Duration and prognosis | Diarrhea and stomach pain

Duration and prognosis

The duration of diarrhea and stomach pain depends on the trigger of the disease. In the case of infectious diseases caused by bacteria or viruses, the illness lasts about one week, usually it is cured after two weeks at the latest. Provided that the person who is ill is able to drink enough fluids, the infection usually heals without consequences.

Stomach ulcers can also be quickly contained with good therapy (acid inhibitors). If you regularly have problems with excessive production of stomach acid, you can take acid inhibitors over a longer period of time. The disease only becomes problematic if stomach ulcers (ulcers) occur more frequently, as chronic ulcers can lead to increased bleeding. In addition, the risk of developing malignant diseases of the stomach lining later in life increases.

Course of disease

The course of diarrhea and stomach pain is somewhat different depending on the pathogen. Typically, the first symptom is stomach pain, followed by diarrhea and other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and fever.After some time the symptoms slowly improve. Depending on the pathogen, the entire course lasts from a few days (rotavirus and norovirus) to two weeks (mainly bacterial infections).

How can I tell if it is contagious?

Infectious diseases associated with diarrhea and stomach pain are usually of an infectious nature. In particular, gastrointestinal viruses such as Norovirus or Rotavirus can be particularly infectious. They are excreted in the bowel movement and can be quickly transmitted to other people due to insufficient hygiene measures (frequent hand washing and avoidance of contact with the affected person).

A characteristic feature of this disease is the particularly short course of the disease (rapid onset and rapid end after only two to three days). On the other hand, a person suffering from diarrhoea and stomach pain due to food poisoning, for example, is not normally contagious. Typical signs of this are the rapid onset of stomach pain (usually with vomiting) after the consumption of potentially spoiled food. In most cases other people who have eaten from the food are also affected.