Wednesday 6 July 2016

Diarrhea, Causes And Treatment.

Diarrhoea can be described as when a person passes frequent, loose or watery stools.
Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose, watery, soft stools with or without abdominal bloating, pressure, and cramps commonly referred to as gas. Diarrhea can come on suddenly.
It usually lasts a few days and often disappears without any treatment. Diarrhea can be acute or chronic.
Acute diarrhea occurs when the condition lasts for one to two days. You might experience diarrhea as a result of a viral or bacterial infection. Other times, it could be due to food poisoning. There’s even a condition known as traveler’s diarrhea, which happens when you
have diarrhea after being exposed to bacteria or parasites while on vacation in a developing nation. Acute diarrhea is fairly common.
Chronic diarrhea refers to diarrhea that lasts for at least four weeks. It’s usually the result of an intestinal disease or disorder, such as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease.
     Diarrhea is more common and is more dangerous in young children, especially those who are poorly malnourished.Diarrhea should not be confused with the frequent passing of stools of normal consistency - this is not diarrhea. Diarrhea is instead characterized by abnormally loose or watery stools, while dysentery is diarrhea that contains blood, pus, or mucus.
                 
                                         Causes Of Diarrhea     
~ Parasites cause infection of the digestive system by the use of contaminated water.
~ Bacteria .
~ Intestinal disorders or diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
~ Reaction to certain medications can cause diarrhea including antibiotics, blood pressure medications, cancer drugs, gout medications, weight loss drugs, and antacids (especially those containing magnesium).
~ Intolerance or allergies to foods .
~  Alcohol abuse can cause diarrhea. Both binge drinking and chronic alcoholism may lead to loose stools.
~ Laxatives .
~ Diabetic diarrhea can be a complication of diabetes.
~Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may cause loose stools and the diarrhea may last for up to three weeks after treatment ends.
~ Poor Nutrition .
~Digestive surgery including stomach or intestinal surgery may cause diarrhea.
~ Malaria especially the Falciparum Type.
~ Eating of Spoilt foods.
~ Worm infestations this is not common.

      The major problem with Diarrhoea is the loss of body fluids and ions, which sustains life ; a condition called DEHYDRATION.

                Dehydration and Diarrhea

Diarrhea can cause you to lose fluids quickly and put you at risk for dehydration. If you don’t receive treatment for diarrhea, it can have very serious effects. The symptoms of dehydration include:

1) Thirst is often an early sign.
2)Fatigue.
3) Dry mucous.
4)Increased heart rate.
5)  A headache.
6) Lightheaded ness.
7) Decreased urination.
8)Dry mouth.
9) Weight loss especially in young children.
10) Loss of elasticity of the skin.

              Treatment :
Though there are  many causes of  diarrhea as listed above usually no medicines or medications are needed for treating it. Hence :
a) Maintain good nutrition.
b) Give generous amount of oral Re - hydration Therapy (ORT) This comes as a Pre-packaged salts. Which are dissolved and given to children orally. Alternatively home prepared ones can be made using table salt, sugar and clean water.
C) If condition persists or worsens within 48hours. Take the child or adult to the hospital.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for sharing such wonderful information! In my opinion, Keep a healthy life by consuming healthy food and doing exercise regularly is the best healthy formula.

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