Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about gastroenteritis. And you can find written notes on this topic at

zero tofinals.com slash infectious disease or in the Infectious Diseases section of the second edition of the

zero to finals medicine book. So let's get straight into it. Acute gastritis is inflammation of the

stomach and it presents with epigastric pain or pain at the top of the abdomen, nausea and vomiting.

Enteritis is inflammation of the intestines and it presents with abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Gastroenteritis is inflammation all the way from the stomach to the intestines

and it presents with pain, nausea, vomiting and

diarrhea. The most common causes of gastroenteritis are viruses. Viral gastroenteritis is very

easily spread and patients often have an affected family member or close contact. It's essential to

isolate the patient in a healthcare environment such as a hospital ward or assessment unit as it can

spread to other patients. Most people with gastroenteritis recover well. However, it can rarely be fatal, especially in very

young or old patients or those with other health conditions. Let's talk about viral gastroenteritis.

Viral gastroenteritis is common and it's highly contagious. Specific viruses include rotavirus, norovirus and adenovirus.

An adenovirus tends to cause respiratory symptoms, such as a runny nose and a sore throat.

Next let's talk about escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli or echerichia coli or E. coli is a normal intestinal bacteria,

meaning that it normally lives in the colon without causing any problems.

Only certain strains cause gastroenteritis.

E coli is spread through contact with infected feces, unwashed salads and contaminated water.

E. coli 0157 produces the sugar toxin. The sugar toxin causes abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.

It also destroys blood cells,

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