Gastroenteritis

How is gastroenteritis diagnosed?

In most cases, the exact cause of the gastroenteritis does not need to be diagnosed because symptoms improve without treatment. Your child’s doctor may look for complications of gastroenteritis such as dehydration or inflammation.

The most common test done in gastroenteritis is an examination of the stool. By looking at it under the microscope or doing a stool culture or other tests on the stool, the cause of the gastroenteritis can often be found.

If your child recently traveled to another country, has underlying health problems or is displaying severe symptoms, blood tests may need to done to determine if the cause of the illness is more serious.