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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Admitted To Hospital With Gastroenteritis

Her Majesty The Queen has been admitted to King Edward VII Hosptial with extended symptoms of gastroenteritis. Her Majesty has been admitted to hospital for the first time in 10 years today.

The Queen’s trip to Rome has now been fully cancelled as have all other engagements. Her Majesty was driven to hospital in a private car, not an ambulance and according to the BBC’s Peter Hunt, was in good spirits.

The Queen will remain in hospital for the next two days at least whilst her symptoms are assessed. King Edward VII hospital where she is being treated is a hospital of choice for the Royal Family, most recently the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

The Queen had an audience with a staff member before being driven to hospital. A reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for MPs and MEPs will go ahead with other royals present.

Buckingham Palace stresses that Her Majesty’s admission to hospital is nothing more than a precautionary measure.

The dictionary definition of gastroenteritis is, “inflammation of the stomach and intestines, from bacterial toxins or viral infection.”

In England, the two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults are the norovirus and food poisoning. The infection interferes with one of the main functions of the intestines – the absorption of water from the contents of your intestines into the body. This is why the most common symptom of gastroenteritis is a lack of water in the body.

Most people with gastroenteritis only have mild symptoms and the infection passes after a few days without the need for treatment. However, treatment in hospital if symptoms are severe may be needed, or if one is vulnerable because of age or another illness. This is because diarrhoea can quickly cause dehydration which, if severe, can be fatal.

The dangers of dehydration mean that it is very important to replace fluids that are lost through vomiting and diarrhoea. You should drink at least 2 litres (3.5 pints) of water a day, plus 200ml (a third of a pint) of water after every episode of diarrhoea.

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