32 diseases you can catch from animals

Acute Gastroenteritis Vs. Colitis: How To Tell The Difference?

Acute gastroenteritis and colitis are both gastrointestinal conditions that lead to inflammation but in different parts of the stomach. While both the conditions can lead to similar symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cramping, and diarrhoea, these are two different digestive issues and have different sets of treatments.

In an interaction with the OnlyMyHealth team, Dr Ashish Kumar, Professor and Senior Consultant - Institute Of Liver Gastroenterology and Pancreatico Biliary Sciences, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi, shares information about acute gastroenteritis and colitis and helps differentiate between the two.

Also Read: Kylian Mbappé Hospitalised Due To Acute Gastroenteritis: Exploring Its Causes

What Is Acute Gastroenteritis?

Acute gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is an infection that causes inflammation in the stomach. As the name suggests, 'gastro' refers to the stomach and 'enteritis' to inflammation of the intestines. Acute gastroenteritis is typically caused by an infection—viral, bacterial, or sometimes parasitic. Norovirus is the most common viral cause, accounting for 90% of epidemic diarrhoeal cases worldwide and approximately 50% of all viral gastroenteritis cases, according to StatPearls Publishing.

The main symptoms include loose, watery stools (diarrhoea), sometimes accompanied by mucus or blood. Other symptoms can include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and the frequent urge to pass stools, even when very little comes out.

What Is Colitis?

Colitis refers to the inflammation of the colon, or the large intestine, which may result from an infection, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), microscopic colitis, ischaemia, drugs, secondary to immune deficiency disorders, or radiation, reports StatPearls Publishing.

It presents with symptoms such as diarrhoea, but in some cases, the diarrhoea may contain more mucus or blood.

Research suggests Campylobacter jejuni is the number one bacterial cause of diarrhoeal illness worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 25 to 30 per 1,00,000 population. Specifically, C. Jejuni infection can lead to a form of colitis called Campylobacter enterocolitis.

Acute Gastroenteritis Vs. Colitis: How To Distinguish Between The Two

Both acute gastroenteritis and colitis involve inflammation of the digestive tract. While gastroenteritis affects the stomach and intestines, colitis only affects the colon. Some of the key differences include:

The location of the inflammation: Gastroenteritis affects the stomach and intestines, whereas colitis only involves the colon.

Symptoms: Gastroenteritis causes nausea and vomiting, whereas people with colitis may experience bloody diarrhoea. Dr Kumar says, "Vomiting is less common in colitis compared to gastroenteritis."

Duration of illness: Colitis is more of a chronic condition.

Also Read: Cases Of Norovirus Increasing Significantly Across The United States: CDC Data Shows

How Does Treatment Differ For Acute Gastroenteritis And Colitis?

Treatments for acute gastroenteritis and colitis may also differ. This means:

Gastroenteritis:

Usually self-limiting; resolves in 1–3 days.

The main focus is on staying hydrated—drink plenty of fluids and oral rehydration solutions (ORS).

Eat light, bland food.

Medications may be given to control vomiting or diarrhoea.

Antibiotics are rarely needed and should not be taken without a doctor's advice.

Colitis:

Treatment depends on the cause.

If caused by a bacterial infection, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

If due to ulcerative colitis, long-term treatment and regular follow-up are needed.

Avoid dairy, spicy food, and anything that can irritate the gut during flare-ups.

Staying hydrated is essential due to fluid loss from diarrhoea.

When To Seek Medical Attention

Seek immediate medical care if you experience:

Blood in stool

High-grade fever with vomiting

Severe or persistent abdominal pain

Signs of dehydration (dry mouth, reduced urination, dizziness, low blood pressure)

No improvement despite home care and symptomatic treatment

If symptoms worsen or persist, always consult a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusion

Though acute gastroenteritis and colitis may seem and feel similar at first, they are quite different in how they affect your body and how they should be treated. While gastroenteritis often clears up on its own with rest and hydration, colitis may need more targeted care, especially if it's part of a long-term condition. If you're feeling unusually unwell, noticing blood in your stool, or not getting better with home remedies, it's best to see a doctor.

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Lower Bacterial Diversity Is Associated With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have lower bacterial diversity in the intestine than do healthy people, according to a team of Korean investigators. The investigators believe that theirs is the first analysis to find a clear association between IBS and reduced diversity in the microbiota of the gut. The research appears in Microbiology Spectrum, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Normally, "More than 10,000 species of microorganism live in the human intestine," said corresponding author Jung Ok Shim, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul. Disruption of the microbiome of the human gastrointestinal tract can trigger IBS. Typically, IBS causes bloating, diarrhea, and stomach pain or cramps.

Previous studies of gut bacteria in patients with IBS have been controversial, with inconsistent results, due to small sample size and lack of consistent analytical methods used among these studies, said Shim. The investigators combined their own dataset with 9 published, shared datasets, encompassing 576 IBS patients and 487 healthy controls, analyzing them with a "unified data processing and analytical method."

The researchers found that the gut bacterial community is less diverse in IBS patients than in healthy people, said Shim. Additionally, the abundance of 21 bacterial species differed between IBS patients and healthy controls. However, the findings were not statistically significant in the pediatric cohort due to small sample size.

The investigators proved that the disturbed gut bacterial community "is associated with IBS, though this does not mean that the relationship is causal," said Shim. "Functional studies are needed to prove whether the change in gut micro-organisms contributes to development of IBS."

Even though IBS is a common disorder, its pathogenesis remains unknown, and as yet there is no effective treatment strategy. "Based on the epidemiological studies of IBS patients, altered gut microbiota was proposed as one of the possible causes of IBS," the researchers write. "Acute bacterial gastroenteritis can cause chronic, asymptomatic, low-grade intestinal wall inflammation sufficient to alter neuromuscular and epithelial cell function."

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