What is Diarrhea?
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 10 years of experience
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What is the meaning of Diarrhea?
Diarrhea is a digestive system disorder in which a person has loose, watery stools, and more frequent bowel movements. Diarrhea commonly occurs in the rainy season but may occur in other seasons as well. It usually lasts for one to three days and goes away on its own. Severe diarrhea may lead to several complications like dehydration, which occurs due to the loss of electrolytes and water with the stools. Dehydration can be life-threatening if not addressed on a timely basis. In today’s article, we will be discussing in detail diarrhea and treatments for diarrhea.
- What is Diarrhea?
- What are the different types of Diarrhea?
- What are the causes of Diarrhea?
- What are the risk factors of Diarrhea?
- What are the symptoms of Diarrhea?
- What are the complications of Diarrhea?
- How to diagnose Diarrhea?
- What are the treatments for Diarrhea?
- How to Prevent Diarrhea?
- What are the home remedies for Diarrhea?
What is Diarrhea?
Diarrhea is a digestive disorder in which the patient complains of thin, runny, or watery stools.
Diarrhea may last for as few as 2 to 3 days or go up to 7 days or more. The patient may experience severe pain in the abdomen while passing the stool.
This disease occurs due to a lack of water and salt in the body and is more likely to occur in young children and the elderly, but may occur in any age group.
What are the different types of Diarrhea?
The different types of Diarrhea include:
- Acute diarrhea: This is the most common type of diarrhea. It lasts for one to two days and usually goes away on its own after a few days without any treatment.
- Persistent diarrhea: This type of diarrhea persists for about two to four weeks.
- Chronic diarrhea: Chronic diarrhea lasts for more than four weeks, or diarrhea appears and disappears regularly for a long period of time.
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What are the causes of Diarrhea?
The following are the causes of diarrhea:
- Diarrhea is caused by drinking contaminated water.
- It is caused by the spread of infection in the stomach.
- It may occur due to a viral infection that affects the bowel. This type of infection is known as viral gastroenteritis or intestinal flu.
- Bacterial infections can cause diarrhea.
- Diarrhea can be a result of a parasitic infection.
- The presence of a disease related to the intestine can cause diarrhea.
- It may occur due to a lack of water in the body.
- Food allergies can lead to diarrhea.
- It occurs due to the weak digestion power of the person.
- Diarrhea may occur as a side-effect of certain medicines.
- Diarrhea occurs due to rotavirus and norovirus (both being contagious viruses commonly seen in children) infections that are common in young children.
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- People of all age groups can get infected by adenovirus (a viral infection causing several types of illness) that can cause diarrhea.
- Radiation therapy (a type of treatment for cancer) may lead to diarrhea.
- Poor absorption (malabsorption) of food can cause diarrhea.
- Intolerance to a certain type of foods, for example, lactose intolerance (inability to digest a sugar called lactose which is present in dairy products) can cause diarrhea.
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What are the risk factors of Diarrhea?
Although diarrhea can occur in all kinds of people, the following are at a higher risk of developing diarrhea:
- Young children
- People with pre-existing medical conditions
- Elderly people
Diarrhea is more likely to lead to other complications and health disorders in the above people.
What are the symptoms of Diarrhea?
The symptoms of diarrhea can be easily recognized. These symptoms are as follows:
- Watery stools
- Fever
- Frequent bowel movements
- Weight loss
- Dehydration
- Severe pain in the lower abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Cramps in the stomach
- Coma arises due to excessive loss of mineral salts. Sometimes it leads to the death of the person.
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What are the complications of Diarrhea?
Although diarrhea usually gets treated on its own and disappears in a few days, in some cases diarrhea may be long-lasting and cause serious complications like:
- Dehydration: It occurs due to the loss of large amounts of water and electrolytes in the stools. The symptoms of dehydration include:
- Dark-colored urine
- A small quantity of urine or loss of urine production
- Excessive thirst
- Severe nausea
- Persistent vomiting and inability to keep anything down by the mouth
- Rapid heart rate
- Headache
- Flushed and dry skin
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Lack of tears on crying
- Sleepiness
- Sunken eyes or cheeks
Dehydration is a medical emergency (more so in the case of an infant or child) and one should contact a doctor immediately if any of the above symptoms are seen.
