Viral Gastroenteritis Diagnosis Case Assessment

Viral Gastroenteritis Diagnosis
Based on the symptoms presented, the child could be suffering from viral gastroenteritis (or what is commonly referred to as the stomach flu). In basic terms, this is an intestinal infection that is in most cases developed either via the ingestion of water or food that is contaminated, or via contact with an infected person. It should be noted that in the present scenario, the 5-year-old attends daycare. Thus, he could have gotten the infection through close contact with an infected child. Some of the symptoms associated with viral gastroenteritis include, but they are not limited to, low-grade fever, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain/cramps, diarrhea, etc. Indeed, in the words of Churgay and Aftab (2012), “acute gastroenteritis in children is often defined as the onset of diarrhea in the absence of chronic disease, with or without abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting” (1060). The child’s symptoms mimic the symptoms highlighted above. It should, however, be noted that in viral gastroenteritis, the diarrhea happens to be non-bloody. This happens to be one of the key distinguishing factors between viral gastroenteritis and other more severe infections. The mother of the 5-year-old denies any blood in the diarrhea. To confirm the diagnosis, it would be prudent to conduct physical examination and some tests. The child’s pulse and blood pressure, temperature, as well as degree of dehydration could be assessed in the office. Dehydration could be determined via the evaluation of the child’s skin turgor. There are some additional tests that ought to be ordered to not only confirm the diagnosis, but also rule out other causes such as norovirus or rotavirus. These are inclusive of the rapid stool test. In the present scenario, it has been indicated that the child is up to date on the various vaccines including rotavirus. To rule out parasitic or bacterial infection, it would be necessary to request the boy’s mother to submit his stool sample. However, it should be noted that “in children with mild illness, stool microbiological tests are not routinely needed when viral gastroenteritis is the likely diagnosis” (Hartman and Russell, 2019, p. 162).
References
Churgay, C.A. & Aftab, Z. (2012). Gastroenteritis in Children: Part I. Diagnosis. Am Fam Physician, 85(11), 1059-1062.
Hartman, S., Brown, E., Loomis, E., & Russell, H. (2019). Gastroenteritis in Children. Am Fam Physician, 99(3), 159-165.