Therapy

Much rest
Correct nutrition
A lot of fluid
Only for serious cases: Drugs

There is no drug against the gastrointestinal virus and therefore no specific therapy. However, the general symptoms should be improved with an equally general therapy. This general therapy for an infection with the gastrointestinal virus depends very much on the course of the disease but also on the constitution of the patient.

Middle-aged patients often wait for one or two days, since the virus has usually been suppressed by the immune system so that the patient no longer has any symptoms. In infants, however, the course of the disease is monitored more closely, since it can lead to dangerous intussusception and enormous water loss due to excessive vomiting or diarrhea. The latter also happens frequently in older patients.

Here it is possible that the patients should receive an infusion of saline solution over several days intravenously (intravenous), i.e. into the vein. Before this, however, an attempt should always be made to compensate for the lack of fluid by drinking more.In general, for all patients, whether young or old, the best therapy against an infection with a gastrointestinal virus is to drink as much as possible. A minimum of 2 liters per day is recommended as the body loses a lot of fluid due to the symptoms of the infection.

However, since not only fluid is lost, small amounts should also be tried to eat. Eating soup or broth is essential here. In addition, the patient should drink juices to counteract electrolyte disorders.

If this is not enough, after consultation with the doctor, a powder can be bought in pharmacies, which is dissolved in water and contains all important electrolytes. As soon as the symptoms improve, the patient should try to eat light carbohydrates such as toast or dry rusks. In general, the patient should eat what he feels most like.

So it may well be that some patients prefer to switch directly to pasta instead of toast. Nevertheless, it should be said that the stomach lining is still very easy to irritate after an infection with a gastrointestinal virus and that it is better to eat easily digestible foods, such as potatoes, for the first two days. There are no other treatment options for gastrointestinal virus infections.

Only in the rarest of cases do patients have to go to hospital, but especially in older patients it may be that a hospital stay may be necessary in the case of a more severe course if there has been too much fluid loss. Most importantly, it is important that no antibiotics are administered in the case of a gastrointestinal virus. On the one hand because antibiotics only work on bacteria, on the other hand because many antibiotics attack the gastrointestinal mucosa even further and thus make healing more difficult.

Even if it is annoying: The duration of a gastrointestinal virus infection cannot be influenced or shortened by any therapy, only the symptoms can be alleviated. Although a normal gastrointestinal infection subsides on its own after a few days, it is usually very unpleasant for those affected. Fortunately, there are some home remedies that can alleviate the symptoms (especially diarrhoea).

The two most important groups are so-called adsorbents and swelling agents. Adsorbents can bind (adsorb) the viruses and bacteria due to their surface structure and then be excreted together with the stool. The best known adsorbents include pectins, healing earth, white clay and activated carbon.

Pectin is a vegetable compound and is contained in many fruits such as apples, bananas, carrots and apricots. In addition, high-dose pectin-containing foods are available in pharmacies. The healing earth and the white clay must be dissolved in water or tea.

Due to the very fine grain size and thus large surface area, they surround the pathogens and thus render them harmless. Activated carbon can also be taken as a soluble powder or as a tablet and binds the viruses by its structure. Swelling agents have the ability to bind water and thus solidify the consistency of the stool.

In addition, the increase in volume envelops the pathogens and makes it easier to excrete them. Heat in the form of hot water bottles or warm, moist washcloths helps against abdominal cramps, which often accompany diarrhoea. The so-called Uzara root contains substances that inhibit the muscular movements of the small intestine and generally have a relaxing effect. It eliminates abdominal cramps, normalizes intestinal activity, shortens diarrhea time and reduces nausea and vomiting. However, all these home remedies only relieve the symptoms and cannot shorten the duration of the disease.