Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever: what is it?
A person's nausea, vomiting with diarrhea and fever are most often suggestive of food poisoning. In fact, the reasons for this condition can also be reduced to intestinal infection (damage to the body by viral or bacterial flora) or to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Content:
- Food poisoning as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
- Intestinal infection as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
- Dangerous symptoms
- When should you see a doctor?
- First aid for diarrhea, vomiting and temperature
- Other treatments
Food poisoning as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
Food poisoning develops in humans when foods that contain toxins enter the body. They are produced by the pathogenic flora that populated this very food product.
The first signs of poisoning appear after a few hours from eating a dangerous dish.
Its main symptoms will be as follows:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Pain in the abdomen, like cramps.
- Increase in body temperature to 37-40 ° C.
- Weakness.
- Pallor of the skin.
First, the person begins to vomit, after which he vomits. It aims to cleanse the stomach. Do not stop vomiting. However, if the attack is prolonged and indomitable, then you need to seek medical help. Such vomiting is the reason for the appointment of antiemetic drugs.
When the vomiting is over, the person should feel better. At the same time, weakness will increase, the skin will become pale. During this period, you need to start taking sorbing drugs, for example, Activated carbon, Enterosgel. For gastric lavage, a weak solution of potassium permanganate can be used. In small doses, it is possible to use infusions of medicinal herbs (St. John's wort or chamomile).
Diarrhea, like vomiting, is aimed at cleansing the body of toxins. It allows you to remove harmful substances from it. At the same time, the feces will change their usual color.
When a person develops diarrhea, they will feel cramping along the intestines. They sometimes persist for some time after the diarrhea is over. Diarrhea leads to dehydration of the body, therefore, patients are shown taking Rehydron.
The higher the body temperature, the more severe the food poisoning. If it does not exceed subfebrile marks, then the poisoning is insignificant. When the body temperature reaches 38 ° C, you need to seek medical help, as this indicates an acute toxic infection.
Mild to moderate food poisoning does not require hospitalization. To lower body temperature, you need to take antipyretic drugs, and to destroy toxins in the intestines - nitrofurans.
If a person's well-being worsens, he develops a fever, headaches appear, heart rhythm suffers, vision problems arise, he needs to be urgently hospitalized.
Children suffer poisoning more severely than adults, since the child's immunity is not yet sufficiently strong. That food toxicoinfection, which in an adult will only cause thinning of the stool, in a child may be accompanied by severe diarrhea and vomiting.
If the child has signs of food poisoning and the body temperature rises, a medical team should be called. This condition is the reason for emergency hospitalization. Alternatively, you can give an enema with salted water. Why dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a liter of water.
Intestinal infection as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
Vomiting, diarrhea, and high body temperature are often symptoms of an intestinal infection. It can be caused by bacterial or viral flora. The disease is difficult to transfer, so you need to start treatment as early as possible. To establish which infectious agent has infected the intestines, it is required to pass a stool, urine and blood test. Sometimes the collection of vomit is carried out. Depending on the type of pathogen, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Most often, an intestinal infection develops in the following cases:
- Rotavirus infection.
- Infection with a bacterium of the genus Shigella.
- Salmonella infection.
In addition, a high body temperature with diarrhea and vomiting may indicate viral hepatitis.
Rotavirus infection
Rotavirus infection is called intestinal flu. The disease develops when microorganisms from the rotavirus family enter the human body, but they have nothing to do with influenza viruses. The disease was named so because of the similarity of the main symptoms. With rotavirus infection, a person has vomiting, high body temperature, headaches, diarrhea, cough, sore throat, runny nose, weakness increases. The route of infection is fecal-oral.
Feces in their consistency begin to resemble clay. They change their natural color to grayish yellow. Streaks of blood may be found in the stool. Children more often than adults suffer from rotavirus infection. They take it harder. As a rule, the pathology is accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. Against the background of a high body temperature, this threatens dehydration. In this case, you should immediately seek medical help. The first rotavirus infection is especially acute. After that, antibodies are produced in the body, which form further immunity. This does not mean that infection will never happen again, but the next time the infection will be easier to transfer.
