Rotavirus infection (RVI) can flow as quickly and quietly, and very hard. It begins often with a sore throat, cough and runny nose, and then join vomiting, profuse watery stools and fever. So why can cause severe course RVI?

The immediate danger when rotavirus infection

The most important risk for severe rotavirus infection is dehydration (exsicosis) caused by repeated vomiting and loose stools. Especially hard to tolerate dehydration small children who have this background may start cramping, various disorders of the cardiovascular system and kidneys.

The effects of rotavirus infection can be deadly to the human body. It is very difficult to dehydration and kidney toxicity react, they simply cease to exist and toxic substances are not removed from the body. This condition is called acute renal failure Acute renal failure - causes and consequences , Which is very difficult to treat, even in conditions of intensive care.

Parents should not give up on the direction of the hospital, if the background of vomiting and diarrhea in the child appears severe dry skin and mucous membranes (especially evident on chapped lips), and for several hours there was no urination. Help this child to recover water and salt exchange can only intravenous drip of special solutions. Otherwise, the condition can quickly worsen and the child can lose. According to the literature in the United States each year rotavirus sick more than a million children aged one to four years, of which killed up to 150 children.

At the same time, timely arrival of the child in the hospital is a guarantee of its recovery.

Long-term effects

Feature rotavirus actions on the gastrointestinal tract is that it can cause a persistent infringement of digestion and absorption of food and the reduced secretion of intestinal enzymes. All this leads to the fact that changes the acidity of the intestinal contents, it becomes alkaline, which feels more comfortable conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microflora, it starts to actively proliferate. Useful as microflora, which normally suppresses the development of opportunistic, in this case, by contrast, has difficulties in reproduction, since it is more accustomed to acidic environment.

Violation of the ratio between beneficial and pathogenic microflora is called dysbiosis. Dysbacteriosis - it is not a disease, opportunistic microorganisms still grow in the intestinal lumen, disrupting the process of digestion, but they do not penetrate the mucous membrane of the intestinal wall.

But indigestion (without the normal amount of useful microflora it may not be correct) is already causing poor circulation (and hence metabolism) in the intestinal wall and is only one step to the formation of the inflammatory process, ie colitis.

Dysbacteriosis the child may show decreased appetite, constant bloating Bloating - if you are bursting inside   due to the large amount of gases (a consequence of improper digestion of food), paroxysmal pain during bowel (they arise from the muscle spasm of the intestine), nausea and impaired his chair. For dysbiosis is characterized by the alternation of diarrhea (in this chair might have a fetid smell), and constipation when the feces takes the form of solid pellets (sheep feces).

Dysbacteriosis requires a long persistent treatment. Appointed probiotics - drugs that contain live beneficial bacteria colonies - the natural inhabitants of the intestine. To these bacteria is well settled down in the gut and multiply rapidly, appointed prebiotics - drugs that contain "food" for the beneficial microflora.

How does the immune system after rotavirus infection

As after any infection, general immunity Immunity - types and characteristics in children in adults   decreases and it takes time and effort to restore it. Specific immunity to rotavirus infection is not very resistant, so the child can get sick RVI many times, it is difficult to establish exactly how much because the RVI is often asymptomatic. Adults who are in the majority of antibodies to rotaviruses, which also indicates that the infection has been moved more than once. A very large percentage of detection antibody Antibodies - "soldiers' immunity   to rotavirus in children and older age groups.

Several years ago in US children inoculated with a half months rotavirus vaccine, but was subsequently found that this leads to an increased incidence of intestinal obstruction in children, and the vaccine was prohibited. Today developed (including in our country) New vaccines against RVI, which are already in clinical trials.

RVI, like most viral infections, are currently not yet fully defeated.

Galina Romanenko

Rotavirus - a virus that can cause diarrhea, accompanied by fever and nausea. Rotavirus - the main cause of diarrhea in infants and young children. Since rotavirus may face as adults, although adults infected with rotavirus - a phenomenon less common and is usually accompanied by a much milder symptoms. At risk are family members of children who developed rotavirus infection, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems The immune system - how it works?   (e.g., AIDS, cancer, specific medicines).

What is rotavirus

Rotaviruses - family members of ARV (reoviridae), double-stranded RNA viruses with an electron microscope similar to the wheel. That is why the causative agent of rotavirus and rotavirus was named from the Latin «rota», which means "wheel".

There are several different strains of rotavirus that cause infection in humans. That is why people can be faced with rotavirus more than once, but usually it is the first case of infection the most serious, and the subsequent rotavirus infections which are accompanied by milder symptoms.

A large number of rotavirus leaves the body with the feces of an infected person, and then rotavirus can enter the body through the mouth of another person - such a transfer mechanism called rotavirus oral-fecal and is the most common, especially in young children. Since rotavirus is stable in nature - that is, for an extended period of time does not lose its contagious properties, rotavirus can be transmitted by eating contaminated water or food, or as a result of direct contact with contaminated surfaces.

incubation period

Once inside the body, rotavirus is moved into the small intestine, where they begin to multiply. Approximately two days after you hit the human rotavirus in the first symptoms of rotavirus infection. The period of time between infection and the onset of symptoms is called the incubation period of rotavirus infection.

Symptoms

For many adults, even after rotavirus infection is not observed distinct symptoms of viral infection - the immune system of an adult, usually alone inhibits the activity of rotavirus. However, the most common symptoms of rotavirus infection in adults are:

• Vomiting
• Stomach upset, abdominal pain Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms
• Temperature increase
• Watery stools
• Loss of appetite
• Mucus in the stool

• Diarrhea

Diarrhea, watery stools - a key symptom of rotavirus infection in adults. Virus particles damage the cell membranes of small intestine that leads to diarrhea. In adults infected with rotavirus diarrhea is usually mild. However, in the case of weakened immunity Immunity - types and characteristics in children in adults   (for example, due to AIDS or HIV) Symptoms of rotavirus infection in adults is much clearer.

• Stomach ache

Another common symptom of rotavirus infection in adults - abdominal pain spasmodic nature, the occurrence of which usually accompanies diarrhea. As in the case of rotavirus infection in children, rotavirus disease in adults have a pronounced seasonal nature - the majority of cases of infection with rotavirus accounted for the winter months.

• Sickness

As children and adults with one of the key symptoms of rotavirus disease are nausea and vomiting. We must not forget that even in adults vomiting and diarrhea accompanying rotavirus infection can cause dehydration - quite serious consequence of the disease.

Diagnosis and treatment

For the diagnosis of rotavirus infection in adults usually require immediate medical examination to detect signs of infection and, in some cases, analysis of feces How to pass a stool, so as not to spoil it .

Normally, in adults the symptoms of rotavirus infection disappear on their own within two or three days. During the period of the disease is recommended to comply with bed rest, drink plenty of fluids and take fever-reducing drugs to reduce the temperature.