Intestinal flu is an acute viral pathology. The main pathogens are rotaviruses and noroviruses. For effective therapy, it is necessary to know how intestinal flu manifests itself in adults, symptoms and treatment. What measures should be taken for prevention?
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Causes of the disease
Rotaviruses have a unique structure that allows them to constantly mutate and create new antigenic forms. Penetrating into the human body, they are activated in the gastrointestinal tract with the help of special proteins and begin to actively multiply. The virus is very tenacious - it remains alive in the external environment for several hours, and dies only at high temperatures.
How the infection is transmitted:
- from an infected person to a healthy person - by airborne droplets;
- in dirty reservoirs, when drinking untreated water;
- by everyday means, through dirty hands;
- with contaminated food, most often viruses live in dairy products.
Important! Intestinal flu is especially dangerous for children under 3 years of age, the elderly, and pregnant women.
You can become infected anywhere in a large crowd of people, if hygiene standards and rules for treating water and food are not followed.
The incubation period is 1–5 days, but severe diarrhea may begin within 12 hours. On the third day, the temperature rises sharply, the person becomes feverish and nauseous, and the diarrhea becomes more severe. The disease lasts no more than a week; if affected by norovirus, it lasts 5 days. The recovery period is 4–6 days.
People who have had intestinal flu develop relative immunity - with each subsequent infection the disease will be milder.
Preventive measures
Intestinal flu is a disease that can be avoided if you take the following precautions:
- wash your hands regularly after going outside, visiting public places, contacting animals, and before each meal;
- consume fresh, high-quality food products, paying attention to the production date and shelf life;
- eat only washed vegetables, fruits, berries, thermally processed foods: meat, fish, eggs;
- drink purified water;
- regularly disinfect children's toys, hygiene items, and household items;
- do not visit crowded places during an epidemic of viral or cold diseases;
- actively engage in sports;
- monitor your diet;
- avoid emotional overstrain.
To avoid infection with infectious diseases, you need to strengthen your immune system through physical exercise, hardening, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and taking vitamin and mineral complexes.
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Main features
Intestinal flu is characterized by a combination of respiratory and intestinal syndromes.
Symptoms of intestinal flu:
- deterioration or complete loss of appetite;
- diarrhea is frequent, stool has a foamy structure;
- chills, high temperature, all signs of severe intoxication;
- sore throat, difficulty swallowing, signs of pharyngitis.
Most often, exacerbation of intestinal flu is diagnosed in autumn, winter and summer; the disease spreads very quickly.
The most dangerous complication is dehydration, which is manifested by rapid heartbeat, poverty and dry skin. With severe dehydration, consciousness begins to become confused and convulsions appear. Another alarming symptom is the appearance of blood in the stool and vomit.
When affected by norovirus, body temperature may remain within normal limits, but vomiting and nausea may occur. Norovirus infection is less severe and has fewer complications.
Drugs to combat the pathogen
If you have the flu, it is important to see a doctor promptly. You should not self-medicate, as incorrect or insufficient therapy can lead to dangerous complications. At the first symptoms, you need to call a doctor at home. A specialist will conduct an examination, make a correct diagnosis and prescribe a good remedy for the flu for an adult. Many people opt for drugs with complex effects. Derinat is one of them. It works in several directions at once:
- promotes the rapid elimination of the pathogen;
- strengthens the body’s natural defenses and focuses it on fighting the virus;
- restores and strengthens the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, thereby closing the “entry gate” for various infections and reducing the risk of complications.
The drug is available in the form of a spray and nasal drops. You can buy it at the pharmacy. Before taking it, you should consult your doctor and carefully study the instructions.
Intestinal flu in children and pregnant women
Children become infected with intestinal infections in preschool and educational institutions; infection occurs due to non-compliance with hygiene rules. The acute phase of the disease lasts up to 4 days.
How does intestinal infection manifest in children:
- diarrhea and vomiting up to 8–10 times a day;
- acute attacks and abdominal cramps;
- depressed state;
- a sharp increase in temperature to 38–39 degrees.
Important! In children, diarrhea and vomiting very quickly lead to a lack of fluid in the body. Without timely medical care, death is possible.
At home, you should not force your child to drink large quantities, so as not to cause a new attack of vomiting. You can give 5-15 ml of solution every 10 minutes.
If the fluid loss is more than 10%, the child must be given intravenous medications that help restore lost fluid and normalize metabolic processes - Oralite, Electrolyte.
You can prepare a solution for desoldering yourself - stir 15 g of salt and 30 g of sugar in 1 liter of warm water, add the juice of half a lemon.
If the child is not predisposed to seizures, then it is better not to lower the temperature to 38-38.5 - the infectious virus does not tolerate high temperatures well. For critical indicators, you can use Ibuprofen or Paracetamol.
Children under 12 months of age should remain breastfed during illness. At an older age, it is necessary to completely remove fermented milk products, juices, fruits, and foods high in carbohydrates from the child’s diet.
