Intestinal flu, also known as "gastric" in the common people, is a contagious disease. It affects both children and adults. The latter are more often ill in a lightened form. This disease is accompanied by pronounced symptoms. If they are detected, you should immediately contact a doctor: this will speed up the recovery process.
What is intestinal flu?
This viral disease is considered very contagious. Most often they are sick children under three years old, and in the group at increased risk are children on artificial feeding. According to statistics, by the age of 17, 90% of people in the blood have antibodies to intestinal flu agents. This fact indicates that they all suffered the disease at an earlier age.
Especially dangerous is rotavirus intestinal flu for such groups of individuals:
- those who take glucocorticoids or cytotoxic drugs;
- oncological patients;
- HIV-infected;
- women during the period of gestation;
- persons to whom internal organs were transplanted;
- people suffering from somatic diseases.
In addition, intestinal flu is a disease that often attacks travelers. Due to a sharp change in the climatic zone and the transition to an unusual diet, the immune system malfunctions. As a result, pathogens unhindered reproduce in the intestine. This disease is also susceptible to elderly people, because at this age, increases immunodeficiency, and intensively develop various diseases.
Intestinal flu is the causative agent
This disease is provoked by agents that actively develop in the cells of the epithelium of the digestive tract. In 90% of cases, intestinal flu is caused by rotavirus. It was first discovered in the 70s of the last century in the cells of the epithelium of children, who died because of acute gastroenteritis. The virion of the virus resembles the shape of a wheel. Inside it is an RNA molecule containing hereditary information. Outside, the virion is covered with a multilayered protein coat with receptors. With the help of these viruses bind to the cells of the epithelium of the oropharynx and intestine. Then they penetrate into the blood.
In the remaining 10% of cases, intestinal flu can be provoked by such viruses and bacteria:
- salmonella ;
- adenoviruses;
- shigella;
- norovirus;
- E. coli ;
- calicivirus.
How is the intestinal flu transmitted?
There are different ways of infection. Here's how the rotavirus is transferred:
- through dirty hands;
- with contaminated food and water (the virus does not die even at low temperatures);
- with droplets of saliva;
- with feces.
The virus is very resistant to acids, so it easily reaches the duodenum. The main purpose of this body of the digestive system is the enzymatic digestion of food and the absorption of the smallest particles into the blood. The internal surface of the intestine is covered with villi lined with enterocytes. Penetrating these cells inside, the virus dumps its protein envelope. Afterwards, he sends hereditary information (RNA) to the core of the "captured" cell. As a result, this leads to a breakdown of all ongoing processes, and in the future - to rupture of the membrane and death of the enterocyte.
In the same scenario, infection and death of neighboring cells occurs. Because of this, the food entering the intestine ceases to be digested in a normal way. In addition, in this organ of the digestive tract, disaccharides accumulate, attract salts and water. All this mixture is removed from the body, resulting in dehydration: a person feels a breakdown.
Intestinal flu - incubation period
This interval lasts from the moment the agent enters the body to the manifestation of the first symptoms of the disease. Often called a latent period. Rotavirus incubation period is short: more often it lasts 24-48 hours. After this, there comes an acute phase, the duration of which varies from 3 to 7 days. Restorative stage lasts 4-5 days.
How much is intestinal flu?
This viral disease is considered highly contagious. Agents are very resistant to the external environment, which aggravates the situation. The most effective disinfectant is a 70% ethanol alcohol solution. In addition, agents perish during boiling. Here is how much the rotavirus is infectious (if not to carry out the disinfecting treatment):
- on the skin of the hands - about 4 hours;
- in the external environment (on toys, household items, in the air) - 2-3 weeks.
Intestinal flu symptoms
The clinical picture may vary slightly depending on the stage of the disease. At the initial stage, rotavirus symptoms are as follows:
- body temperature above 38 °, accompanied by chills and fever;
- headache;
- loss of appetite;
- stomach ache;
- vomiting;
- darkening of urine;
- severe diarrhea (up to 20 times a day);
- clarification of feces, blood streaks may be present in it;
- sore throat;
- dry cough;
- pain when swallowing.
