Blog Post

You’ve had some unpleasant feelings in the stomach, whether it’s from eating something you shouldn’t have, eating too much, reaction from a food allergy, or mixing foods and drinks that didn’t settle well together after they went down. 

Indigestion or lactose or gluten intolerance are common stomach issues, but usually they clear up after a short time.

Some gastric conditions like food poisoning and stomach flu can lead to many unpleasant symptoms and lots of discomfort, but if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it may be harder to identify and get treated. 

Residents of the Houston and Spring, Texas, area looking for help with these and other medical problems can find help with our team at Houston Medical ER.

Here, we help you better understand the differences by examining what these conditions are, how they are similar, and how they differ.

Defining stomach flu and food poisoning

Also known as viral gastroenteritis, the stomach flu is when your digestive tract gets infected, often with the norovirus (with the Caliciviridae family of viruses being the most common). Annually, 685 million people struggle with it. 

Stomach flu is a misleading term as it isn’t at all connected to the influenza virus that affects your upper respiratory system, though they most frequently appear during the flu season in the fall and winter.

Food poisoning (also known as foodborne illness) happens when you consume contaminated, toxic, or spoiled food or drink. 

The illness comes in the form of bacteria, viruses, or parasites found in what you ingest, usually from dairy, meat, eggs, and water. E. coli, salmonella, and botulism are some causes of this poisoning, and 48 million people go to the hospital to get it treated every year.

Differences between stomach flu and food poisoning

Although they are similar, stomach flu and food poisoning have some key differences. Here are some of them:

Food poisoning

This condition has multiple causes, whereas the stomach flu has a primary virus responsible. Food poisoning also sets in sooner, taking only hours to incubate until symptoms appear. 

While some symptoms are similar, such as fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, just about everything else is different. 

The other signs (depending on the food or drink responsible) include fatigue, muscle aches, headache, sweating, thirst, eye swelling, and breathing problems. Severe cases can have symptoms like bloody vomit or stool, severe cramping, shock, and loss of consciousness.

Treatment is simple once we’ve identified the culprit responsible. Discard the food or drink, and in the future, refrigerate perishable food, fully cook foods that need it (especially meats), and clean both the food and the food preparation area. The condition often improves in a few days.

Stomach flu

Symptoms of the stomach can take up to two days to show up and include constipation, cramps, joint stiffness, and weight loss. 

You can prevent stomach flu by washing your hands to prevent infection or spreading the virus, and staying home and resting as the virus works through your system. 

The condition often resolves in two or so days, but can last up to two weeks.

Both illnesses can be terribly unpleasant, but we can treat both. If you’re feeling any of these signs, contact us at Houston Medical ER as soon as possible for proper treatment.