Gastroenteritis

This condition, which is more commonly known as stomach flu, develops through ingestion of contaminated food or water. Gastroenteritis spreads easily as it can be passed through contact from person to person. Symptoms are watery stool, abdominal cramps, vomiting, fever, and nausea. Gastroenteritis usually goes away without complication in healthy individuals. Children, older people, and those with weakened immune system must not take for granted the aforementioned symptoms as gastroenteritis can be deadly for them if left without medical attention. The key to combat gastroenteritis is not medicine but prevention.

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. ISBN 0-07-139140-1.

2. The Oxford Textbook of Medicine. Edited by David A. Warrell, Timothy M. Cox and John D. Firth with Edward J. Benz, Fourth Edition (2003), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-262922-0

3. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease 7th edition, by Mark Feldman; Lawrence S. Friedman; and Marvin H. Sleisenger, ISBN 0-7216-8973-6, Hardback, Saunders, Published July 2002

4. Mandell's Principles and Practices of Infection Diseases 6th Edition (2004) by Gerald L. Mandell MD, MACP, John E. Bennett MD, Raphael Dolin MD, ISBN 0-443-06643-4 · Hardback · 4016 Pages Churchill Livingstone

5. Murray PR, Pfaller MA, Rosenthal KS. Medical Microbiology. Mosby, 2005. ISBN 0-323-03303-2.

6. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000252.htm

7.  http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroenteritis/article.htm

8. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/775277-overview

9. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/viral-gastroenteritis/DS00085

10. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch122/ch122a.html

11. http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/gastroenteritis.html