- Electrolyte imbalance: The loss of potassium, sodium, and magnesium from the body can lead to an electrolytic imbalance in the body. These minerals play an important role in maintaining the vital functions of the body.
- Kidney failure: This occurs when enough blood or fluid is not supplied to the kidneys.
- Organ damage: Lack of water and minerals in the body may cause damage to the vital organs of the body.
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How to diagnose Diarrhea?
The doctor will first physically examine the patient and note down the complete medical and travel history of the patient.
The following tests are recommended by the doctor to confirm the diagnosis of diarrhea and determine its cause:
- Stool test: A stool sample is collected to check for the presence of blood, parasite markers, inflammatory markers, or bacterial infections.
- Blood tests: These are done to check for pancreatic disorders or thyroid disorders which may be the potential causes of diarrhea.
- Breath test: This test is done to check for any bacterial overgrowth or lactose intolerance.
- Fasting tests: These tests determine if any allergy or food intolerance is responsible for diarrhea.
- Imaging tests: Imaging tests are done to check for inflammation or any structural disorders associated with the intestine.
- Endoscopy: Endoscope is a thin, long tube with a camera and light on one end. It is placed inside the internal organs to view the images of the upper and lower digestive tract and check for any abnormalities like ulcers, infections, or tumor growth.
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What are the treatments for Diarrhea?
In many cases, diarrhea gets cured without treatment. But in some cases, doctors treat diarrhea after diagnosing the patient’s condition.
Hydration:
- If the patient experiences dehydration, the doctor advises the patient to drink more fluids.
- In severe cases, the doctor may inject fluids into the patient’s vein with the help of a needle.
- The doctor may advise the patient to drink ORS (oral rehydration salt solution) mixed with water to prevent dehydration.
Medication treatments for diarrhea:
- To control the symptoms of diarrhea, doctors may recommend medications such as Loperamide and anti-motility drugs.
- To prevent traveler’s diarrhea (travel-related illness), doctors suggest taking bismuth subsalicylate medication.
- Antibiotics may be prescribed by the doctor to treat any bacterial infection that may be causing diarrhea.
- If diarrhea is caused by an underlying medical condition like Crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowel disease affecting the lining of the digestive tract), ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease-causing inflammation in the digestive tract), or bacterial overgrowth the doctor may prescribe medications to treat this conditions.
Probiotics
- Probiotics are made of good bacteria and are used to re-establish a healthy biome to treat diarrhea.
- Talk to your doctor before starting with a probiotic.
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How to Prevent Diarrhea?
The following measures can be taken for the prevention of diarrhea:
- Use purified or bottled water for drinking and cooking
- Eat well-cooked, hot food
- Avoid consumption of raw food
- Avoid drinks with caffeine like tea, coffee, chocolates, soda
- Wash your hands frequently
- Refrigerate the leftover food promptly
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What are the home remedies for Diarrhea?
- Pomegranate peel: Dry the peel of pomegranate and grind it. Mix honey in it and give it to the patient three to four times a day.
- Coconut water: Coconut water is known to be extremely useful to overcome the problem of diarrhea. ( Know more about- Benefits of Coconut Water )
- Lentil water: In diarrhea, young children should be given lentil water. It can help prevent dehydration.
- Adequate sleep: Inadequate sleep can have a bad effect on the body. So, children and adults should get enough sleep each night.
- Avoid Spicy foods
- Turmeric: Turmeric has anti-bacterial elements which help in fighting bacteria. Therefore, mix a spoonful of turmeric in milk or buttermilk and consume it.
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- Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar helps in preventing diarrhea as it has natural antibacterial properties.
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- Mint tea: Mint is beneficial in all stomach-related disorders like stomach ache, gas, diarrhea, etc. Drink mint tea 3 to 4 times a day.
- Nutrients: To overcome the problem of diarrhea, include nutritious foods in your diet. For example: Eat green vegetables, fruit juices, fresh fruits, etc.
- BRAT diet: Include banana, rice, applesauce, and toast in your diet to cure diarrhea.
We hope that all your questions about the treatments for diarrhea have been answered through this article.
If you want to get more information and treatments for diarrhea, contact the General Physician.
We only aim to provide you with information through this article. We do not recommend any medication or treatment to anyone. Only a qualified doctor can give you good advice and the correct treatment plan.
