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Gastroenteritis is the main reason for 3.7 million visits to physicians a year in the United States [1] and 3 million visits in France. [81] In the United States gastroenteritis as a whole is believed to result in costs of US$23 billion per year, [82] with rotavirus alone resulting in estimated costs of US$1 billion a year. [1]
Case studies in four developing countries also have demonstrated an association between increased use of ORS and reduction in mortality. [11] ORT using the original ORS formula has no effect on the duration of the diarrheic episode or the volume of fluid loss, [12] although reduced osmolarity solutions have been shown to reduce stool volume. [13]
Doctors usually do not recommend antidiarrheal medications (e.g., Loperamide) for gastroenteritis because they tend to prolong infection, especially in children. [2] Parasitic infections are difficult to treat. A number of drugs are available once the condition has been identified.
With correct treatment, most cases of amoebic and bacterial dysentery subside within 10 days, and most individuals achieve a full recovery within two to four weeks after beginning proper treatment. If the disease is left untreated, the prognosis varies with the immune status of the individual patient and the severity of disease.
An antiemetic is a drug that is effective against vomiting and nausea. Antiemetics are typically used to treat motion sickness and the side effects of opioid analgesics, general anaesthetics, and chemotherapy directed against cancer. They may be used for severe cases of gastroenteritis, especially if the patient is dehydrated. [1] [2]
Outbreaks of rotavirus A diarrhoea are common among hospitalised infants, young children attending day care centres, and elderly people in nursing homes. [75] [135] An outbreak caused by contaminated municipal water occurred in Colorado in 1981. [136] During 2005, the largest recorded epidemic of diarrhoea occurred in Nicaragua.
Autoimmune causes of enteritis such as Crohn's disease require significant chronic treatment to avoid nutritional deficiencies, cancer, bacterial overgrowth, and other complications. [5] Some patients with mild forms of the disease may not need treatment, but a majority of people with Crohn's disease require glucocorticoid medications. [24]
Treatment for ETEC infection includes rehydration therapy and antibiotics, although ETEC is frequently resistant to common antibiotics. [2] Improved sanitation is also key. Since the transmission of this bacterium is fecal contamination of food and water supplies, one way to prevent infection is by improving public and private health facilities.