There is no drug that would specifically destroy rotaviruses. Parents will need to focus on managing the underlying symptoms of the disease. It is important to water the child, give him enterosorbents that the doctor prescribes.
It must be remembered that rotavirus infection is contagious, so you need to be careful in contact with the patient.
Dysentery
Dysentery is caused by bacteria from the genus Shigella. They enter the large intestine and damage it. You can become infected with dysentery by drinking contaminated water and food, as well as from a sick person. The first symptoms of dysentery will appear 2-7 days after the contact happened.
A person develops headaches, lethargy increases, body temperature rises, after which abdominal cramps appear. After a short time, diarrhea develops, the temperature reaches 39 ° C, the skin becomes pale, the tongue darkens. The heart begins to beat faster, blood pressure drops.
A person has a stool 20-50 times a day. As the disease progresses, it will consist of mucus, pus, and blood. Dysentery lasts 3-4 weeks. The disease is dangerous by the development of peritonitis and paraproctitis.
If the infection has an uncomplicated course, then the patient is transferred to the treatment table No. 4, nitrofurans and oxyquinolines are given to him. When the disease is severe, several antibacterial drugs are required.
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella. Infection occurs when eating contaminated products, or through contact with a sick person or animal.
The disease has an acute onset, the infected person's body temperature rises sharply, chills join. The patient is very sick and vomits, he has a headache.
The stool becomes watery, it happens very often. The feces become green, bile is visible in them. Similar symptoms persist for 8-10 days. In addition, the patient complains of joint aches. On palpation, the doctor notices an increase in the size of the spleen and liver.
A patient with salmonellosis is hospitalized in a separate ward. An accurate diagnosis can be made by conducting laboratory tests. Therapy is reduced to taking penicillin, fluoroquinolones, bacteriophages. If there is no blood in the stool, then you can do without prescribing antibacterial drugs.
During the entire recovery period, the patient is shown to drink plenty of fluids, which will prevent dehydration. In parallel, he must take enterosorbents and prebiotics.
Complications of the disease include:
- Toxic shock.
- Inflammation of the peritoneum.
- Polyarthritis.
- Renal failure.
Viral hepatitis
Hepatitis is accompanied by liver damage. The first symptoms of the disease may appear 7 days - 6 months after the infection has entered the human body. The clinical picture depends on what kind of virus led to the infection (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). Infection occurs when drinking contaminated water, when eating contaminated food, when using shared syringes, with unprotected sexual intercourse.
First, a person's body temperature rises, pains appear in the upper abdomen. Then the joints begin to ache, the head hurts, the appetite disappears. The next symptom of hepatitis is diarrhea with severe bloating. The skin starts to itch.
The liver and spleen increase in size, the urine becomes dark, and the feces are light, the skin and eye sclera turn yellow. At the same moment, the patient's state of health improves slightly.
Depending on the person's immunity, the disease can be either mild or severe.
Hepatitis A is not treated. A person is hospitalized, he is prescribed abundant drink and bed rest. To reduce pain, antispasmodics are indicated. If the intoxication of the body is strongly pronounced, then the patient is prescribed choleretic drugs, detoxification solutions are injected intravenously.
Other types of hepatitis viruses have serious consequences. Patients will need to be given interferons and antiviral drugs. Correct and timely treatment leads to the fact that it is possible to achieve a stable remission. The patient is forbidden to take alcoholic beverages for a long time.
Complications of hepatitis:
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Organ tissue necrosis.
- Liver cancer.
- Chronic gallbladder disease.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract as a cause of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever
Most diseases of the digestive system are manifested by nausea, pain, vomiting, and loose stools. The most common pathologies include pancreatitis, gastritis, ulcers, gastroduodenitis.
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. It can begin against the background of the abuse of alcoholic beverages, with serious errors in nutrition. Such reasons for the development of pancreatitis are more characteristic of the male sex. In women, the inflammatory process occurs mainly during dieting, as well as against the background of hormonal imbalance in the body.
