Why is gastroenteritis potentially life threatening

Symptoms last for up to a week, and can be very severe. In young children, particularly those under five years-of-age, gastroenteritis from rotavirus can lead to serious complications from dehydration if untreated, and can even be fatal. However, since , there have been effective vaccines for this virus, which have drastically reduced the incidence of children with rotavirus infection and gastroenteritis hospitalized in Canada.

For more information on the rotavirus vaccine, see the article Rotavirus Vaccine Success. Bacteria cause many cases of foodborne gastroenteritis. These include infections with E.

For some of these, the bacteria themselves cause gastroenteritis, but in others, the bacteria produce toxins that damage the digestive tract and cause gastroenteritis. Food products purchased from stores could be tainted with harmful bacteria, and food prepared at home or at a restaurant with inadequate sanitation protocols could become contaminated.

These bacteria can also spread from person-to-person. Protozoa such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum can also cause gastroenteritis.

Most individuals who become infected with these parasites do so from consuming contaminated water. They also spread from contact with an infected individual. These types of infections are more common when travelling in developing countries. Antibiotics might increase the risk of gastroenteritis in susceptible populations by disturbing the balance of gut microbiota.

Gastroenteritis affects millions of Canadians each year. While it is difficult to accurately count the number affected, approximately four million Canadians, or about one in eight, get food-borne gastroenteritis each year.

Of these, 11, are hospitalized and cases result in death from complications. Your physician will likely make a diagnosis of gastroenteritis based off symptoms alone. They might request a stool test to check for the presence of certain viruses, bacteria, and protozoa in order to determine the source of the gastroenteritis.

Treatment will vary depending on the source of gastroenteritis. However, since some form of highly contagious agent usually causes gastroenteritis, maintaining a healthy hand-washing routine, and staying home when sick, can help avoid the spread of the illness and prevent community outbreaks.

There are no medications available to treat viral gastroenteritis. Instead, treatment focuses on symptom management and preventing complications. In the rare cases of bacterial gastroenteritis, an antibiotic might be useful.

While travelling, drink bottled water and beverages if possible — and make sure they are sealed before you open them — and only consume local water after boiling it for three minutes. Brush your teeth with bottled water and keep your mouth closed while showering. Avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless they have a skin you can peel bananas, citrus, avocado, etc.

Try to avoid street vendors, which are more likely to be contaminated than restaurants. As with gastroenteritis at home, regular hand-washing is important. The rotavirus vaccine is an effective means of preventing children from developing this dangerous form of gastroenteritis.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that infants receive their first dose of rotavirus vaccine between 6 weeks and 15 weeks-of-age, and their final dose before 32 weeks-of-age. For most cases of gastroenteritis, home treatment is adequate. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, but sip slowly rather than chug large amounts to ensure consistent hydration and avoid increased vomiting.

If your infant is sick, continue their normal feeding routine, whether it is breast milk or formula. It is useful for children who experience vomiting and diarrhea, and adults who have had these symptoms for 24 hours or longer, to consume electrolyte preparations. Electrolytes are the salts and minerals that the body uses to conduct electrical impulses that allow the muscles and nervous system to function correctly. Avoid eating undercooked food.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. When should I call my health care provider? Key points about gastroenteritis Bacterial gastroenteritis is a digestive problem caused by bacteria. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and pain. In severe cases, you may become dehydrated and have an electrolyte imbalance. Bacterial gastroenteritis is sometimes treated with antibiotics. If severe cases are not treated, they can lead to severe dehydration, neurological problems, kidney failure, and even death.

Good hygiene is the best way to prevent bacterial gastroenteritis. Next steps Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen. Before your visit, write down questions you want answered. Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your healthcare provider tells you. At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests.

Also write down any new instructions your healthcare provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are. Clinicians should consult laboratorians, because pathogens such as C.

