It may also be brought on by bacteria or parasites, though this is less common.
It causes symptoms that include diarrhea and vomiting.
A stomach bug usually lasts for a few days.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
However, diarrhea can go on for as long as one to two weeks.
However, these two conditions will be treated differently.
Catching a flare-up early is important.
It is a highly contagious condition.
It gets passed from person to person usually through the fecal-oral route.
What this means is that a person who has the virus sheds it in their stool.
It can get on that person’s hands after they use the bathroom.
This is why it is important towash handswell.
The virus can also spread to uninfected people through food and water that is contaminated.
Therefore, symptoms will come and go throughout a person’s lifetime.
Some people with IBD clearly understand when a flare-up is starting.
Others don’t have any warning and a flare-up may come on more suddenly.
The symptoms of stomach flu often come on quite suddenly, typically over a period of a few hours.
It’s not usually the same with IBD.
The symptoms of IBD are often more subtle and worsen over a period of days or weeks.
There can be complications from the stomach flu, the most chief of which isdehydration.
Dehydration is also common in IBD, especially after having surgery on the bowels.
There are complications andextra-intestinal manifestationsin IBD that don’t occur with the stomach flu.
Some of these include skin conditions, eye conditions, and joint pains.
In most cases, there is no specific treatment for stomach bugs.
There are some key differences that people with IBD might use to decide what is causing symptoms.
That could lead to symptoms that become concerning.
Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine for stomach bugs.
For that reason, it’s important for people with IBD to be vigilant about viruses.
Having IBD does not make it more likely that people will catch a stomach virus.
It may also be helpful to know when viruses are starting to spread in the community.
That can help people with IBD take more precautions to avoid bugs when the risk is higher.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu).
2019;25:2240-2250. doi:10.3748/wjg.v25.i18.2240.