The first sign of pancreatitis is vomiting. It will contain bile. In addition, the person will begin to suffer from severe pain in the upper abdomen. Then diarrhea joins, body temperature may rise. If the disease has a mild or moderate course, then there is the possibility of outpatient treatment. When the body temperature rises to 38 ° C and above, hospitalization of the patient is required.
Any disease of the digestive system can pose a serious threat to human life and health, therefore, when the first signs of a disorder appear, it is necessary to seek medical help.
Dangerous symptoms
The most dangerous symptoms of health problems can be identified, which require immediate medical advice.
These include:
- Sudden onset of nausea, which is joined by bloating, diarrhea, weakness and an increase in body temperature up to 37.5 ° C. Such symptoms may indicate food poisoning. To improve your well-being, you need to induce vomiting, rinse the stomach, and also seek medical help. If you managed to cope with the violation on your own, then after cleansing the stomach, you need to take several tablets of Activated Carbon (1 tablet per 10 kg of human weight).
- Increased body temperature, diarrhea with blood and mucus, vomiting, weakness. Such symptoms may indicate an intestinal infection. If the stool becomes light, the urine is dark, and the skin becomes yellowish, hepatitis may be suspected. Without the help of a doctor, it will not be possible to cope with the problem.
- Light-colored feces, nausea with a sour taste, vomiting with bitterness in the mouth, high body temperature. These symptoms may indicate developing pancreatitis. A stomach ulcer and inflammation of the gallbladder are similar symptoms. Such pathologies require emergency medical care, as they pose a direct threat to human life and health.
Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are associated with many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes they occur with increased body temperature, and sometimes it remains within normal limits. If, during the period of exacerbation of the disease, a person was not provided with high-quality medical care, then the pathology can turn into a chronic form. It will be more difficult to cope with it. Therefore, even mild, but often occurring nausea and vomiting is a reason for a comprehensive examination.
When should you see a doctor?
If diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and other health problems do not go away during the day, then you need to forget about self-treatment. This is especially true in a situation when a person's body temperature rises, and blood appears in feces or vomit. In such a situation, you need to call an ambulance, or go to the hospital yourself.
Emergency medical attention is needed in the following situations:
- Diarrhea and vomiting do not stop for more than 1-2 days.
- Body temperature rises to high levels.
- Blood and mucus are visible in feces and vomit.
- The person is tormented by severe pain.
- Symptoms of dehydration appear: the mouth dries up, you constantly want to drink, weakness and dizziness increase.
- Vomiting and diarrhea develops in a child or a woman in a position.
- Several people fell ill in one family.
To establish a diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe the following examinations to the patient:
- Donation of blood and urine for general analysis.
- Analysis of feces for helminth eggs.
- TANK seeding feces.
- Coprogram.
- Ionogram.
- Functional kidney tests.
Instrumental diagnostics is reduced to the implementation of the following techniques: irrigoscopy, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, ultrasound. Only based on the results of a comprehensive diagnosis will it be possible to find the exact cause of the ailment and prescribe treatment.
First aid for diarrhea, vomiting and temperature
First aid to the patient is aimed not at completely relieving a person from the disease, but at making it easier for him to feel.
Recommendations for providing first aid to a patient with diarrhea, vomiting and nausea:
- Take adsorbents. The most famous drug is activated carbon. For every 10 kg of weight, you will need to take 1 tablet of the drug. Adsorbents are taken in a situation where a person has poisoning or intestinal infection. After taking the drug, you need to make sure that a person has a stool no later than 5 hours later. Otherwise, all harmful substances will be absorbed into the blood.
- Take an antispasmodic. These drugs allow you to stop pain and spasms in the intestines, in the gallbladder, liver, etc. These drugs include: No-shpa, Duspatalin, etc.
- Flush the stomach. If a person knows for sure that he was poisoned, then you need to rinse the stomach. To do this, drink 8 glasses of a weak solution of potassium permanganate and induce vomiting. The procedure is repeated until only clean water begins to leave the stomach, without pieces of food. If after gastric lavage does not get better, then you need to see a doctor.
