2024-01-07 11:00:00
Your stomach heaves. Nausea hits you. You rush to the bathroom for the third time in an hour. And you wonder who to blame: gastroenteritis or food poisoning? Knowing how to differentiate one from the other allows you to take better care of yourself, and above all to avoid recurrences…
Gastroenteritis is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is sometimes called “stomach flu” in common parlance. However, this term is misleading, because gastroenteritis has nothing to do with the flu virus. Food poisoning shares many symptoms with gastroenteritis. It can, like gastroenteritis, be caused by a virus. Food poisoning is a condition caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites.
How do you know if you have gastro or food poisoning?
A few signs can help differentiate gastroenteritis of viral origin from food poisoning. When symptoms appear and the duration of the latter are good indicators to distinguish them. In case of food poisoning, symptoms develop very quickly, in just a few hours. In most cases, food poisoning passes within 12 to 24 hours. The body implements mechanisms to protect itself. In contrast, symptoms of viral gastroenteritis appear within 24 to 72 hours after exposure to a virus. People with gastroenteritis may take more than a week to get rid of all symptoms.
What are the signs of food poisoning?
The classic symptoms of food poisoning are:
- intense stomach or intestinal cramps;
- fatigue;
- from diarrhea ;
- high fever, chills;
- muscle pain;
- headaches ;
- a transpiration excessive ;
- an unquenchable thirst;
- generalized weakness.
How long does food poisoning last and is it contagious?
As mentioned above, in cases of food poisoning, symptoms develop in just a few hours and usually disappear quickly. estimated between 12 to 24 hours. However, it happens that the symptoms persist for longer, in the event of complications for example. Furthermore, even if it is rare compared to viral gastroenteritis, food poisoning can be contagious. For example, if an infected person prepares a meal without washing their hands, the latter can then transmit its bacteria.
Can food poisoning be fatal?
Caution: Most types of food poisoning are not fatal. On the other hand, one of its forms, botulism, can lead to death if left untreated. The bacteria Clostridium botulinum produces toxins that affect the nervous system. Botulism manifests as blurred vision, slurred speech, and other neuromuscular signs.
How to treat food poisoning?
During food poisoning, treatment mainly consists of relieving the symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, fever, stomach cramps, etc.), the latter of which can be very bothersome. To do this, patients are advised to drink at least 2 liters of water per day to avoid dehydration linked to diarrhea and vomiting. Certain foods should also be favored, such as rice, pasta, cooked carrots, white meat and bananas, and others should be avoided, such as foods rich in fibersdairy products or spicy dishes.
On the medication side, the doctor can prescribe a anti-diarrheal treatment, anti-vomitif (to be reserved for forms with abundant vomiting), paracetamol in case of fever, or even antibiotic treatment in case of severe diarrhea with fever and after stool culture.
What are the symptoms of gastroenteritis?
The classic symptoms of gastroenteritis are:
How long does gastro last and is it contagious?
Unlike food poisoning, the first symptoms of which appear very quickly, the symptoms of viral gastroenteritis appear within 24 to 72 hours, following exposure to a virus. But they also take longer to disappear: people with gastroenteritis can take more than a week to recover.
You should also keep in mind that gastroenteritis is very contagious (hence the importance of washing your hands very regularly when you are affected). The virus, bacteria or parasite in question are transmitted in several ways, as Health Insurance points out on its site:
- by direct contact with a person who is already ill;
- by ingestion of contaminated food or contaminated water: we speak of food poisoning;
- by contact with objects on which fine particles of stool or vomit from sick people have been deposited;
How to treat gastroenteritis?
Annoying and even painful, gastroenteritis remains a benign illness for healthy people. In young children or children with fragility, such as infants or the elderly, the disease must be the subject of careful medical supervisionnotably because of the risk of dehydration linked to water loss caused by vomiting and diarrhea. It is therefore not uncommon for an oral rehydration solution to be prescribed to these populations. For the rest, treatment will generally consist of relieving the symptoms: transit slowers, analgesics, antipyretics, etc. Antibiotics will only be administered for bacterial or parasitic gastroenteritis.
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⋙ Gastroenteritis: causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention
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⋙ How to avoid poisoning at home?
⋙ Dry January: alcohol also contains substances that would be beneficial for the heart
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