Difference between Stomach Upset and Stomach Flu

The stomach is one of the most important organs of the body and one of the main parts of the digestive system. The food we eat, the water we drink, and almost every other thing we take orally goes to our stomach. Due to this, the stomach is prone to infections, diseases and disorders.

Once there is some problem in the stomach, the diet is hugely affected, along with being nauseous most of the time.

Two of the main and common problems patients encounter usually are Stomach Upset and Stomach Flu. Since the two terms are sounding similar, it is likely for people to get the two confused. In this article some contrasts related to these two issues are presented so as to help you understand both the terms clearly.

Stomach Upset:

It is a common condition in people irrespective of age, people might have an upset stomach after eating a heavy meal or due to just one ingredient. It is likewise ordinarily called as indigestion or dyspepsia. The individual whines of pain in upper abdomen. The patient will normally show symptoms that incorporate bloating, burping oftentimes belching and nausea. It happens when the corrosive present in the stomach interacts with the mucosal coating of oesophagus. When oesophageal valve does not open or close properly, gastric juices enter the oesophagus from stomach and irritate the mucosal lining. The patient might complain of burning in chest or in stomach. Stomach upset happens because of poor dietary patterns like eating fatty or oily food, eating quickly, not biting food appropriately, eating on the run and so forth.

Stomach Flu:

Stomach flu is also called gastroenteritis. It commonly results from some infection, which could be bacterial, viral or parasitical in origin. These microbial organisms pick up entry into the stomach and cause aggravation and irritation of the inner lining of the stomach and intestines. The individual with stomach flu might whine of abdominal cramps, pain in stomach, vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhoea etc. Sometimes the dehydration can be sufficiently extreme to be life debilitating. The basic microbes that cause stomach flu are E.coli, shigella, salmonella, and campylobacter. Infections bringing about stomach flu incorporate norovirus, calicivirus and rotavirus. The condition is far more serious compared to the Stomach Upset. The patient is recommended to drink a considerable measure amount of liquids to avoid dehydration.

Also, Stomach Upset commonly can be a symptom of Stomach Flu.

Stomach Upset VS Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis)

Common names:

Stomach upset can also name as indigestion or dyspepsia.

Stomach flu can be called as gastroenteritis.

Cause:

Stomach upset happens when the corrosive present in the stomach interacts with mucosal lining of oesophagus. Oesophagus is placed simply over the stomach. The substance of the stomach doesn’t enter in oesophagus because of the vicinity of the oesophageal valve. In the event that the valve does not work legitimately, gastric juices from stomach enters in oesophagus and leads to mucosal lining.

Stomach flu is generally brought on by getting the food infected by different microbial organisms such as parasites, bacteria or virus. These organisms get entrance into the stomach and digestive system of human body and cause inflammation and irritation in inner lining, intestines and stomach.

Symptoms:

The common symptoms in terms of stomach upset include, pain in upper abdomen, bloating, belching, nausea, burping frequently and flatulence.

The common symptoms for stomach flu include pain in stomach, abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhoea, dehydration and swelling of lymph glands. Sometimes dehydration becomes very serious as it becomes life threatening. Also, the diarrhoea can be with or without blood.

Precipitating factors:

Stomach upset causes because of poor habits of eating like eating fatty or very oily food, eating quick, over eating, not chewing the food properly and so forth.

The fundamental reason of stomach flu is absence of cleanliness. The food cooked in unclean containers, devouring unhygienic food, not washing hands before eating or cooking, not covering food, not having clean water and so forth are the normal reasons for stomach flu.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/viral-gastroenteritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378847

Oxford textbook of clinical medicine

Davidson’s textbook of medicine

Robin’s textbook of Pathology.

Conclusion:

After going through common things about both the topics, we can conclude that they say right, “You are what you eat”. The conditions of our stomach and along with our whole health depends largely on what we consume. Though, it is quite clear that the Stomach Flu compared to Stomach upset is a more worrisome thing, but, that never means stomach upset doesn’t need our attention. So, it is always highly recommended to watch out for what we eat, it is very important to keep a balanced diet. One must always avoid any food that causes allergy, stomach upset or any other problem. What is your opinion?

Difference between Stomach Upset and Stomach Flu