There are some conditions for a speedy recovery, which include:
- You should not take any medication to stop diarrhea unless directed by your doctor. The body fights intestinal infection on its own, by removing the pathogenic flora from the organ along with feces. If a person takes a drug to stop diarrhea, the process will stop. The bacteria will remain in the intestinal lumen and blood will begin to be absorbed, and with its current it spreads throughout the body. This is the basis for the development of severe complications. You can independently take Activated Carbon, or Smecta.
- To speed up the process of removing harmful flora from the body, you can give an enema.
- Be sure to drink as much water as possible to prevent the development of dehydration.
- Self-medication can be hazardous to health.
- A person with an intestinal disorder needs help and proper care.
- During illness, bed rest must be observed. If the vomiting continues, a basin or other suitable container should be placed next to the bed.
Other treatments
In case of poisoning, you can take Activated Carbon. This drug is sold without a prescription in pharmacies and costs about 10-15 rubles per pack. However, it is forbidden to take it for stomach ulcers, or for suspected internal bleeding. Before starting treatment, you need to consult a doctor, since activated carbon removes from the body not only harmful, but also beneficial flora.
Other drugs to stop and treat diarrhea and vomiting:
- Smecta. For the first dose, you need to dilute 2 sachets of the drug in 1/2 cup of warm boiled water. Then the dose is reduced to 1 sachet. At least an hour should pass between taking the drug. It is forbidden to use Smecta to treat people with constipation. The drug is dispensed without a prescription. The cost of 1 sachet is 20 rubles.
- Phthalazol. The drug is taken 1 tablet every 2-3 hours. Improvement occurs approximately on day 3 of treatment. It is forbidden to take the drug to people with individual intolerance to its components, patients with disorders in the hematopoietic system, children under 3 years of age, patients with hepatitis and renal failure, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The cost of a package of 10 tablets is 10-15 rubles. The drug is dispensed without a prescription.
- Furazolidone. It is an antibiotic that must be taken 4 times a day. The course of treatment is 7 days. Contraindications to treatment: renal failure, liver pathology, age under 3 years, pregnancy and breastfeeding, hypersensitivity to ethanol. The cost of the drug is 70 rubles. It is available over the counter without a prescription.
- Imodium. This drug stops diarrhea by taking it once. Contraindications include: dysentery, acute intestinal poisoning, salmonellosis, breastfeeding, early pregnancy, age under 6 years. The cost of the drug is 150 rubles.
- Enterol. Take the drug 1-2 tablets one hour before meals 3 times a day. Contraindications for taking Enterol: the presence of a venous catheter, allergy to the components of the drug, age under one year. Pregnant and lactating women should start treatment only after consulting a doctor. The cost of the drug is 300 rubles. It is released without a prescription.
To eliminate acute symptoms of poisoning, a single dose of the drug is sufficient. In the future, the dose is reduced. Before starting treatment, you need to carefully study the instructions. If the diarrhea is acute or chronic, then you should not prescribe drugs yourself. This should be done by a doctor.
Another important rule to follow during diarrhea and vomiting is adherence to an adequate drinking regime. The body will quickly lose fluid, which can lead to dehydration.
During the day, you need to drink ordinary boiled water. Its daily volume should not be less than 3 liters. It is permissible to take mineral water without gas, apple or carrot juice diluted in half with water, dried fruit compote, herbal decoctions. Such drinks not only replenish the lost volumes of fluid, but also enrich the body with useful substances.
For the prevention of dehydration, take Rehydron's solution. If the drug is not at hand, then a similar composition can be prepared independently. In a liter of warm boiled water, you need to dissolve a teaspoon of soda and salt and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Such a solution is taken in small portions, but every 15 minutes.
The author of the article: Gorshenina Elena Ivanovna | Gastroenterologist
Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Russian State Medical University named after N. I. Pirogova (2005). Postgraduate studies in the specialty "Gastroenterology" - educational and scientific medical center.
