The illness known as gastroenteritis is one of the most common reasons behind emergency room visits across the country. Gastroenteritis is a condition of the gastrointestinal tract. It is more commonly known as the stomach flu, stomach virus, or gastric flu. The most common symptoms and indications are diarrhea and vomiting for more than two days. This infection is caused by an infection that
. is a result of exposure to a virus, or less often, the bacteria or toxins caused by the virus. Parasites can also cause a gastroenteritis attack. The condition becomes "acute' when the patient is seemingly unable to completely recover from one period of illness to the next. This becomes very dangerous, especially to the very young or elderly individuals, as their bodies have less ability to replenish the fluids lost during vomiting and diarrhea over a few days time.The virus will usually cause two or three days of noticeable discomfort. There are no medications that will "make it go away', only time, rest, and substantial fluid intake. Persistent cases, where a patient is not able to recover, despite taking the proper precautions, should be monitored by a physician to avoid more serious complications, such as severe dehydration. Proper hand sanitization is the best available way to stop the spread of this illness. In the case of very small children, any diarrhea or vomiting that lasts for more than a 24 hour period should be seen by a physician. Because their bodies are much smaller and lack certain antibodies which effectively fight off the illness, this can become a very serious condition in a very short period of time. In the case of infants under the age of one year, medical treatment should be sought immediately in order to circumvent possible hospitalization.The Pathophysiology of Acute Gastroenteritis varies by as to what causes it. An Acute Gastroenteritis can be viral or bacterial. If you are doing a research about this topic, you need to determine the age as well; acute gastroenteritis in children may be a little different than that of the adult. Acute Gastroenteritis can also be caused by the disease called Norwalk Virus. To get more information about Acute Gastroenteritis visit http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/176515-overview; registration might be required in order to read the article. More reference links: webmd.com askthedoctor.com
