Stomach Flu Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Stomach flu (gastroenteritis) is a term for various symptoms due to inflammation of the digestive tract. Here are the causes, symptoms, and treatment.
Stomach flu (gastroenteritis) is a term for various symptoms due to inflammation of the digestive tract. Here are the causes, symptoms, and treatment.
Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis)
| Medical specialist | Internal Medicine Specialist |
| Symptom | Diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, mild fever (37.70 C), headache, and muscle aches. |
| Risk Factors | Children, the elderly, schoolchildren or dormitory residents, people with HIV/AIDS, diabetes patients, and chemotherapy patients. |
| How to Diagnose | Medical interview, physical examination, stool analysis, and digital rectal exam. |
| Treatment | Supportive and symptomatic therapy such as anti-diarrheal, anti-nausea, antipyretic, ORS, and probiotic supplements. |
| Drug | Loperamide, bismuth subsalicylate, attapulgite, Ondansetron, domperidone, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, ORS, and probiotic supplements. |
| Complications | Dehydration, changes in digestive health, Post-Infectious IBS, Colitis, and Crohn’s Disease. |
| When to see a doctor? | Persistent diarrhea for more than 24 hours, vomiting for more than two days, vomiting blood, dehydration, blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, and fever of 40 degrees Celsius. |
Understanding
Stomach flu is a term used to describe various symptoms that arise due to inflammation of the digestive tract.
Although it is called the stomach flu, this condition is actually unrelated to the influenza virus, which is usually associated with respiratory symptoms.
This condition is also different from food poisoning, although it can produce similar symptoms.
Several other terms that are often used to describe this condition are gastroenteritis and stomach flu.
Symptom
Stomach flu symptoms can appear acute (lasting temporarily, generally 2 days), or chronic (lasting for months).
Acute symptoms are often caused by a viral infection, while chronic symptoms can be caused by a food allergy.
Some of the symptoms that may be complained of are:
- diarrhea, if the stomach flu is caused by bacteria then the symptoms can be bloody diarrhea
- nausea and vomiting
- stomach cramps
- mild fever (37.70 C)
- headache
- muscle ache
It is important to note that the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting will cause a lot of body fluids to be wasted.
Therefore, complications such as electrolyte imbalance or dehydration can arise in sufferers of stomach flu.
Reason
There are several things that can cause stomach flu, both infectious and non-infectious. Here’s an explanation.
- The infectious causes of stomach flu are viruses, bacteria, and parasites. This condition can be spread by the fecal-oral route and by consuming contaminated food or drink.
The explanation is as follows.
- Viruses are the most frequent cause of gastroenteritis. Viruses that cause this disease include Norovirus, Rotavirus, and so on.
- Bacteria can also cause stomach flu. For example, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, and coli.
- Examples of parasites that cause stomach flu are Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Entamoeba.
- The stomach flu can also be caused by a non-contagious condition, although it is less common. For example, allergies to food, drug side effects, and ingested poison.
Risk Factors
Gastroenteritis can affect people of all ages. However, some groups may be more susceptible to gastroenteritis, namely:
child age
Children in daycare centers or primary schools may be especially vulnerable due to a low child’s immune system.
Elderly
The immune system of older adults tends to be low.
School children or hostel residents
Anywhere a group of people gather in close proximity can be a favorable environment for intestinal infections to be transmitted.
People with weak immune systems
If a person’s resistance to infection is low, for example people with HIV / AIDS, chemotherapy patients, or other medical conditions, they may be very at risk.
Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis of stomach flu, it is generally sufficient to carry out several procedures such as:
- detailed anamnesis or medical interview regarding the history of complaints and history of medical conditions
- a series of physical examinations, such as vital signs, and examination of the abdominal area (stomach)
- supporting examinations, such as stool analysis, can help determine the cause of the symptoms of gastroenteritis that are felt
- finger anal examination ( digital rectal exam ) is used to check for blood or mucus in the rectum and to look for the source of problems around the anus
Treatment
Often the stomach flu clears up on its own, especially if it’s caused by a virus. Usually, how to treat stomach flu that only requires symptomatic treatment, such as:
- antidiarrheal: loperamide, bismuth subsalicylate, and attapulgite
- anti-nausea: ondansetron, domperidone, promethazine, vitamin B-6
- antipyretics: paracetamol and ibuprofen
- ORS
- probiotic supplement
However, if there is no improvement, you can contact a specialist in internal medicine.
Some important things to note when you have the stomach flu are as follows.
- Pay attention to adequate fluid intake to avoid dehydration. Liquids such as water, ORS, or clear broth are good to drink when you have the stomach flu.
- Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, chocolate and alcohol.
- If complaints of nausea bother you, try to drink a little but often.
- Get more rest. More adequate rest can improve a person’s immune system, in order to speed healing.
- Try anti-diarrhoeal medication. Patients in adulthood are advised to take loperamide ( Imodium AD) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, others) to improve symptoms. However, avoid this if you have bloody diarrhea or fever, which could be signs of another condition.
- Some people experience worsening of symptoms if they eat dairy products ( dairy ), fibrous foods, tomatoes, fatty foods, and spicy foods. As much as possible, avoid these types of food for a while.
- Many medical experts recommend consuming BRAT, namely banana (banana), rice (rice), apple sauce (apple sauce), and toast (toast) when you have the stomach flu.
- Ginger is known to help reduce inflammation and nausea, mint to reduce bloating, and chamomile to relax muscles and reduce inflammation.
Prevention
Some things you can do to prevent stomach flu are:
- wash your hands regularly, especially before preparing food and after using the toilet
- wash fruits and vegetables before processing and cook food until cooked
- people who are sick should not prepare food for others
- cleaning the kitchen area with disinfectant
Complications
The following are some of the risks of complications from gastroenteritis that are not handled properly.
Dehydration
If the symptoms are severe, chronic, not handled properly, or in cases of radiation enteritis, the patient is more at risk of experiencing dehydration.
Children and infants are also very vulnerable to dehydration and are a health risk that must be watched out for.
You should seek help if there are some signs of dehydration due to fluid loss through sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.
Changes to Digestive Health
Researchers have found that intestinal infections can change the balance of the microbiome in the body.
This means you will experience a decrease in the number and variety of good bacteria in your gut.
Post-infectious IBS
In addition, one of the possible complications of stomach flu is post-infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ). This health disorder resembles IBS, which causes symptoms including diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, or constipation.
Studies also show that post-infectious IBS also affects 5-32 percent of gastroenteritis sufferers.
Crohn’s Disease and Colitis
Some people with gastroenteritis may develop ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
This disease causes inflammation of the digestive tract and can be chronic.
Experts believe an abnormal immune system response could be the trigger.
When trying to fight bacteria or viruses, the immune system may also attack cells in the digestive tract.
When to See a Doctor?
In adult patients, contact the nearest health facility if:
- You cannot endure persistent diarrhea for more than 24 hours
- vomiting for more than two days
- vomiting blood
- You have signs of dehydration, including excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark or light yellow urine, and severe weakness
- blood appears in the stool
- severe stomach pain
- fever reaches 40 degrees Celsius