Stomach Flu Diagnosis
Doctors need to perform different tests and physical examination on the patient who are experiencing the symptoms of stomach flu. Generally, the diagnosis of stomach flu does not focus on detecting the virus that causes the flu until it is rotavirus. Before diagnosing the stomach flu the doctor studies the condition and symptoms of that patient.
If a person experiences the stomach flu symptoms for a long period, blood tests and stool test are performed to identify the causes of diarrhea and vomiting. Doctors also study the situations in which these symptoms become severe. For diagnosing the stomach flu, a doctor can ask various questions to the patient related to the following factors:
- Travel history: traveling may cause the parasite infection or bacterial infection like E.coli. This infection occurs when the patient eats or drinks something contaminated.
- Medications: Multiple antibiotics and broad spectrum medicines can be harmful for the health. This may cause irritation into the gastrointestinal tract.
- Past food and liquid consumption: People often get infected by eating the food that is improperly stored or cooked. Symptoms caused by different bacteria can be detected after the specific time.
- Exposure to the Irritants: If water from the mountain streams is used for drinking or swimming, there are lots of chances of getting the infection of the Giardia.
- Medical condition of the patient
- Symptoms that patient is experiencing
- Family history for similar disease
In most of the cases of stomach flu, diagnosis based on the patient's physical examination and medical history cannot be helpful in detecting the virus that has caused the stomach flu symptoms. No tests are performed to detect the viruses in he cases of stomach flu. Only rotavirus diagnosis is performed over the stool by using the rapid antigen detection test. Tests are also performed to diminish the parasites that cause the stomach flu symptoms.
Physical Examination
Physical examination can be performed to detect the disease that caused the infection into the abdomen and around the abdomen area. Sometimes other stomach disease can have similar symptoms like stomach flu, so it becomes necessary for the doctor to define whether the patient is suffering from the stomach flu or any other disease. These diseases include gallbladder disease, appendicitis, diverticulitis and pancreatitis.
Sometimes there may be noninfectious gastrointestinal diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. A rectal examination can be performed in which the anus is inspected by the physician. The physician inserts the finger into the rectum so that he can feel the masses and to identify the abnormalities. This test also includes the examination of stools for the existence of blood.
Other tests like kidney function tests, electrolytes and complete blood count are also performed into the lab for proper identification of the stomach flu. However, all these tests are helpful for different types of infections, but the medical history and physical examination determines whether the patient is infected by the stomach flu or any other stomach disease.
