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Stomach Flu - (Viral Gastroenteritis)

By the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

Use your browsers "back" button to navigate the stomach flu menu below

• Stomach Flu Symptoms
• Stomach Virus Causes
• Transmission
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Prevention
• Hope Through Research
• Points to Remember
• For More Information

Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is an intestinal infection caused by several different viruses. Highly contagious, Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is the second most common illness in the United States. It causes millions of cases of diarrhea each year.

Anyone can get Stomach Flu and most people recover without any complications. However, Stomach Flu can be serious when people cannot drink enough fluids to replace what is lost through vomiting and diarrhea—especially infants, young children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.

Stomach Flu Symptoms

The main symptoms of Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) are watery diarrhea and vomiting. Other symptoms are headache, fever, chills, and abdominal pain. Symptoms usually appear within 4 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus and last for 1 to 2 days, though symptoms can last as long as 10 days.

Stomach Flu Causes

The viruses that cause Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) damage the cells in the lining of the small intestine. As a result, fluids leak from the cells into the intestine and produce watery diarrhea. Four types of viruses cause most Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis).

• Rotavirus is the leading cause among children 3 to 15 months old and the most common cause of diarrhea in children under the age of 5 years. Symptoms of rotavirus infection appear 1 to 2 days after exposure. Rotavirus typically causes vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 to 8 days, along with fever and abdominal pain. Rotavirus can also infect adults who are in close contact with infected children, but the symptoms in adults are milder. In the United States, rotavirus infections are most common from November to April.
  
• Adenovirus occurs mainly in children under the age of 2 years. Of the 49 types of adenoviruses, one strain affects the gastrointestinal tract causing vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms typically appear 1 week after exposure. Adenovirus infections occur year round.
  
• Caliciviruses cause infection in people of all ages. This family of viruses is divided into 4 types, the noroviruses being the most common and most responsible for infecting people. The noroviruses are usually responsible for epidemics of Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) and occur more frequently from October to April. Infected people experience vomiting and diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and sometimes muscle aches. The symptoms appear within 1 to 3 days of exposure.
  
• Astrovirus also infects primarily infants, young children, and the elderly. This virus is most active during the winter months. Vomiting and diarrhea appear within 1 to 3 days of exposure.

Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is often mistakenly called “- stomach flu,” but it is not caused by the influenza virus and it does not infect the stomach. Also, Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is not caused by bacteria or parasites. For information about bacterial infections, please see the Bacteria and Foodborne Illness fact sheet from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

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Stomach Virus Transmission

Stomach Virus Diagnosis

• excessive thirst
• dry mouth
• little or no urine or dark yellow urine
• decreased tears
• severe weakness or lethargy
• dizziness or lightheadedness

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor. Mild dehydration can be treated by drinking liquids. Severe dehydration may require intravenous fluids and hospitalization. Untreated severe dehydration can be life threatening.

Children present special concerns. Because of their smaller body size, infants and children are at greater risk of dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting. Oral rehydration solutions such as Pedialyte can replace lost fluids, minerals, and salts.

The following steps may help relieve the symptoms of Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis).

• Allow your gastrointestinal tract to settle by not eating for a few hours.
• Sip small amounts of clear liquids or suck on ice chips if vomiting is still a problem.
• Give infants and children oral rehydration solutions to replace fluids and lost electrolytes.
• Gradually reintroduce food, starting with bland, easy-to-digest food, like toast, broth, apples, bananas, and rice.
• Avoid dairy products, caffeine, and alcohol until recovery is complete.
• Get plenty of rest.

Stomach Flu Prevention

• washing your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after using the bathroom or changing diapers
• washing your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds before eating
• disinfecting contaminated surfaces such as counter tops and baby changing stations
• not eating or drinking foods or liquids that might be contaminated

• Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is a highly contagious infection of the intestines caused by one of several viruses.
• Although sometimes called "stomach flu," Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) is not caused by the influenza virus and does not affect the stomach.
• The main symptoms are watery diarrhea and vomiting.
• Anyone can get Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) through unwashed hands, close contact with an infected person, or food and beverages that contain the virus.
• Diagnosis is based on the symptoms and a physical examination. Currently only rotavirus can be rapidly detected in a stool test.
• Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) has no specific treatment; antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Treatment focuses on reducing the symptoms and preventing dehydration.
• The symptoms of dehydration are excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark yellow urine or little or no urine, decreased tears, severe weakness or lethargy, and dizziness or lightheadedness.
• Infants, young children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems have a higher risk of developing dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea.
• People with Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) should rest, drink clear liquids, and eat easy-to-digest foods.
• For infants and young children, oral rehydration solutions can replace lost fluids, minerals, and salts.
• Avoid Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis) by washing hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or changing diapers, disinfecting contaminated surfaces, and avoiding foods or liquids that might be contaminated.

