Anyone can be exposed to rotovirus infection, especially people with reduced immunity. Most often, the infection manifests itself in young children, at the age of six months of life and up to 24 months, and in a group with a slightly lower risk, children from 1 year to 3 years. However, there are cases when a large number of adults are involved in this process due to their contact with children with rotovirus infection. In this case, the risk group is people of old age and people with any pathology. The morbidity acquires a character in the form of food poisoning and water flashes. The seasonality of this disease is autumn-winter, which helps in the diagnosis of the disease. There is no defined disease zone, the disease does not depend on location or places of movement, outbreaks are recorded everywhere.
The causative agent of rotovirus intestinal infection belongs to the group of enteroviruses that affect the absorbent parts of the villi of the small intestine. The death of these cells is accompanied by a bright metaplasia, which, in turn, inevitably leads to a disruption in the function of the small intestine, that is, the absorption of nutrients and the digestion of food itself is impaired. How does rotavirus infection manifest itself? Often, all intestinal infections are similar to each other with the same symptoms.
Picture disease
Let us analyze the clinical picture of this case. The onset of the disease is rapid and acute, the infection status, that is, the incubation period, lasts from 12 hours to 5 days. The onset of the disease is sudden, often the first symptom is gastroenteritis. Sometimes almost half of the patients at the beginning of the disease are vomiting. Attacks of vomiting are rare and often stop as early as the first day of illness. In some cases, there is a compatibility of symptoms, that is, an infected person observes vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously. Desires for defecation occur suddenly and often, the feces of a watery consistency, liquid, smell fetid. This type of feces is observed in mild and moderate forms of the disease, acts of defecation occur 1-2 times a day, with severe forms of disease, feces are defined as cholera-like. A large number of patients have aching, mild pain in the epigastric region, which can be detected by questioning the patient or with superficial abdominal palpation. This symptom is very similar to any enteritis, that is, in addition to pain in the epigastric and mesogastric region, rumbling in the stomach, which can be heard even from a distance.
In the case of rotavirus infection, gastroenteritis can not be considered as a disease, but it is worth considering as a syndrome. So, it is to this syndrome that the general intoxication syndrome joins in the course of rotavirus intestinal disease, which is accompanied in this case by weakness, slightly elevated body temperature to 38, dizziness, nausea. When carrying out an objective examination of the patient, we can identify the dryness of the external mucous membranes, which has arisen because of dehydration, when examining the oral cavity, the tongue is covered with plaque. When examining the patient, the abdomen is soft, palpation is determined by soreness in the navel region, and with deep palpation one can hear a strong rumbling in the area of finding the cecum. At the further interrogation it is revealed, that other departments of a colon do not cause at the patient what or painful sensations. The most important diagnostic feature of this ic infection is that the rhinitis, pharyngitis, and rhinopharyngitis are also observed in the symptom of intestinal infection. The course of this disease is usually normal and does not bear complications, lasts no more than a week.
Treatment of rotavirus infection
There is no treatment that would guarantee recovery from rotavirus infection, therefore treatment is characterized as symptomatic, that is, directed not at destroying the source and causes of the infection, but at suppressing the symptoms and complications caused by it. Of course, first of all, drugs or liquids are used that help stop the development of dehydration, possibly adsorbents. Unfortunately, there is no antiviral drug that could effectively "fight" with rotavirus infection. For the period of treatment, a doctor appoints a special diet, which includes juices and water porridge. It is strongly recommended that dairy products be excluded from the diet at the time of treatment. The diet should be observed by the patient very strictly, otherwise you will not achieve the therapeutic effect. After you have been ill, there are no powerful consequences. Some patients develop immunity, but since the disease virus regularly mutates, this immunity is not suitable. Prevention of this disease is very simple - you must adhere to the basic rules of personal hygiene, adhere to the rules of correct processing of products. It is advisable, of course, to boil better before consumption, since rotavirus is very unstable when boiled and perishes in a few minutes. When a person is infected with a large family, it is necessary to give the patient personal space, personal utensils and linen.