Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis) Symptoms

"Stomach flu", sometimes known as gastroenteritis is nothing but the inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Let's observe this is totality.

Generally caused by infection with certain types of bacteria or viruses or by some poisons, stomach flu can be quite irritating at it's initial stage, as all one can really experience is nothing but pain.

Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis)symptoms

Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis) symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, and weight loss. Stomach flu (Gastroenteritis) is usually the one that does not deserve much attention as it rarely gets you into serious repercussions. It ideally lasts for a maximum of 1 to 2 days. There are several home treatments that can relieve stomach flu (Gastroenteritis) symptoms and prevent problems, such as dehydration. A simple mixture of salt and sugar dissolved in water could be the easiest to administer.

Stomach flu as a rule affects a small number of people and is commonly known as gastroenteritis. At most times like common flu is wrongly associated with common cold, this flu is easier to detect. Differentiating a cold from the flu by symptoms alone can sometimes be difficult or impossible, but in general, people with stomach flu get sick more suddenly, look much weaker than if the ailment were a common cold. Higher fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are some of the symptoms often experienced in this type of flu; just like the symptoms of a runny or stuffy nose are more often associated with common colds.

While comparing the two, it can be easily noted that common colds are a mild infection frequently caused by viruses other than the influenza virus. Flu on the other hand is an acute infection of the airway tract in the nose and throat that can sometimes spread down into the lungs. It refers to the most frequent cause of acute respiratory illness and can affect people of all ages. Occurring on an annual basis, specifically in late autumn and early winter, flu usually affects most people of all ages at the same time, that too in a widespread fashion. The peak season for the flu in the northern hemisphere, however, is from November through March.

Some people also confuse the symptoms of flu with the term stomach flu. The latter is an illness associated with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea and can be caused by viruses other than the influenza viruses and by bacteria. It is perhaps the similarity of the flu and gastroenteritis that it is known as stomach flu; while actually the flu is an illness of the respiratory system, and not the stomach.

Stomach flu, is also known as the intestinal flu. An illness caused by a virus; it can produce different symptoms in different people. There are some who develop a sore throat, experience cough, and nasal congestion, quite similar to a common cold. This is one of the reasons why it is also known as the "upper respiratory flu." Nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, and a general sick feeling on the other hand usually mark stomach flu.

Stomach Flu Treatment

A general understanding that antibiotics such as penicillin don't work on flu is essential. This is because they kill only bacteria, not the virus that causes gastroenteritis; as gastroenteritis is indeed caused by a virus.

You can help your body fight flu by getting as much rest as possible. It's difficult to take rest all the time and that's understandable too but if you really must do something, you can do some light activities but rest as soon as you get tired. Stay home from work, unless your symptoms are really mild. You'll be able to recover faster and won't risk infecting others at work. The air conditioning environment wherein we all work has this amazing ability of helping in spreading diseases to one and all in a slow manner that's not detected early. So before you become the source for starting an epidemic, it's best of you could try and get better by the day and rest back home.

Drink adequate fluids to avoid dehydration. Most medicines are providers of heat in your body and the action that takes place between the red blood corpuscles and you can be quite traumatic for your body, especially as your body is made up of 70 percent of water. Take extra care when you experience symptoms of nausea and diarrhoea. If you must have large quantities of water, try taking limejuice from time to time. Lime has two great effects. One it helps in getting rid of the horrible taste of antibiotics in your mouth and second it helps you in the situation of stomach flu.

Have light meals and as far as possible give your stomach a rest. Of course this does not mean that you don't eat at all. Eat when you feel hungry, but only hen you are hungry, and not at the time when it's the general time for lunch. Drink in lots of fluids and if you still feel nauseated, you could drink in some small gulps of some soft drink, something like a Seven up so that you can get some concentrated sugar in your body, something that you'll need to get rid of the sick feeling in your tummy. This also allows you to throw up all traces of the nausea that might be still there in your system.

Can Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis) be prevented?

Yes Stomach flu can be prevented. The most effective way of preventing stomach flu is proper self hygiene and avoiding contact with body fluids of an infected person. You should wash you hands frequently as it main source of infection. Also don't share foods, clothes and other personal belonging of infected person. Use disinfectant on contaminated surfaces and clothes of infected person. Avoid eating of food and drinking of water which likely to be or thought to be infected.