Contents:
- Medical Video: Difference Between Stomach Flu and Food Poisoning
- What's the difference between food poisoning and stomach flu?
- Symptoms of food poisoning
- Symptoms of stomach flu
- When to see a doctor?
Medical Video: Difference Between Stomach Flu and Food Poisoning
Almost all people have experienced digestive disorders, namely diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. If you don't have ulcer disease, you might immediately suspect you have just been poisoned by food. However, it seems that people who eat the same food are fine. Don't you get stomach flu? Instead of guessing, distinguish the symptoms of food poisoning and stomach flu in the following easy ways.
What's the difference between food poisoning and stomach flu?
According to a gastroenterologist from the University of Michigan, United States, Dr. Michael Rice, the clinical symptoms between food poisoning and stomach flu are indeed very difficult to distinguish between ordinary people. Before distinguishing symptoms, you must first understand what are the basic differences between these two diseases that affect the stomach and intestines.
Food poisoning is a disease that arises due to bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections in foods that have been contaminated with these harmful organisms. Not only meat can cause food poisoning. Foods and beverages such as raw or undercooked eggs, cheese, vegetables and fruits that are not washed, raw fish and shellfish, contaminated water, milk, juice, and rice that has not been cooked until cooked can contain harmful organisms that cause poisoning.
Unlike food poisoning, stomach flu, known as medical gastroenteritis, is a viral infection that is transmitted through various means. For example through direct touching or sharing food with people infected with the virus causing gastroenteritis. Viruses that cause stomach flu include rotavirus, astrovirus, and norovirus.
Symptoms of food poisoning
In people who are food poisoning, Dr. Michael Rice said that the symptoms will appear immediately at that time or within an interval of several hours. Here are the signs that you should pay attention to.
- Abdominal cramps
- Limp
- Diarrhea and constipation
- Fever
- Shivering
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Thirsty
- Sweating
- Gag
Symptoms of stomach flu
Unlike symptoms of food poisoning which usually appear a few hours later, stomach flu symptoms may only be discovered one to three days after the infection occurs. These signs are what you need to observe.
- Abdominal cramps
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Joint and muscle pain
When to see a doctor?
If you experience a series of symptoms above, you should immediately see a doctor. Especially if you have to defecate or vomit bloody or black, lose consciousness, and symptoms of dehydration appear. High fever that does not go down even though you have taken paracetamol should also be consulted by a doctor. If not treated, complications from both diseases include brain damage and death.
Only doctors can diagnose your disease, whether you have food poisoning or stomach flu. After that you can get the best treatment for the symptoms that appear.