The U.S. Government does not endorse or favor any specific commercial product or company. Trade, proprietary, or company names appearing in this document are used only because they are considered necessary in the context of the information provided. If a product is not mentioned, the omission does not mean or imply that the product is unsatisfactory.

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1980, the Clearinghouse provides information about digestive diseases to people with digestive disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about digestive diseases.

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This fact sheet was reviewed by Mary K. Estes, Ph.D., and Robert Atmar, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine.

NIH Publication No. 06-5103
December 2005

In Stomach Flu (Viral Gastroenteritis), the combination of diarrhea and vomiting can cause dehydration.

The symptoms of dehydration are

• excessive thirst
• dry mouth
• little or no urine or dark yellow urine
• decreased tears
• severe weakness or lethargy
• dizziness or lightheadedness

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor. Mild dehydration can be treated by drinking liquids. Severe dehydration may require intravenous fluids and hospitalization. Untreated severe dehydration can be life threatening.

The digestive system

Diarrhea in American Infants and Young Children in the Community Setting

By the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, daggerHarvard Medical School and the double daggerGRASP Digestive Diseases Research Center, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA; and the section signUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

OBJECTIVE:: The characteristics and microbiology of the full spectrum of pediatric diarrhea occurring in the U.S. community setting are not well-understood.

METHODS:: Six-month prospective cohort study of 604 healthy 6- to 36-month-old children recruited by the Slone Center Office-based Research Network. RESULTS:: The incidence of parent-defined diarrhea was 2.2 episodes per person-year. The median duration of diarrhea was 2 days with a median of 6 stools per episode. Outpatient visits and hospitalization were prompted by 9.7 and 0.3% of episodes, respectively. The most common microorganisms identified in healthy baseline stools were atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (12.2%), enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (3.7%), Clostridium difficile (3.5%) and Clostridium perfringens (2.9%), and each of these was no more common in diarrhea stools. In contrast, all of the viruses analyzed were more prevalent in diarrhea specimens than in baseline specimens: enteric adenovirus (5.7% diarrhea versus 1.4% baseline), rotavirus (5.2% versus 1.4%), astrovirus (3.5% versus 1.4%), Sapporo-like virus (3.0% versus 0.8%) and norovirus (1.9% versus 0.8%). A likely pathogen was detected in 20.6% of diarrhea specimens. Vomiting and >/=16 stools in an episode were predictive of isolating a pathogen from the stool, each with a relative risk of approximately 2.

CONCLUSIONS:: Healthy young children in this study experienced more than 2 cases of diarrhea per person-year, but most were brief and do not require medical attention. Although most diarrhea-associated pathogens were viruses, no likely pathogen was found in almost 80% of cases; possible etiologies for these cases include currently unknown gastrointestinal infections, nongastrointestinal illnesses and dietary/environmental factors.

Side Effects for the Drug Vioxx

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges the voluntary withdrawal from the market of Vioxx a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Side effects of the drug vioxx include risk of stomach bleeding, liver and kidney toxicity and heart attack.

Selective stimulation of he growth of anaerobic microflora in the human intestinal tract by electrolyzed reducing water

By the Department of Physiology of Microorganisms, Lomonosov Moscow State University

96-99% of the "friendly" or residential microflora of intestinal tract of humans consists of strict anaerobes and only 1-4% of aerobes. Many diseases of the intestine are due to a disturbance in the balance of the microorganisms inhabiting the gut. In this work, it is suggested that prerequisite for the recovery and maintenance of obligatory anaerobic microflora in the intestinal tract is a negative ORP value of the intestinal milieu. Electrolyzed reducing water with E(h) values between 0 and -300 mV produced in electrolysis devices possesses this property. Drinking such water favours the growth of residential microflora in the gut. Continue

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