Stomach Disease

                                          Gastroenteritis

When you have diarrhea and vomiting, you may say you have the "stomach flu." What it's really called is gastroenteritis. Although it may make you feel bad, it's an illness that has nothing to do really with flu. In gastroenteritis, your stomach and intestines are irritated and inflamed. The cause is typically a viral or bacterial infection.

Causes

Numerous kinds of bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, including:

• yersinia (found in pork)
• staphylococcus (found in dairy products, meat, and eggs)
• shigella (associated with water and found in swimming pools)
• salmonella (found in meat, dairy products, and eggs)
• E. coli (found in ground beef, salads)
• campylobacter (found in meat and poultry)

symptoms

The symptoms you experience may vary according to the type of bacteria causing your infection, but they could include:

• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• abdominal pains and cramps
• blood in your stools
• fever

Precautions
The main aim of treatment is to keep you fully hydrated in order to avoid complications. It is important not too lose too much salt (such as sodium and potassium), as these must remain within certain ranges for your body to function properly.
For more serious cases of bacterial gastroenteritis, you may be admitted to hospital and given fluids and salts intravenously.
Treatment with antibiotics is usually reserved for the most severe cases of gastroenteritis.