Symptoms of Gastroenteritis

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Symptoms of Gastroenteritis

The most common symptoms of gastroenteritis are diarrhea and vomiting. Other symptoms include fever, nauseousness, abdominal cramps and headache. Severe cases of gastroenteritis can be recognized by the presence of blood in stool or vomit. If the person has severe diarrhea and vomiting, it can lead to dehydration, where the person loses a lot of fluids from the body. Due to dehydration, electrolytes are lost from the body and this causes dry mouth and skin, weakness, lack of sweat and lightheadedness.


Causes of Gastroenteritis

Viruses and bacteria are the main culprits of spreading gastroenteritis. There are a number of viruses that can cause gastroenteritis in a person, including adenovirus, rotavirus, norwalk virus and astrovirus. Children most commonly get infected by rotavirus and adenovirus, whereas norwalk and astrovirus can affect individuals of all age groups. These infectious agents may be present in the food or water consumed by an individual. If any member of a family has this disease, others also become vulnerable to it, as this disease can be transmitted from one person to another.