是胃肠炎，流感还是其他的东西？

胃肠炎是美国第二次常见的疾病。（1)

Chances are, if you’ve had a bad bout of diarrhea or vomiting due to a virus, parasite, or bacteria, you’ve experienced gastroenteritis.

医生通常根据您的症状或粪便测试的结果诊断条件。也就是说，胃肠炎可以看起来像其他医疗条件，其他疾病可能被误认为是胃肠炎。（2)

虽然它经常被称为“胃流感”，但胃肠炎不是一种流感。流感病毒负责呼吸道疾病，而与胃肠炎相关的病毒会影响您的肠道。

Gastroenteritis typically isn’t misdiagnosed as the flu by doctors, but people often label it incorrectly and get the two confused.

Trueflu causesthese symptoms:

• Fever
• Body aches
• Chills and sweats
• Sore throatandcough
• 鼻塞
• Weakness
• Fatigue

与此同时，这是胃肠炎症状包括以下这些：

• 腹痛or cramping
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Low-grade fever
• Headaches
• Body aches (2)

因为它们是两种单独的疾病，重要的是要注意流感疫苗不会保护您免受胃肠炎。（3)

Appendicitishappens when yourappendix变得发炎，导致腹部右下方的疼痛。由于疼痛的位置，它可能被误认为是胃虫。

它并不罕见：阑尾炎是突然严重的主要原因之一abdominal painrequiring surgery in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health (4), and about 80,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with it each year. (5)

Although certain symptoms, likediarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting, may occur in both appendicitis and gastroenteritis, there are distinctions between the two conditions. It’s important to recognize these characteristics because the treatments for each illness are very different.

With appendicitis, the pain gets worse and more intense as time goes on. Generally, symptoms of gastroenteritis improve after 24 hours.

The location of the pain is also distinct with appendicitis. It usually causes discomfort between the belly button and the right hip bone.

此外，具有阑尾炎的儿童和成年人可能有这些症状：

• Green, liquidvomit
• 倾斜的腹部
• Severe pain
• Pain when the abdomen is pressed on (6)

Usually, doctors don’t recommend a specific therapy for gastroenteritis. But if you have appendicitis, you’ll likely need surgery.

If you or your child experiences severe pain or pain that lasts more than 24 hours, see a medical professional right away. Delaying治疗阑尾炎can be dangerous and even lead to death if your appendix bursts. (7)

过敏性肠综合征（IBS) is a condition that causes symptoms such as diarrhea,便秘, stomach pain,腹胀和天然气。它影响成年人的10％至15％。（8)

IBS与胃肠炎不同，因为它是一种慢性条件，通常持续到某人的生命。另一方面，从病毒或细菌感染恢复后，胃肠炎通常会消失，导致你的症状。

Most of the time, the cause of IBS is unknown. That said, there’s a small percentage of people with IBS whose symptoms begin suddenly after an episode of gastroenteritis.

If IBS happens after having gastroenteritis, it’s called post-infectious IBS (PI-IBS). This condition is more common after a case of bacterial gastroenteritis.

Studies show that about half of people with PI-IBS will recover without any specific treatment, although this might take many years. (9)

While gastroenteritis and food poisoning share many of the same symptoms, the two conditions are different.

Gastroenteritis, or a stomach bug, is most commonly caused by a virus, such as the诺洛病毒, rotavirus, or adenovirus. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis can begin 4 to 48 hours after exposure. (2)

胃肠炎是具有传染性的，可以通过与感染者密切接触，例如通过分享食物和器具，或通过触摸污染的物体或表面来签约。用肥皂和水洗手并在污染的表面上使用消毒剂是防止病毒性胃肠炎的蔓延的最佳方法。（10)

Food poisoning develops when a person eats food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Symptoms, which can appear within hours of consuming the contaminated food, are similar to gastroenteritis but can be more severe. Signs that someone with food poisoning should seek medical attention include bloody stools, high fever of over 102 degrees F, diarrhea that lasts more than three days, and frequent vomiting that prevents liquids from staying down. (11)

Most cases of food poisoning typically aren’t contagious, but some forms can spread through contact with bodily fluid. For example, a person can become infected after touching contaminated feces and then their mouth. Frequent hand-washing is important to keep you and your family healthy.

在孩子们，尿路感染（UTI）可能导致一些与胃肠炎相同的症状：

• 肚子痛
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Irritability

But UTIs also cause other problems, like a burning sensation when urinating,frequent urination，尿液是多云，黑暗，臭味或血腥的。

A UTI can be successfully treated with antibiotics, so it’s important to see a doctor and get a correct diagnosis. (12)

Some research has suggested a link between UTIs and gastroenteritis in kids. In one study, 35 percent of pediatric UTI patients also had gastroenteritis. (13)

Pneumonia是肺部的感染通常会导致呼吸困难，acough, chest pain, and other respiratory problems.

有时肺炎可以引发这些症状模拟胃肠炎：

• Vomiting
• Fever
• 腹痛
• 食欲不振
• Dehydration

If the pneumonia is in the lower part of your lungs, near your abdomen, you might only have abdominal pain and vomiting, not breathing problems. This can make it tricky for doctors to come up with a diagnosis, but a simpleX-rayor验血应该露出肺炎。（14)

Viral meningitisis an infection of the tissue that covers the spinal cord and brain. It’s caused by the same viruses that are associated with gastroenteritis.

If you have viral脑膜炎, you might have symptoms that overlap with gastroenteritis, like fever, vomiting, or loss of appetite.

Other hallmark signs of viral meningitis include:

• Headache
• 落枕
• Joint pain
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Discomfort when looking at bright lights
• Skin rash（15)

底线

胃肠炎的症状可以类似于其他疾病。

It might help to know the key traits of gastroenteritis:

• Gastroenteritis is caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasite.
• 症状包括watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, and sometimes a fever.
• Most cases of gastroenteritis are contagious, but some are passed on by contaminated food or water.
• 对病毒性胃肠炎没有具体治疗，但这种疾病通常在一周内自行变得更好。

如果您认为您已经获得了错误的诊断，请与您的医生讨论您的疑虑。（3）

Additional reporting by Ashley Welch.