Rebellion of the belly

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: Rajesh Mishra, otherwise a healthy man of 70, complained of mild loose motion, indigestion and vomiting initially. Within a week his behaviour became abnormal and he felt dizzy. Did he know that he was suffering from acute gastroenteritis? Sometimes carelessness on the part of the patient suffering from mild to moderate gastroenteritis can become a complex issue and result in serious complications. Mishra did not take his stomach ailment seriously in the beginning and after a week he had to be hospitalised. Clinical tests showed that he had a gross loss of electrolytes and had to be treated with antibiotics and intravenous injections.

“Gastroenteritis is a growing problem in developing countries like India and Bangladesh”, says Dr M S Paul, a gastroenterologist (consultant in Fortis Hospital, La Femme). “There are at least five to 10 patients who come to me every day”. He adds that gastroenteritis is actually a diarrhoeal disease, caused by common viruses, bacteria and parasites. Contaminated water, improper hygiene and sanitation are often identified as the obvious reasons for diarrhoea.

A person suffering simply from loose motion is suppose to be suffering from enteritis; while blood and mucus in the stool is more likely to be colitis. The usual symptoms of gastroenteritis are loose motion accompanied with vomiting, abdomen pain and occasionally fever too. Repeated vomiting along with stool is what makes gastroenteritis different from other stomach ailments.

However, the cure can be easily administered at home. Paul says: “Majority of the episodes of diarrhoea or gastroenteritis are mild or moderate and basically require a lot of rest and rehydration by mouth.” However, one should not ignore the symptoms. Hospitalisation is a must if a person has profuse vomiting and oral rehydration is not possible at home. He has to be given intravienous treatment and also antibiotics. Paul also comments that patients can even have kidney failure and heart attacks due to gastroenteritis. It is also interesting to note that profuse loose motion during cholera can also lead to gastroenteritis.