SIGNS and SYMPTOMS

Signs & Symptomsby Viran

· Nausea - Nausea is that queasy feeling of unease with which everyone is familar. It often occurs with or precedes vomiting, but both nausea-without-vomiting and vomiting-without-nausea are possible. Nausea is the body's way of reacting to an infection or condition. Any nausea or vomiting symptom needs prompt professional medical investigation.

· Vomiting - Vomiting is emitting stomach contents from the mouth. This is not the same as regurgitation, which refers to emitting already swallowed food, and must be distinguished correctly

· Diarrhea - Chronic diarrhea refers in medical terms to repeated bouts of diarrhea over a prolonged period.

· Generalized abdominal pain and cramps.

· Mild Fever

· Weakness

· Dehydration

· Tiredness

· Audible rumbling of intestines

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Majid ,,

Gastroenteritis Signs And Symptoms:

Main Symptoms:

- Watery diarrhea

- Vomiting [even when the stomach is empty, bile can be vomited up]

Other Symptoms:

- Dehydration, Dry mucus membrane

^ Since body looses a large amount of fluids

- Headache

- Fever

- Abdominal cramps "stomach ache"

- Nausea

- Loss of Appetite

- Fainting and weakness

- Bloody Stools

- Lethargic

- Lack of sleep

- Tachycardia "increased heart-rate"

- Ultimately Shock

Signs:

- Reduced skin rigidity

^ What gives a cell its rigidity is the water inside it. When there is no enough

water, rigidity of cells decrease.

- Sunken fontanelles

- Sunken eyeballs

- Darkened eye circles

- Glassy eyes

- Poor perfusion

- Skin color discoloration

Investigation [Laboratory tests]:

- Examination of stool for toxins

- Stool cultures for the organisms that cause the disease

- Microscopy for parasites and their ova and cysts.

- ELISA for virus

Signs to differentiate between GE and Appendicitis:

Rectal Tenderness:

- GE: usually absent

- App. : usually present

Painful ride to the hospital:

- GE: usually absent

- App. : usually present

Diarrhea:

- GE: profuse "high-volume", increased peristalsis, low pitch.

- App. : low volume, decreased peristalsis, high pitch

Peri-umbilical pain:

- GE: with or after vomit

- App. : before vomit

Terms:

Fontanelles: soft spots on a baby's head which, during birth, enable the bony plates of the skull to flex, allowing the child's head to pass through the birth canal.

ELISA: Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. A biochemical technique used to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen.

Peristalsis: involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine creating a wavelike movements to push the intestine contents forward.

by majid