Isolating agents, such as C. The team should maintain a line list of affected residents and staff and review it daily [ 77 ]. Outbreaks with a high proportion of residents and staff experiencing vomiting may indicate norovirus spread from person to person, whereas tightly clustered onset of diarrheal illness without vomiting among residents but not staff may indicate food-borne C.

Outbreaks of longer duration affecting both staff and residents may be caused by agents spread from person to person [ 22 , 82 ] or may be from a persisting food-borne source [ 61 ]. Investigating outbreaks in LTCFs is challenging.

Patients usually cannot recall consuming specific foods, and food intake may not be recorded in detail [ 12 ]. During the investigation, outbreak teams should formally evaluate food preparation and service, facility cleanliness, waste management, hand hygiene, laundry cleaning, and infection control to identify how the outbreak occurred and to prevent future occurrences [ 46 ].

Noroviruses are incredibly difficult to control because of their infectivity and environmental persistence [ 31 , 53 , 54 , 72 ] and can be detected in residents' stool samples an average of 28 days after cessation of symptoms [ 19 , 30 ].

Both acutely ill and convalescent patients pose infectious hazards in hospitals and LTCFs [ 83 ]. Staff must be made aware of and communicate this risk, without jeopardizing the care and accommodation of the case patient [ 32 ]. For highly transmissible agents, such as norovirus and Salmonella , exposure to vomit and diarrhea pose an infectious risk for staff, including those working in the laundry [ 53 , 54 , 84 ].

Many guidelines mention cohorting ill residents [ 46 ], but implementation is difficult because residents may be difficult to shift during outbreaks [ 53 ]. It is preferable to close the unit to new admissions or limit exchange of staff [ 53 , 83 ]. Outbreak control teams may restrict staff from working in certain parts of a facility and limit access by health care workers or visitors [ 83 ].

Some agents that cause gastroenteritis are persistent in the environment and difficult to eradicate [ 39 , 72 ]. Vomit and feces on surfaces or floors should be initially cleaned away with a detergent-soaked cloth or mop.

The soiled area should then be disinfected with a solution containing parts per million of available chlorine [ 86 ]. Persons cleaning must be protected by standard precautions, supplemented by a gown, gloves, and eye protection.

Soiled carpet is problematic; steam cleaning is required. Ineffective cleaning with cloths may spread norovirus within a facility [ 72 ], whereas C. The best approach to hand hygiene in the setting of an outbreak of gastroenteritis in a LTCF is unclear. Alcohol-based hand hygiene products have been widely adopted in many health care settings [ 87 ].

Concerns have been raised as to whether the concentration and type of alcohol in a typical product are sufficient to adequately reduce the concentration of norovirus or C. The alternative approach, hand washing with soap and water, may be compromised in LTCFs if taps and basins are not easily accessible [ 90 ].

Well-controlled studies are needed to evaluate which approach is most effective in practice during outbreaks in LTCFs. Staff caring for infected residents should use personal protective equipment, such as gowns, gloves, and surgical masks [ 53 ]. Once the etiology of the outbreak has been identified, infection control measures should specifically target the infective agent [ 39 , 55 ].

The key means of preventing gastroenteritis in LTCF residents are well-functioning infection control programs and food-safety plans, although there is a paucity of data on the most-effective approaches [ 53 ].

To further our knowledge about gastroenteritis and food-borne diseases in LTCF residents, there is a need for more research to address key gaps in the literature table 2. We would like to thank Drs Jenny Firman and Elaine Scallan for their helpful comments on this article.

Financial support. Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: no conflicts. Google Scholar. Google Preview. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

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Kirk , Martyn D. Oxford Academic. Mark G. Gillian V. Cite Cite Martyn D. Select Format Select format. Permissions Icon Permissions. Abstract Elderly people in long-term care facilities LTCFs may be more vulnerable to infectious gastroenteritis and food-borne disease and more likely to experience serious outcomes. Open in new tab Download slide.

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Clinical manifestation of norovirus gastroenteritis in health care settings.