Diarrhea — The Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
Diarrhea —
Also known as ‘loose stool’ or ‘looseness of the bowels’ is a frequent ailment among the population of all ages, but it is especially dangerous and often fatal among small children (where is one of the leading cause of death worldwide) and people of all ages from underdeveloped countries. One of the dangers of diarrhea is dehydration, as it causes excessive expulsion of liquids from the body, which along with water also depletes the body from elemental nutrients.
What Happens In Colon?
This disease is characterized by frequent and abnormally loose bowel evacuations. Diarrhea can be a disease in itself or a symptom for other gastrointestinal tract problems. Generally if a person has three or more loose stools in a day, then he or she is considered to have diarrhea; it usually corrects untreated in a few days, and is not considered dangerous when no other symptoms are present. But if there are manifestations of other symptoms, like fever and pain, or if the problems persists for an extended period of time it can be considered a life threatening illness and a physician should be consulted for advice and proper treatment.
Diarrhea Symptoms
You should be watchful of the following signals (particularly in baby or children, but they apply to everyone) to determine the presence of diarrhea:
The main symptoms, as mentioned previously are frequent and watery bowel evacuations
Cramping and pain, which can vary in intensity, in the lower abdomen is another frequent signal
Sweating and fever, which represent an infectious source for the problem
Involuntary vomiting and loathing of food
Presence of blood and mucous excretions
Diarrhea Causes
There are many possible causes for diarrhea, which can represent an innocuous problem or a harmful condition. The most frequent of these causes are:
Alteration of the normal food passage through the intestines as a reaction to an offending food or agent ingested or absorbed. Milk is a common cause of this problem, for some people who have difficulty or are unable processing some of its components, like lactose; these people lack or don’t produce enough enzymes to unfold and absorb this type of sugar from milk, and the body rejects it in the form of diarrhea. People with this condition should avoid or limit the ingestion of these foods.
Some chemical agents used in medicines or food preparation or conservation can also be rejected by the body. The compounds found in laxatives are a clear example of these chemicals. Care should be taken when taking medication or eating unfamiliar foods to make sure they don’t contain these compounds. Always pay attention to the side effects of medicines.
The most dangerous causes of diarrhea are infectious agents. Viral and bacterial organisms can invade the body through ingestion of contaminated or decomposing food or water. Particularly dangerous are viral infections, as these have no effective direct treatment against the offending virus, but in underdeveloped countries even bacterial infections, for which common antibiotics are effective, can have a serious and many times fatal outcome.
Diarrhea Treatments
To determine the proper treatment of diarrhea it is important to first identify the causes. If the problem persist for several days or is accompanied by fever, pain or blood, you should contact a physician immediately. And while diarrhea is present, water or other electrolyte replenishing fluids should be ingested in large quantities to compensate the lost liquids. Possible offender chemical compounds or food items should not be taken or administered. Medicated prescriptions to solve this diarrhea problem must be strictly followed.
Also known as ‘loose stool’ or ‘looseness of the bowels’ is a frequent ailment among the population of all ages, but it is especially dangerous and often fatal among small children (where is one of the leading cause of death worldwide) and people of all ages from underdeveloped countries. One of the dangers of diarrhea is dehydration, as it causes excessive expulsion of liquids from the body, which along with water also depletes the body from elemental nutrients.
What Happens In Colon?
This disease is characterized by frequent and abnormally loose bowel evacuations. Diarrhea can be a disease in itself or a symptom for other gastrointestinal tract problems. Generally if a person has three or more loose stools in a day, then he or she is considered to have diarrhea; it usually corrects untreated in a few days, and is not considered dangerous when no other symptoms are present. But if there are manifestations of other symptoms, like fever and pain, or if the problems persists for an extended period of time it can be considered a life threatening illness and a physician should be consulted for advice and proper treatment.
Diarrhea Symptoms
You should be watchful of the following signals (particularly in baby or children, but they apply to everyone) to determine the presence of diarrhea:
The main symptoms, as mentioned previously are frequent and watery bowel evacuations
Cramping and pain, which can vary in intensity, in the lower abdomen is another frequent signal
Sweating and fever, which represent an infectious source for the problem
Involuntary vomiting and loathing of food
Presence of blood and mucous excretions
Diarrhea Causes
There are many possible causes for diarrhea, which can represent an innocuous problem or a harmful condition. The most frequent of these causes are:
Alteration of the normal food passage through the intestines as a reaction to an offending food or agent ingested or absorbed. Milk is a common cause of this problem, for some people who have difficulty or are unable processing some of its components, like lactose; these people lack or don’t produce enough enzymes to unfold and absorb this type of sugar from milk, and the body rejects it in the form of diarrhea. People with this condition should avoid or limit the ingestion of these foods.
Some chemical agents used in medicines or food preparation or conservation can also be rejected by the body. The compounds found in laxatives are a clear example of these chemicals. Care should be taken when taking medication or eating unfamiliar foods to make sure they don’t contain these compounds. Always pay attention to the side effects of medicines.
The most dangerous causes of diarrhea are infectious agents. Viral and bacterial organisms can invade the body through ingestion of contaminated or decomposing food or water. Particularly dangerous are viral infections, as these have no effective direct treatment against the offending virus, but in underdeveloped countries even bacterial infections, for which common antibiotics are effective, can have a serious and many times fatal outcome.
Diarrhea Treatments
To determine the proper treatment of diarrhea it is important to first identify the causes. If the problem persist for several days or is accompanied by fever, pain or blood, you should contact a physician immediately. And while diarrhea is present, water or other electrolyte replenishing fluids should be ingested in large quantities to compensate the lost liquids. Possible offender chemical compounds or food items should not be taken or administered. Medicated prescriptions to solve this diarrhea problem must be strictly followed.
Comments
Post a Comment