Gastroenteritis (cont.)

Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

In this Article

• Gastroenteritis (stomach flu) facts
• What is gastroenteritis (stomach flu)?
• What causes gastroenteritis?
• Clostridum difficile as a cause of gastroenteritis
• What are gastroenteritis symptoms?
• Is gastroenteritis contagious?
• Is gastroenteritis a serious illness?
• How does food get contaminated with gastroenteritis viruses?
• Who is at risk of gastroenteritis?
• When should the doctor be called for gastroenteritis?
• How is gastroenteritis diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for gastroenteritis?
• What are gastroenteritis complications?
• Can gastroenteritis be prevented?
• What is the prognosis of gastroenteritis?
• Summer Food Safety FAQs
• Patient Comments: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Effective Treatments
• Patient Comments: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Diagnosis
• Find a local Gastroenterologist in your town
• Gastroenteritis Index

Although most people with gastroenteritis require no formal treatment, the key to a more rapid and safe recovery is good hydration. Home treatment consists of adequate fluid intake so that dehydration is prevented. The recommended fluids are clear fluids (Pedialyte, especially for young children, Gatorade, Powerade, and other similar drinks) but not fruit juices or milk. If dehydration occurs, the affected individual should be evaluated by a health care professional, who is likely to begin IV rehydration, the treatment of choice for rapid rehydration.

Medications may be prescribed to reduce the symptoms of gastroenteritis, for example, promethazine (Phenergan), prochlorperazine (Compazine) or ondansetron (Zofran) may be prescribed to reduce vomiting. Some physicians suggest using these only as a suppository (or IV) since patients frequently just vomit the pills up. Others may prescribe diphenoxylate and atropine (Lomotil) or loperamide (Imodium) to slow diarrhea. Many doctors simply suggest no treatment for gastroenteritis symptoms as all of the drugs have side effects, and the doctors figure that if the patient stays well hydrated, the symptoms will soon resolve.

Once the gastroenteritis symptoms abate, especially vomiting, doctors recommend a BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples and toast) for a day or two before beginning a regular diet.

Individuals that have more serious symptoms, or other symptoms in addition to gastroenteritis need to be evaluated, diagnosed, and treated by a physician because the patient will likely have a specific disease that will need treatment. The treatment will depend on the cause of the illness, (for example, salmonellosis or Clostridium difficile). Administration of antibiotics and other treatments may be contraindicated for some of these diseases, so an accurate diagnosis is important. For Clostridium difficile infected patients, antibiotic sensitivity testing may need to be ordered to determine the most effective antibiotics to use since many strains are resistant to these drugs.