National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Gastroenteritis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Gastroenteritis
Also called: Stomach flu
Have you ever had the "stomach flu?" What you probably had was gastroenteritis - not a type of flu at all. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the intestines caused by a virus, bacteria or parasites. Viral gastroenteritis is the second most common illness in the U.S. It spreads through contaminated food or water, and contact with an infected person. The best prevention is frequent hand washing.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Most people recover with no treatment.
The most common problem with gastroenteritis is dehydration. This happens if you do not drink enough fluids to replace what you lose through vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration is most common in babies, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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- Viral Gastroenteritis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Viral Gastroenteritis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
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Overviews
- Viral Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Stool Culture(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Stool Tests(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Treatment
- Gastroenteritis: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Prevention/Screening
- Hand Washing: Do's and Dont's(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Prevent the Spread of Norovirus(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Specific Conditions
- Adenoviruses Overview(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Hemorrhagic Colitis(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Norovirus(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Norovirus Infection(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- Questions and Answers about Foodborne Illness(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Related Issues
- Facts about Noroviruses on Cruise Ships(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Norovirus: Food Handlers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Stomach Flu: How Long Am I Contagious?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Norovirus(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastroenteritis(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Norovirus
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in prevention of hospital admissions for...
- Article: Acute rotavirus gastroenteritis in children younger than 5 years of...
- Article: Evaluation and comparison of the efficiency of immunochromatography methods for...
- Gastroenteritis -- see more articles
- Gastroenteritis in adults -- see more articles
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Organizations
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Children
- "Stomach Flu"(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Adenovirus(Nemours Foundation)
- Diarrhea(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Vomiting(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Teenagers
- Dehydration(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Gastrointestinal Infections and Diarrhea(Nemours Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Bacterial gastroenteritis
- Also available in Spanish
- Bland diet
- Also available in Spanish
- CMV - gastroenteritis/colitis
- Also available in Spanish
- Norovirus - hospital
- Also available in Spanish
- Viral gastroenteritis
- Also available in Spanish
- When you have nausea and vomiting
- Also available in Spanish
- When you or your child has diarrhea
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
