Medical Terminology for Viral Emesis and Diarrhea
The medical term for viral emesis and diarrhea is "viral gastroenteritis." 1
Primary Terminology
Viral gastroenteritis is the standard medical term used to describe inflammation and irritation of the stomach and intestines caused by viral pathogens, characterized by vomiting (emesis) and diarrhea 2
The condition is also referred to as "acute viral gastroenteritis" when symptoms are present for less than 7 days 3
Common Viral Pathogens Causing This Syndrome
The specific causative agents include:
Rotavirus - the most common cause of severe diarrhea in children, affecting approximately 3.5 million cases annually in the United States 1
Norovirus (also called Norwalk-like viruses or small round structured viruses/SRSVs) - the most common viral cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks among adults and now the leading cause in vaccinated children 1, 4
Adenovirus (serotypes 40 and 41, previously called fastidious enteric adenoviruses) - contributing to 5%-20% of hospitalizations for childhood diarrhea 1
Calicivirus - accounting for approximately 3% of children hospitalized for diarrhea 1
Astrovirus - causing illness lasting 1-4 days with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms 1, 3
Clinical Presentation Characteristics
The syndrome typically presents with vomiting, non-bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever 2
Vomiting is particularly prominent in viral gastroenteritis, occurring in 80-90% of infected children 4
Dehydration is the main risk and complication, potentially leading to severe electrolyte imbalance 4, 3
Duration by Pathogen
Norovirus: 12-72 hours in immunocompetent hosts, though can extend to 2-3 days 4, 3
Rotavirus: 3-8 days of watery diarrhea, with vomiting typically lasting only 24 hours or less 1, 4, 3
Adenovirus: ≥1 week, longer than other enteric viral pathogens 1, 3
Alternative Terminology in Clinical Use
"Viral enteritis" - emphasizes intestinal involvement 5
"Acute gastroenteritis" - when the viral etiology is presumed but not confirmed 6
"Epidemic viral diarrhea" - specifically for outbreak situations, particularly with Norwalk-like viruses 6
Important Clinical Distinctions
The term "gastroenteritis" indicates involvement of both the stomach (gastro-) and intestines (enteritis), which distinguishes it from isolated vomiting or diarrhea 2
Viral gastroenteritis specifically excludes bacterial causes (such as Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter) and parasitic causes (such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium) 6
The viral nature is confirmed through diagnostic testing or clinical presentation consistent with known viral patterns, though an etiologic agent cannot be identified in almost half of diarrheal cases even with aggressive diagnostic efforts 1