What is stomach flu

Cold is perhaps the most common disease in our lives. Moreover, as we all know, cold is a common disease with headache, nasal congestion, fever, muscle aches and weakness as the main symptoms. For most people, taking some cold medicine will make the condition better. However, there is a type of cold that, in addition to the above symptoms, is also accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, namely, gastrointestinal cold, commonly known as "cold stomach." So, because of this, common cold medicines cannot cure this cold, but taking certain medicines will have a good effect. Let us now understand what gastrointestinal cold is.

Gastrointestinal cold is a type of cold. Gastrointestinal cold is mainly caused by a virus called "Coxsackie", accompanied by mixed bacterial infection. Gastrointestinal cold is also known as "vomiting upper respiratory tract infection" in medicine. Its main symptoms are: bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, multiple bowel movements a day, feeling weak, and in severe cases it can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and damage to the immune system. At this time, if antidiarrhea drugs are used for treatment, it will not only fail to alleviate the condition, but will also delay the condition.

1. Common causes

Viral infection and dietary allergic reaction

2. Common symptoms

Stomach bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea

3. Causes

The main cause of gastrointestinal colds comes from external stimuli and other factors, and it occurs more frequently when the weather changes from cold to warm. This is due to the irritation of the stomach and intestines by cold air, coupled with abnormal living habits and poor diet. Gastrointestinal colds are different from gastroenteritis. The main difference is that patients with acute gastroenteritis often have a history of unclean food, severe nausea and vomiting, and the vomitus often has a pungent odor, but generally do not have fever symptoms. Many people often mistakenly treat gastrointestinal cold as acute gastroenteritis at the beginning of its onset.

IV. Clinical manifestations

The most common causes of "gastrointestinal cold" are viral infections and allergic reactions to food. Once bacteria and viruses invade the throat and cause inflammation, they will be swallowed into the stomach and intestines along with saliva, causing gastrointestinal discomfort. The symptoms are as follows:

1. Vomiting

When pathogens or other toxic substances enter the stomach, the stomach muscles are stimulated to contract and the stomach contents are expelled from the body.

2. Diarrhea

It is mainly because the gastrointestinal tract is irritated and secretions increase significantly, affecting the absorption function, causing excessive water in the intestinal cavity, and intestinal peristalsis also increases, so the stools discharged are loose stools.

3. Abdominal pain

The pain is felt because the intestinal peristalsis is twice as fast as normal, or the mucosa on the intestinal wall becomes red, swollen and painful due to inflammation.

5. Inspection

After the onset of the disease, you should go to the hospital for laboratory tests such as blood and stool tests. If necessary, related tests such as liver function should also be performed to rule out lesions caused by other pathogens, such as enteritis, bacillary dysentery, infectious hepatitis, etc.

6. Diagnosis

The diagnosis is based on symptoms and related tests.

1. Vomiting

A reflex action in which gastric contents are refluxed into the esophagus and vomited out through the mouth. It can be divided into three stages, namely nausea, retching and vomiting, but some vomiting may occur without nausea or retching beforehand. Vomiting can spit out harmful substances swallowed into the stomach. It is a defensive reflex of the body and has a certain protective effect, but most people are not caused by it. Frequent and severe vomiting can cause complications such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

2. Diarrhea

It is a common symptom, which means that the frequency of bowel movements is significantly higher than the usual frequency, the feces are thin, the water content is increased, the daily stool volume exceeds 200g, or contains undigested food or pus, blood, or mucus. Diarrhea is often accompanied by symptoms such as the urge to defecate, anal discomfort, and incontinence. Diarrhea can be divided into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea develops rapidly and lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. Chronic diarrhea refers to recurrent diarrhea with a course of more than two months or an interval of 2 to 4 weeks.

3. Abdominal pain

It refers to lesions of organs inside and outside the abdominal cavity caused by various reasons, which manifest as abdominal pain. Abdominal pain can be divided into acute and chronic types. The causes are extremely complex, including inflammation, tumors, hemorrhage, obstruction, perforation, trauma and functional disorders.

VII. Complications

Frequent and severe vomiting can cause complications such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

8. Treatment

1. Rest

Treatment is mainly based on rest. On the one hand, patients should rest more to reduce physical exertion and enhance the body's ability to fight the disease. On the other hand, the gastrointestinal tract should be given sufficient rest.

2. Symptomatic treatment

The main focus is on rehydration, antidiarrhea and maintaining electrolyte balance. If dehydration symptoms occur, intravenous fluid therapy can be given. If vomiting continues after fasting and not drinking water, further symptomatic treatment such as stomach protection and antiemetic treatment is required. People with severe diarrhea can take antidiarrheal drugs. For cold symptoms such as fever, symptomatic supportive treatment such as antipyretic and physical cooling should also be given.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine

The use of Huoxiang Zhengqi tablets and Huoxiang Zhengqi water has better effects. For children suffering from gastrointestinal colds, they can take some Chinese medicines that can help digestion, relieve constipation and relieve symptoms at the same time, such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Pills, Jiawei Baohe Pills, Zhupo Houzao Powder, etc. If the child has severe abdominal distension, abdominal pain and vomiting, he can first take Simotang oral liquid to stop vomiting and digestion, and then take other medicines about half an hour later. This will have a better effect.

3. Food therapy

Under normal circumstances, there is no need to worry about nutritional deficiencies when dieting for about a week. You can also learn from the experiences of some patients: use hunger therapy appropriately, but replenish more water. It is best to let the patient drink more salt and sugar water, at least 500 ml per day. In addition, it can also be treated and prevented through food. Ginger is warm in nature, so try to eat it raw and avoid frying it.

IX. Prognosis

If the virus affects organs such as the liver and kidneys, it will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys. If the virus invades the heart and brain, it will cause other diseases such as viral myocarditis and viral encephalitis. Therefore, when symptoms worsen, seek medical attention promptly to avoid delayed treatment and other complications.

10. Prevention

Preventing gastrointestinal colds is actually very simple: drink plenty of water, preferably not refrigerated drinks, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, eat more easily digestible foods, ensure good air circulation in the room you live in, and avoid crowded public places. Keep the air fresh. Home care for gastrointestinal colds is very important. You should pay attention to keeping fresh air in the room and add or remove clothes in time if the climate changes.