Also called: Also called: Stomach flu
Have you ever had the "stomach flu?" What you probably had was gastroenteritis - not a type of flu at all. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the intestines caused by a virus, bacteria or parasites. Viral gastroenteritis is the second most common illness in the U.S. It spreads through contaminated food or water, and contact with an infected person. The best prevention is frequent hand washing.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Most people recover with no treatment.
The most common problem with gastroenteritis is dehydration. This happens if you do not drink enough fluids to replace what you lose through vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration is most common in babies, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Viral Gastroenteritis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/viralgastroenteritis/
-
Viral Gastroenteritis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq-sp.htm
- Viral Gastroenteritis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/viral-gastroenteritis/DS00085/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Stool Culture(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/stool_culture/test.html
- Stool Tests(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/labtest8.html
- Gastroenteritis: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-gastroenteritis/FA00030/METHOD=print
- Hand Washing: An Easy Way to Prevent Infection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hand-washing/HQ00407/METHOD=print
- JAMA Patient Page: Preventing Dehydration from Diarrhea(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/285/3/362.pdf
-
Foodborne Illness(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g_sp.htm
- Norovirus Infection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/norovirus/DS00942/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Norovirus Infection(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/norovirus/
- Norovirus: Questions & Answers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-qa.htm
- Facts about Noroviruses on Cruise Ships(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/Norovirus/Norovirus.htm
- Norovirus: Food Handlers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-foodhandlers.htm
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Norovirus(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Norovirus%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastroenteritis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Gastroenteritis%22
- Article: Molecular characterization of VP6-encoding gene of group A human rotavirus... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18814260&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Emergence of the GII4/2006b variant and recombinant noroviruses in China. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18814250&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: An outbreak of group A rotavirus G1P[8] in an elementary... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18806362&tool=MedlinePlus
- Gastroenteritis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=gastroenteritis[majr:noexp]+AND+(child[mh]+OR+infant[mh]+OR+adolescent[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Gastroenteritis in adults -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=gastroenteritis[majr:noexp]+AND+adult[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Adenovirus(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/adenovirus.html
-
Infectious Diarrhea(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/digestive/diarrhea.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/infecciones/diarrhea_esp.html
-
Vomiting(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/vomit.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/seguridad/vomit_esp.html
-
“Stomach Flu”(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/stomach_flu.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/stomach_flu_esp.html
-
Dehydration(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/first_aid/dehydration.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/seguridad/dehydration_esp.html
- Gastrointestinal Infections and Diarrhea(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/intestinal/diarrhea.html
- Diarrhea - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diarrhea.html
- Food Contamination and Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodcontaminationandpoisoning.html
- Nausea and Vomiting - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nauseaandvomiting.html
- Rotavirus Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/rotavirusinfections.html
- Traveler's Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/travelershealth.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Gastroenteritis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/