Page contents
- What is diarrhea?
- symptoms
- Causes and risk factors
- Multiples
- Diagnosis
- treatment
- protection
Diarrhea This term is used to denote the product of the work of the intestine, ie stools of a watery and loose character. This phenomenon is very common, but it does not pose a threat to life, as most people suffer from diarrhea at the rate of one or two times during one year.
In most cases, diarrhea lasts for two or three days, and diarrhea is generally treated with over-the-counter medications. There are people who suffer from diarrhea caused by irritable bowel syndrome or as a result of a group of other chronic intestinal diseases.
Various cases of diarrhea
Doctors usually divide diarrhea into three groups:
1. Osmotic diarrhea
It means that there is a factor that attracts fluids from the body to the intestines, a common example of this is diarrhea caused by eating diet sweets or chewing gum that contain sugar substitutes such as sorbitol, which is not absorbed by the body and causes the body to secrete fluids in the intestines. diarrhea.
2. Secretory diarrhea
It occurs when the body secretes fluid into the intestines without it being needed. There are many types of infections, medications and various diseases that can cause this type of diarrhea.
3. Exudative or bloody diarrhea
Occurs when there is blood and pus in the stool. This type of diarrhea appears in patients with inflammatory intestinal diseases such as: Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and in various intestinal infections.
- Diarrhea symptoms
- Symptoms associated with diarrhea can be divided into two parts: mild diarrhea and acute diarrhea. The appearance of severe diarrhea may be an indication and evidence of another, more severe disease.
Symptoms of acute diarrhea can include:
- Abdominal distension or intestinal cramps.
- loose stools;
- Watery stool.
- Urgent feeling that the intestines need to work.
- Feeling sick and vomiting.
In addition to the above, symptoms of acute diarrhea may also include the following side effects and effects:
- The presence of blood, saliva or food that has not been properly digested in the stool.
- Weight loss.
- Fever.
Causes and risk factors for diarrhea
The most common cause of diarrhea is a virus that infects the intestine. This infection generally clears up spontaneously after two or three days and is sometimes called the gut flu, stomach flu, or gastroenteritis.
diarrhea
Diarrhea may be caused by:
- An infection caused by a germ is the main cause of most cases of food poisoning.
- Infections caused by other organisms.
- Eating foods that irritate the digestive system.
- Allergy to certain types of food.
- some medicine.
- Radiation treatments.
- Intestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
- Intestinal failure, when the body is unable to absorb certain foods effectively.
- Hyperthyroidism.
- Certain types of cancer.
- Misuse of some diarrhea-causing substances.
- Gastrointestinal surgeries.
- Diabetes (Diabetes).
Diarrhea can also occur following constipation, especially in people with irritable bowel syndrome, which is one of the causes of diarrhea that is important to know.
Complications of diarrhea
Persistent diarrhea causes a loss of large amounts of fluids and essential nutrients for the body. If a person has loose, watery stools more than three times a day and does not drink enough fluids, he may become dehydrated, which leads to severe complications that are life-threatening, if not It is processed as it should.
In the event of persistent diarrhea accompanied by any of the following signs and symptoms, the attending physician should be informed:
- Dark colored urine.
- Small amounts of urine when urinating.
- Rapid heart rate.
- headache.
- dryness of the skin;
- Feeling restless and restless.
- confusion.
Diarrhea in children
Diarrhea in children that has led to dehydration may be accompanied by one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
- Dryness in the mouth or in the tongue.
- Two sunken eyes or cheeks.
- Interruption or decrease in the amount of tears.
- A decrease in the amount of wet diapers.
- Restlessness or apathy.
- The skin remains wrinkled after pinching rather than returning to its normal smoothness.
Diarrhea diagnosis
Diagnosis includes the following:
- A blood test A complete blood count can help determine the cause of the diarrhea.
- Stool test Your doctor may recommend a stool test to see if bacteria or parasites are causing the diarrhea.
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
Diarrhea treatment
How to treat and prevent diarrhea
- Treating or Alleviating Diarrhea When someone has mild to moderate diarrhea they can wait for it to clear up on their own and not try to treat the diarrhea with other means, or diarrhea can be treated with over-the-counter medications.
drug therapy
It includes the treatment that can be obtained in liquid or tablets, and it is important to read the instructions attached to the package of the medicine, as the medicines include the following:
- Pepto Bismol.
- Imodium A - D.
- Kaopectate.
Diarrhea treatment tips
Some methods that can help treat diarrhea include:
- You should drink at least six 250-milliliter glasses of fluid per day.
- You can drink juice that does not contain fruit pulp, soft drinks without caffeine, chicken soup without fat, tea with honey and energy drinks.
- Instead of drinking with food, get in the habit of drinking it between meals.
- Drink small amounts of fluids on a daily basis.
Diarrhea prevention
Key measures to prevent diarrhea include:
- Have clean drinking water.
- Wash hands with soap.
- Breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life.
- Good personal and food hygiene.
- Health education about how the infection spreads.
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