How Long Does Gastro Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Up to 2 days

Gastro is a stomach flu which is also known as viral gastroenteritis. This stomach flu will not last for more than 2 days. If the person still sees symptoms such as inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, normal body inflammation, and irritation, then the doctor’s help is required. This stomach flu can go without treatment as it is quite short-lived.

The lasting time of gastro depends on the age of the person. The type of viral infection will be different for everyone. For infants, it would be Rotavirus while for adults, the name of the viral infection is Norovirus. The length of each type of viral infection would be of different length and recovery time.

How Long Does Gastro Last?

Norovirus
Norovirus is one of the most common reasons for stomach flu. The symptoms of norovirus will not last after 2 days. This virus stays on the surfaces for weeks together. Places such as hospitals and clinics can have this virus for a long time as they are enclosed places. The person feeling the symptoms of stomach flu or gastro should avoid meeting others.

This virus can spread easily from one person to another. The only prevention one can take is to maintain hygiene. Washing hands and disinfecting the surfaces are some of the precautions and prevention.

Rotavirus

Infants can get affected by this type of viral infection. This virus can also cause stomach flu in older adults and people with weak immune systems. Parents can give the vaccination available to their children as prevention to this virus. The vaccination dosages are given between the ages of 2 to 6 months.

The symptoms of the viral infection would be fever, vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea. These symptoms would last around 8 days or less. Avoid touching contaminated food or objects to not get this type of virus.

Adenovirus

The symptoms of adenovirus may stay for 2 weeks. The adenovirus is the house of many other viruses and the symptoms can be quite intense. The symptoms of adenovirus will be seen in affecting the respiratory system. Eye disorders and respiratory issues are some of the common systems of this viral infection.

Some people may observe neurological symptoms as a sign of stomach flu. People with good health can recover in 7 days. This virus can be present on hard surfaces and can survive for around 30 days.

Why Does Gastro Last This Long?

The recovery time would depend on how intense the viral infection is. The virus would be contagious even if the symptoms are not there. Rotavirus and adenovirus are some of the most seen causes of stomach flu in children or infants. These viruses can cause dehydration in children. Dehydration would show many signs in children such as:

Dizziness
Dark color urine
Skin dryness thirst
It’s vital to help the issues of dehydration in children or else this would cause many other health issues.

The virus can be active for a long time even if the stomach flu is recovered. Therefore, the chances of getting the virus again are quite high. This is another reason for people getting viruses multiple times.

Sometimes, the symptoms can call for serious stomach flu issues. Once the children would start facing the issues of dehydration, then it’s time to call the doctor. If the children are having blood in the bowel movement or stool, then treatment would be required.

Conclusion

There is no such specific treatment for stomach flu, but people can have easy-to-digest foods. The stomach flu would go in 2 to 8 days depending on what kind of virus is the reason behind the flu.
The affected person or children can always talk to the doctor for clarity about the symptoms. The symptoms of the virus will not be the same for both unhealthy and healthy people. Some people may have severe symptoms depending on their health.

References

1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199107253250406
2. https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/citation/1970/07000/eosinophilic_gastroenteritis.3.aspx