Can Gastroenteritis Cause a High White Blood Cell Count?

Gastroenteritis, or stomach flu, is an inflammation of the digestive tract and may be the cause of a high white blood cell count since they increase with almost any type of infection or inflammation.

Besides causing discomfort,abdominal paincan cause you to worry. A high white blood cell count may also be troubling. If you are having these symptoms, you may wonder if simplegastroenteritiscan cause this combination of symptoms or if you are experiencing something more serious.

Gastroenteritis, commonly calledstomach flu, is an inflammation of the digestive tract, specifically of the lining of your stomach and small intestine. It comes in three varieties: viral, bacterial, and parasitic.

Most cases of gastroenteritis pass on their own without a need for medical treatment, although older people, young people, and those with certain health conditions may need to seek help.

Blood tests aren’t particularly helpful in diagnosing gastroenteritis because a high white blood cell count occurs with almost any type of infection or inflammation. Doctors seldom order blood tests for gastroenteritis, but they may if they suspect something else is causing your symptoms.

More serious conditions, such asappendicitis, can cause bothabdominal painand a high white blood cell count.

The three types of gastroenteritis are slightly different, but they all have the same usual symptoms:

Cramping and diarrhea

Diarrheais the primary symptom of gastroenteritis. You may have several watery stools a day, along withabdominal painand cramping. If you have more than 10 bowel movements in a single day, you are experiencing what doctors consider severediarrhea.

Other signs of severediarrheainclude pus or blood in your凳子. Diarrhea can be life-threatening to children because they can become dehydrated quickly.

Other digestive symptoms

You may also experiencenauseaandvomitingwith gastroenteritis. Other digestive symptoms includebloatingand aloss of appetite.

Feeling unwell

You may lack energy and feel achy when you have gastroenteritis. You may also have a low-gradefever, meaning afeverthat is less than 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Many conditions can cause gastroenteritis, but these are the most common:

Viruses

Virusescause more gastroenteritis than other agents. Most cases are caused bynorovirus,rotavirus, oradenovirus.

Rotavirus was very common in children under three until 2006, when scientists developed avaccine. Since then, the number of cases has plummeted.

Norovirusfrequently causes outbreaks of gastroenteritis in closed environments, such as cruise ships andnursinghomes. It is resistant to common disinfectants.

Less commonly, other viral agents such asadenovirusescan cause gastroenteritis.

Viral gastroenteritis is usually passed from feces into the mouth, which is one reason it is more common in children. It can also be passed through contaminated food and water.

Bacteria

Although bacterial gastroenteritis is less common than viral, it is still quite common. It may be caused by four kinds of bacteria:E. coli,Salmonella,Shigella, and Campylobacter.

Bacterial gastroenteritis may be a form offood poisoningthat begins when you eat contaminated food, food that has been undercooked, or food that has been left unrefrigerated. Some bacterial gastroenteritis infections also spread person-to-person. If you have gastroenteritis with bloody凳子or a high fever, you probably have the bacterial version.

Parasites

Intestinal parasites can also cause gastrointestinal distress. In the United States, the microorganismsGiardiaor Cryptosporidium often cause parasitic gastroenteritis. Giardiasis results from contact with the feces of infected animals or humans.

Cryptosporidium is usually waterborne. It can grow in drinking water or water used for recreational purposes, such as the water in splash pads. Both Giardia and Cryptosporidium have an outer shell that allows them to survive outside the body of a host and that makes them hard to kill.

Gastroenteritis usually passes quickly, but if your symptoms persist, you should see a doctor. It is important to accurately diagnose gastroenteritis because conditions such asulcerative colitisorappendicitiscan cause similar symptoms.

To diagnose you, your doctor may ask you the following questions:

• Have you been out of the country recently? If so, you may havetraveler’s diarrhea.
• Have you recently been on an antibiotic? If so, you may have killed the good bacteria in your digestive tract, allowing bacteria such as C. difficile to grow.
• Have you eaten any foods that have recently been the subject of a recall?
• Have you been around people with similar symptoms?
• Have you changed medications recently?

Your doctor may also run diagnostic tests, including:

Stool tests

Your doctor can use a stool sample to classify your diarrhea as acute watery diarrhea, chronic watery diarrhea, or acute inflammatory diarrhea. This result, plus the answers to the questions above, will tell your doctor if further testing is needed.

Blood tests

Tests for serumelectrolytesandcreatininecan help doctors assess those who appear to be seriously ill. In some cases, your doctor may also do acomplete blood count(CBC) because a high count of particular white blood cells, called eosinophils, may indicate a parasitic infection.

The treatment of gastroenteritis depends upon the diagnosis, but your doctor may recommend the following:

Hydration

如果你在家里,你应该喝液体萤火虫ing broth or bouillon to stay hydrated. If your child has diarrhea, you should not give them sugary fluids like soda pop or fruitdrinksbecause they have the wrong combination of water,sugar, and salts. Your doctor can tell you what fluids are best.

If you are in the hospital with severe diarrhea, your doctor may order intravenous (IV) fluids, as well as oral fluids if you can keep them down. The type of IV fluids may differ according to your symptoms and diagnosis.

Antidiarrheals

Your doctor may recommenddrugsthat reduce diarrhea, such asloperamide. Your doctor will not recommend these drugs if they suspect that C. difficile,Salmonella, or Shigella are the cause of your illness.

Bulking agents

Psyllium and similar compounds are medications usually used forconstipation, but they may make your stools less watery when you consume them in small amounts.