Diarrhea: causes, symptoms and treatment
Watery diarrhea is a condition in which the stool is very loose, and the bowel movement occurs several times a day, usually more than the frequency of normal diarrhea.
Viral infections are the most common cause of watery diarrhea, followed by bacterial infections and digestive disorders.
Causes of watery diarrhea
Causes of watery diarrhea include:
Viral infections
When viruses infect the intestines, they cause severe, watery diarrhea with other symptoms, such as nausea and intestinal cramps. Viral infections are among the most prominent causes of watery diarrhea in infants. The most common viruses that cause watery diarrhea are:
Rotavirus
Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea, accounting for 40% of all diarrhea cases resulting in hospitalization in children.
1: Norovirus.
2: Adenoviruses.
3: Rotaviruses.
4: Corona Virus.
5: Bacterial infections
There are many types of bacteria that cause watery diarrhea, which are transmitted through contaminated foods and drinks, including:
* Cholera, When infected with cholera bacteria, patients may have no symptoms at all, however, they can transmit the bacteria to other people through stool.
* Campylobacter: Infection with this type of bacteria is spread through eating undercooked chicken, and is also found in unpasteurized milk and contaminated water.
* Escherichia Coli bacteria.
* Salmonella.
* Shigella (in English: Shigella).
other reasons
Some cases are causes of persistent diarrhea and watery diarrhea, including the following:
Parasitic infection: Parasites are among the causes of watery diarrhea in areas containing polluted water. Sometimes the infected person may not have symptoms, but when they do appear, watery diarrhea may be accompanied by a foul odor, gas, bloating, and intestinal cramps.
1: Lactose intolerance.
2: Celiac diseases, such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
3: Excessive consumption of some laxatives.
6: Antacids.
5: Use of antibiotics for long periods.
6: Deficiency of some vitamins.
7: Food poisoning, especially with heavy metals.
8: Use artificial sweeteners.
What is the pathophysiology of watery diarrhea?
Watery diarrhea occurs in two main ways, which are as follows:
Secretory watery diarrhea
This type of diarrhea occurs due to changes in the mucous membrane of the intestine, causing excessive secretion of fluids and salts, due to poor absorption of sodium salts by the intestinal lining and continued secretion of chlorine, which leads to the loss of water and salts. This occurs in the case of bacterial and viral infections.
Osmotic diarrhea
The mucous membrane in the small intestine contains pores, through which water and salts move quickly to maintain the osmotic balance between the components of the intestine and the blood. When malabsorption occurs in the intestine of a certain substance, it passes through the intestine without absorption, leading to watery diarrhea, and one of these substances is lactose in People with lactose malabsorption.
Signs of watery diarrhea appear as follows:
1: Feeling pain and bloating in the abdomen.
2: Watery diarrhea with abdominal sounds.
3: Repeat the excretion process several times a day.
4: Redness of the anus due to repeated defecation.
5: Dehydration.
Nausea and the desire to vomit.
6: Feeling an urgent need to excrete.
7: In advanced cases, the patient may suffer from weight loss, fever, and blood in the stool.
How is watery diarrhea diagnosed?
In diagnosing watery diarrhea, the doctor relies on the following tests:
* Know your medical and family history to detect a history of diseases that cause diarrhea.
* Clinical examination, which includes knowing the number of daily diarrhea episodes, the shape and color of the diarrhea, the symptoms accompanying it, and knowing the medications that the infected person takes.
* Laboratory examination of stool that shows bacteria, parasites, or blood accompanying the stool.
* Blood test to detect diseases that cause watery diarrhea.
* Hydrogen breath test to diagnose lactose intolerance.
* Fasting tests to detect allergies to certain food components, such as wheat allergy.
* Endoscopy of the colon and upper gastrointestinal tract.
Treatment of watery diarrhea
Watery diarrhea usually disappears on its own after several days without the need for treatment, but herbs and some home methods may help treat watery diarrhea in adults and children more quickly, and some cases may require the use of pharmaceutical methods for treatment.
Here are some ways to treat watery diarrhea at home:
1: Drink sufficient amounts of water to compensate for the amounts lost by the body.
2: Get enough rest, and avoid physical stress.
3: Reducing caffeine and soft drinks.
4: Eat easy-to-digest foods, such as bananas, boiled rice, and toast.
5: Eat smaller meals.
6: Avoid certain foods and drinks that make diarrhea worse, such as:
7: Dairy products.
8: Fried or fatty foods.
9: Spicy foods.
10: Alcohol.
11:Foods that cause allergies, such as those containing fructose, lactose, or artificial sweeteners
Treatment of medicinal watery diarrhea may include the following measures:
- Antifungals, or antibiotics, depending on the type causing the watery diarrhea.
- Pain relieving medications.
- Medicines to stop diarrhea, such as loperamide.
It is important to replace fluids lost during a period of watery diarrhea, and electrolytes must be replaced using oral solutions that contain a group of minerals and salts dissolved in water, such as sodium and potassium. In advanced cases, the patient may need to use intravenous solutions.
How can watery diarrhea be prevented?
Watery diarrhea can be prevented by
1: Maintaining general safety and personal hygiene rules.
2: Taking the necessary vaccinations, such as the rotavirus vaccine.
3: Avoid areas contaminated with germs.
4: Avoid eating or drinking from places that are contaminated or that lack basic hygiene.
Complications of watery diarrhea
Possible complications of watery diarrhea include:
* Complete dehydration.
* Poor absorption of important nutrients in the intestine, and an imbalance in the levels of minerals and salts in the body.
* Acute kidney failure.
What is the course of watery diarrhea?
The prognosis for watery diarrhea is very good, and recovery occurs within a few days.
This article was produced by my blog achcairo. Do not forget that health is a crown over the heads of the sick