Gastroenteritis: Treatments

How is gastroenteritis treated?

Treatment plans for gastroenteritis are individualized depending on the underlying cause and your age, medical history, and any other conditions you may have. Treatment generally involves a multifaceted plan that addresses the cause; minimizes the discomfort of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; and decreases the risk of dehydration.

When gastroenteritis is caused by a self-limiting condition, such as viral gastroenteritis, treatment includes:

• Not eating solid foods to rest the stomach and intestines until symptoms have passed

• Drinking plenty of fluids (water or rehydrating fluid, such as Pedialyte) to ensure adequate hydration

In some cases, medications are used to treat gastroenteritis. Antibiotics may be prescribed when gastroenteritis is caused by a bacterial infection, such as in bacterial food poisoning due to Shigella, Salmonella, or Campylobacter infection.

Treatment of severe gastroenteritis that does not resolve or leads to dehydration may require hospitalization and rehydration with intravenous fluids.

What are the possible complications of gastroenteritis?

Complications of gastroenteritis can be serious, even life threatening in some cases. Complications can include:

• Severe dehydration, which can lead to an electrolyte imbalance and shock

• Aspiration, which is when contents of the stomach flow into the lungs during vomiting (a rare occurrence)

• ·A rip in the esophagus (Mallory-Weiss tear) due to multiple violent episodes of retching and vomiting (a rare occurrence)