Diagnosis | Fever and diarrhoea

Diagnosis

The diagnosis begins with a thorough anamnesis interview. The duration, consistency, color of the stool and frequency of bowel movements are important for the diarrhea history. The determination of the fever curve, i.e. when the temperature was how high, and the current body temperature are checked.

A physical examination with palpation and listening to the abdomen are part of the procedure. A blood sample is taken to check inflammation parameters in the blood. Depending on the suspected diagnosis, further examinations such as a colonoscopy, X-ray of the intestine or other imaging procedures may be considered.

Associated symptoms

Depending on the cause of the symptoms fever and diarrhea may also occur. If the disease is caused by food poisoning, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and mucus or blood in the stool may also occur. As a result, dehydration (withdrawal of water) often occurs.

Bacterial infections with campylobacter also cause muscle and joint pain. Headaches often occur as a result of fever and dehydration caused by diarrhoea. Headaches can be dull or stinging and can occur gradually or suddenly.

Fever-reducing medication often relieves pain and can alleviate both symptoms. If the headache is caused by a lack of fluids, one should be careful to drink a lot. Headaches can also be a direct symptom of an infection, for example an infection with the Campylobacter bacterium.

Food poisoning and bacterial infection often lead to a joint occurrence of vomiting and diarrhoea. High fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain are common in food poisoning caused by salmonella, for example. Campylobacter also causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever.

The symptoms diarrhea and vomiting often occur simultaneously and are colloquially often referred to as gastroenteritis or enteritis. Stomach cramps are severe stomach pains that often occur in short sections one after the other. Abdominal pain and stomach cramps are a common accompanying symptom of fever and diarrhea, especially after food poisoning.

Campylobacter is very often transmitted via poultry meat. The Campylobacter bacterium causes fever, headache, muscle aches, stomach cramps, nausea and severe diarrhoea. Joint pain is a rarer accompanying symptom of diseases associated with fever and diarrhoea.

Yersinia are germs that lead to diarrhea. Small children are particularly susceptible to the bacteria. After an infection, reactive arthritis can develop as a complication.

This means that joint pain can occur even when symptoms such as diarrhea and fever have already subsided. If you suddenly suffer from joint pain, you should definitely mention previous (diarrhea) infections to your doctor.