Acute

Gastroenteritis
-Guillergan, Aldrin M.

Acute Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritisisacatchalltermforinf
ectionorirritationofthedigestivetract,
particularlythestomachandintestine.
Itisfrequentlyreferred
toasthestomachorintestinalflu,altho
ughtheinfluenza
virusisnotassociatedwiththisillness.
Majorsymptomsincludenausea and
vomiting,diarrhea,andabdominalcram
ps.Thesesymptomsaresometimesals
oaccompaniedbyfeverandoverallwe
akness.Gastroenteritistypicallylastsab
outthreedays.Adultsusuallyrecoverw
ithoutproblem,butchildren,theelderly
,andanyonewithanunderlyingdisease
aremorevulnerabletocomplicationss
uchasdehydration.

Normal anatomy of the Digestive

system

Pathophysiology
Adequate fluid balance in humans
depends on the secretion and reabsorption
of fluid and electrolytes in the intestinal
tract; diarrhea occurs when intestinal fluid
output overwhelms the absorptive
capacity of the gastrointestinal tract. The 2
primary mechanisms responsible for acute
gastroenteritis are (1) damage to the
villous brush border of the intestine,
causing malabsorption of intestinal
contents and leading to an osmotic
diarrhea, and (2) the release of toxins that
bind to specific enterocyte receptors and
cause the release of chloride ions into the
intestinal lumen, leading to secretory
diarrhea

Causes
Gastroenteritisarisesfrom
ingestionofviruses,certain
bacteria,orparasites.Food
thathasspoiledmayalso
causeillness. Certain
medicationsandexcessive
alcoholcanirritatethe
digestivetracttothepoint of
inducinggastroenteritis.

Signs and Symptoms

The symptomsof
gastroenteritisinclude
diarrhea,nauseaand
vomiting,andabdominal
pain
andcramps.Sufferers
mayalsoexperience
bloating,lowfever,and
Overalltiredness.

Diagnosis
stoolsamplewillbe
collectedandanalyzed
forthepresenceofvir
uses,diseasecausing(
pathogenic)
bacteria,orparasites.

Treatment
Gastroenteritisisaselflimitingillnesswhichwillresolv
ebyitself.However,forcomfo
rtandconvenience,aperson
mayuseover-thecountermedicationssuchasPe
ptoBismoltorelievethesympt
oms.
*give lots of fluid
*Induce food slowly
* Skip over the counter meds

Prognosis
Gastroenteritisisusual
ly
resolvedwithintwotot
hree
daysandtherearenolo
ngtermeffects.Ifdehydra
tionoccurs,recoveryis
extendedbyfewdays.

Prevention
Therearefewstepsthat
canbetakentoavoid
gastroenteritis.Ensuringthat
foodiswellcookedandunspoiledcan
preventbacterial
gastroenteritis,butmaynot
beeffectiveagainstviral
gastroenteritis.