A few days later the situation is getting worse. By that time also added such signs of rotavirus:
- the pressure drops;
- the skin becomes pale;
- a noticeable decrease in body weight is observed;
- lactose intolerance may occur.
Rotavirus assay
As soon as the first signs of intestinal flu begin to appear, you should immediately consult a doctor (especially if the child is sick, pregnant or a person suffering from immunodeficiency). First, the doctor will carefully examine the patient, and then he will recommend to him to do a rotavirus test, for which the studied material is feces. The positive result obtained indicates that the diagnosis was confirmed. As an additional examination, the doctor can recommend taking such tests:
- blood - if the patient has an intestinal flu, the results will show an increased content of leukocytes;
- urine - it can be found protein, hyaline cylinders, erythrocytes and leukocytes.
Rotavirus - treatment
Therapy in patients who have this disease is symptomatic. To date, there is no drug that is fighting specifically with this virus. For this reason, the doctor prescribes medications, taking into account the general condition of the patient. He knows how to treat rotavirus, so that the disease as quickly as possible receded, it is necessary to strictly implement its recommendations. Therapy of this disease should be comprehensive. It includes such directions:
- isolation of the patient and provision of bed rest;
- restoration of water-electrolyte balance;
- elimination of intoxication;
- strengthening immunity ;
- therapeutic diet;
- elimination of inflammation.
Medication for intestinal flu
Drug therapy in each case can vary, because it directly depends on the features of the course of the disease. For this reason, before the intestinal flu is treated, the doctor also prescribes to the patient an additional examination. More often during therapy prescribed such medication:
- sorbents (Enterosgel, Smecta, activated carbon);
- probiotic preparations (Hilak Forte, Bifiform, Bifidumbacterin Forte);
- food enzymes (Pancreatin, Creon);
- solutions of electrolytes ( Regidron , Trisol, Lactasol);
- antipyretics (Nurofen, Next), but if rotavirus without temperature such drugs are not prescribed;
- antitussive drugs (Sinekod, Bromheksin, Bronholitin);
- antispasmodics (No-spa, Spasmalgon);
- immunostimulants (Cycloferon, Kagocel, Cytovir).
Rotavirus - diet
In order for the disease to recede as soon as possible, the patient must eat properly. From the diet you need to exclude such food:
- milk and fermented milk products;
- sweets;
- flour;
- fatty meat and fish;
- smoked products;
- fried food;
- pickles;
- alcohol;
- fast food;
- spicy dishes.
Diet for intestinal flu means the presence in the diet of such food:
- vegetable purees;
- porridges boiled on water (buckwheat, rice);
- biscuit cookies;
- low-fat broth;
- baked apples;
- bananas;
- rye crumbs;
- boiled lean meat and low-fat fish.
The food should be a fraction. The recommended frequency of food intake is 6-8 times a day and in small portions. You need to drink at least two liters of liquid a day. To do this, sweet black tea (not strong), infusion of raspberry, dogrose or currant is suitable. In addition, oats and rice broths are good in this case: they are rich in starch, so they envelop the walls of the stomach and protect it from damage.
Prevention of intestinal flu
Any disease is easier to prevent than treat. The same is true for intestinal flu. One of the effective preventive agents is a vaccine against rotavirus. There are other measures aimed at preventing infection:
- isolation of the sick person;
- drink only quality water;
- food should be prepared from fresh products, subjecting them to sufficient heat treatment;
- frequent hand washing (after street, toilet, public places, before meals and so on);
- before serving fresh vegetables soak for 10 minutes in a 3% vinegar solution, then rinse with clean water;
- regular wet cleaning of the room;
- strengthen immunity;
- to refuse from bad habits;
- the prevention of rotavirus in a family where there is an ill intestinal flu, consists in the thorough disinfection of public objects.