Can you die from gastroenteritis?

Yes: Rotavirus group a is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide. It causes a dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children. More than a half-million infants and young children worldwide die of rotavirus gastroenteritis each year (parashar et al, 2009). Fatalities from viral gastroenteritis are more likely to occur in those at the extremes of age or the immunocompromised.