Diarrhea
Diarrhea describes bowel movements (stools) that are loose and watery. It is very common and usually not serious. Many people will have diarrhea once or twice each year. It typically lasts two to three days and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. Others have diarrhea often as part of irritable bowel syndrome or other chronic diseases of the large intestine. It is also frequent in people that have HIV.
Classifications of Diarrhea
Doctors classify diarrhea as "osmotic," "secretory," or "exudative."
Osmotic diarrhea means that something in the bowel is drawing water from the body into the bowel. A common example of this is "dietetic candy" or "chewing gum" diarrhea, in which a sugar substitute, such as sorbitol, is not absorbed by the body but draws water from the body into the bowel, resulting in diarrhea.
Secretory diarrhea occurs when the body is releasing water into the bowel when it's not supposed to. Many infections, drugs, and other conditions cause secretory diarrhea.
Exudative diarrhea refers to the presence of blood and pus in the stool. This occurs with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and several infections.
What Causes Diarrhea?
The most common cause of diarrhea is a virus that infects the gut. The infection usually lasts for two days and is sometimes called "intestinal flu" or "stomach flu." Diarrhea may also be caused by:
- Infection by bacteria (the cause of most types of food poisoning)
- Infections by other organisms
- Eating foods that upset the digestive system
- Allergies to certain foods
- Medications
- Radiation therapy
- Diseases of the intestines (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)
- Malabsorption (where the body is unable to adequately absorb certain nutrients from the diet)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Some cancers
- Laxative abuse
- Alcohol abuse
- Digestive tract surgery
- Diabetes
- Competitive running
Diarrhea may also follow constipation, especially for people who have irritable bowel syndrome.
What Are the Symptoms of Diarrhea?
Symptoms of diarrhea can be broken down into uncomplicated (or non-serious) diarrhea and complicated diarrhea. Complicated diarrhea may be a sign of a more serious illness.
Symptoms of uncomplicated diarrhea include:
- Abdominal bloating or cramps
- Thin or loose stools
- Watery stool
- Sense of urgency to have a bowel movement
- Nausea and vomiting
In addition to the symptoms described above, the symptoms of complicated diarrhea include:
- Blood, mucus, or undigested food in the stool
- Weight loss
- Fever
Contact your doctor/clinic/day hospital if you have prolonged diarrhea or a fever that lasts more than 24 hours. Also see your doctor/clinic/day hospital promptly if vomiting prevents you from drinking liquids to replace lost fluids.
How Is Diarrhea Treated?
In the vast majority of cases the diarrhea will disappear within a week or so. Before it does, the following steps may help ease symptoms:
- Drink plenty of fluids - diarrhea often carries a risk of dehydration, especially if it includes vomiting. It is important to make sure babies and children are getting plenty of fluids.
Diarrhea may affect the balance of salts and electrolytes in the body. Special dehydration drinks can be bought in a pharmacy to restore their balance. A pharmacist can advise on which drinks to consume. - Eat as soon as you feel up to it - doctors used to tell people not to eat until the symptoms went away. They now recommend patients start with foods such as pasta, bread, rice or potatoes - foods high in carbohydrates, as soon as possible. Add a bit of salt to the food to replace salt loss. Avoid foods that are high in fat.
- Medications - such medicines as loperamide may slow down bowel movements and may also increase the gut's water absorption. Do not give anti-diarrhea medications to children without checking first with a doctor. Do not take anti-diarrhea medications if there is blood in the stools or if you have a fever.
- Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding babies - doctors recommend that feeding continue as normal if the baby has diarrhea. If necessary, add rehydration drinks that are bought from a pharmacy.
- Painkillers - for fever or headache doctors recommend Tylenol (paracetamol) or ibuprofen. If you have kidney, liver or long-term stomach problems do not take ibuprofen. Do not give aspirin if your child is under 16 years of age.
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Page Last Updated 10 November 2011
