Gastroenteritis can be mild to severe. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis generally resolve within 24-48 hours, but other causes of gastroenteritis can last longer.
Gastroenteritis can experienced and described in a variety of ways that often include the sensation of nausea prior to the onset of vomiting and diarrhea gastroenteritis. Nausea may be described as feelings of wooziness, queasiness, retching, sea-sickness, car-sickness, an upset stomach, and feeling green around the gills.
Vomiting can recur multiple times and the may be many bouts of diarrhea. Stool may be very soft to very watery. There may also be abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, fever and weakness. Other symptoms that may accompany gastroenteritis can include bloating, gas and belching, flu-like symptoms, fatigue and bloody stools.
Complications of gastroenteritis include dehydration. If untreated, severe dehydration can lead to an electrolyte imbalance and shock. A critical complication of gastroenteritis can also occur if the contents of the stomach flow into the lungs (aspiration) during vomiting. A tear in the esophagus can also occur (Mallory-Weiss tear) due to multiple violent episodes of retching during vomiting.
Bloody stool and vomiting blood can be symptoms of serious, even life-threatening, conditions. These conditions are a medical emergency that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting....more about Gastroenteritis »
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Gastroenteritis includes the 11 symptoms listed below:
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The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Gastroenteritis includes:
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Acute gastroenteritis is characterized by two or more of the symptoms of vomiting, nausea, fever, chills, abdominal pain, and watery (dehydrating) diarrhea occurring 12-24 hours after ingestion of contaminated food or water. Chronic diarrheal disease is characterized by dysenteric symptoms: foul-smelling, mucus-containing, diarrheic stool with flatulence and abdominal distention. The chronic disease may continue for months and require antibiotic treatment. (Source: FDA Bad Bug Book)
When considering symptoms of Gastroenteritis, it is also important to consider Gastroenteritis as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Gastroenteritis may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)For a more detailed analysis of Gastroenteritis as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Gastroenteritis.
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
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The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Gastroenteritis. This signs and symptoms information for Gastroenteritis has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Gastroenteritis signs or Gastroenteritis symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Gastroenteritis may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Gastroenteritis symptoms.
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