Expectant mothers often become infected with intestinal flu because their immunity is weakened and they have to visit many places with large crowds of people.
In pregnant women, dehydration and severe intoxication due to intestinal flu can cause miscarriage or premature birth. The virus does not affect the development of the fetus; a lack of fluid in the body is much more dangerous.
Therapy for expectant mothers is no different from conventional treatment for adults. But when drinking large quantities of liquid, you should be careful not to cause severe swelling. Some doctors recommend that pregnant women use Enterofuril - the drug destroys bacteria, but is useless for the treatment of intestinal flu.
Prevention
You should never forget about preventive measures. It involves simply washing your hands. It is especially important to wash your hands after using the toilet or visiting crowded places. It is important to wash fruits and vegetables well before eating. Be sure to boil drinking water and do not let children drink tap water. Carry out wet cleaning of the premises regularly. Adults who have children must follow the rules of personal hygiene. It is adults who can be carriers of the virus and not even know it.
Vomiting and diarrhea with the flu are not such rare symptoms that can be dangerous for the body. If flu, accompanied by fever, diarrhea and vomiting, is not treated promptly, the outcome can even be fatal. The disease provokes a large number of complications, so it is strictly forbidden to hesitate, as well as to begin self-medication.
How to treat intestinal flu in an adult
The primary goal in the treatment of intestinal flu is the fight against dehydration. There is no exact treatment regimen - drugs are used to eliminate signs of intoxication and restore water-salt balance.
What medications are used to treat intestinal flu:
- Regidron is a drug to combat dehydration; you need to take it every half hour;
- drugs for nonspecific antiviral protection - Tsitovir, Kagocel;
- Smecta, Polysorb - enterosorbents that help fight signs of intoxication;
- Enterofuril, Furazolidone - eliminate severe diarrhea;
- Creon, Pancreatin - digestive enzymes to restore normal functioning of the digestive tract.
After completing treatment, you need to take a course of probiotics, which will restore healthy microflora in the intestines - Hilak Forte.
Important! Remantadine and other anti-influenza drugs are ineffective for intestinal flu. Antibiotics are not used to treat this disease.
If you have severe abdominal pain, you should not take painkillers; you need to call a doctor who can prescribe the necessary medications.
Side effects of medications
Nausea and vomiting with influenza can be a manifestation not only of the effects of the virus and intoxication, but also a consequence of the use of medications.
Taking the drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir is accompanied by very pronounced side effects, including nausea and other dyspeptic disorders.
Similar symptoms may be present when taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used as antipyretics. Taking paracetamol is to a lesser extent accompanied by the development of this symptom. As for ibuprofen, which is often used for the flu, nausea is a fairly common side symptom when using it.
If complications of influenza develop and the use of antibiotics becomes necessary, the possibility of dyspeptic disorders must also be taken into account. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite may be symptoms of dysbiosis that has developed as a result of antibiotic therapy. Discontinuation of the drug usually normalizes the condition in a short time. If the body cannot cope on its own, the doctor prescribes drugs that normalize the intestinal microflora.
Often, after suffering from the flu, nausea can persist for several days or weeks, which is due to the development of asthenic syndrome, which is also manifested by weakness, malaise, drowsiness, apathy, and decreased blood pressure. No special treatment is required in this case. It is enough to carry out general strengthening measures and vitamin therapy.
Nutrition during treatment for intestinal flu
Diet is the main component of the treatment of intestinal flu. You need to take food in small portions, it should be neutral in taste and warm. If there is no appetite at all, doctors allow a two-day fast.
The menu should not contain products that have a diuretic and laxative effect. It is forbidden to eat fatty, fried, pickled, salty, spicy foods. You should avoid green tea for a while due to its diuretic properties. You need to give up coffee, cocoa, and any juices.
At the beginning of the disease, if there is no aversion to food, it is allowed to eat oatmeal with water and without butter, crackers, and dried bread.
What you can eat:
- broth with lean meat;
- rice boiled in water, rice water;
- porridges, except millet and semolina, pasta;
- lean meat and fish;
- boiled, baked and steamed vegetables;
- baked apples without peel;
- steam omelette.
After all signs of the disease disappear, the virus remains in the body for another 14 days. Therefore, during this period it is necessary to continue to adhere to the therapeutic diet. You can completely return to your usual diet after 1.5 months.
Those at risk are more likely to get sick
The group most susceptible to intestinal flu infection is young children under 3 years of age; about 50% of all intestinal problems are associated with this disease.
It is worth noting that when breastfeeding, the baby is protected by the mother’s immunity, and the incidence of diseases during this period is extremely low. If the child is weaned, then in such cases infection is registered already from 3 months of age. After an illness, the child gains immune experience and the risk of further infections is reduced. Older people get sick much less often; on average, this is every 4th case of intestinal infection.
Also at risk are people with weakened immune systems:
- in the presence of transplanted organs;
- cancer patients;
- for chronic gastrointestinal diseases;
- HIV patients;
- pregnant women.
