiarrheal drugs: such as Smecta, 2 to 3 times a day.

3. Antibacterial treatment

The therapeutic effect of antibiotics on this disease is controversial. For infectious diarrhea, targeted antibiotics can be appropriately selected. But abuse should be prevented.

Prognosis of acute gastroenteritis

The disease was treated in time and the prognosis was good.

Acute gastroenteritis prevention

Strict food hygiene is the key to preventing this disease. Improving diet, drinking water hygiene and manure management, and vigorously eradicating flies are fundamental measures to prevent the disease. Food in the refrigerator should be cooked separately and cooked thoroughly before eating.

Wash hands before and after meals, sterilize vegetables and fruits before eating, and choose clean and hygienic restaurants when going out for vacation. All are effective precautions that should be noted.