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Viral gastroenteritis - Symptom

Alternative Names

Rotavirus infection; Norwalk virus; Gastroenteritis - viral; Stomach flu

Symptoms:

Abdominal cramping
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting

Additional symptoms may include:

Chills
Clammy skin
Excessive sweating
Fever
Joint stiffness
Leakage (incontinence) of stool
Muscle pain
Poor feeding
Vomiting blood (very rare)
Weight loss

Signs and tests:

Your health care provider will look for signs that your body does not have enough water (dehydration). These include:

Dry or sticky mouth
Lethargic or comatose (severe dehydration)
Low blood pressure
Low or no urine output; concentrated urine appears dark yellow
Markedly sunken soft spots (fontanelles) on the top of an infant's head
No tears
Sunken eyes

Tests that examine stool samples may be used to identify the specific virus. This is usually not needed for virus gastroenteritis. A stool culture may be done to identify a bacterial cause for diarrhea.

Digestive system

Digestive system organs

Reviewed last on: 12/19/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Prevention of Rotavirus Disease: Guidelines for Use of Rotavirus Vaccine. Pediatrics. 2007; 119(1):171-82.

Dennehy PH. Acute diarrheal disease in children: epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2005; 19(3): 585-602.

Zulfiqar AB. Acute Gastroenteritis in Children. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th Ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. Chap: 337.

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