What is Diarrhea? loose motion medicine, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

 

 

Today's topic is diarrhea. Diarrhea is an illness in which the body's solid waste is more liquid than usual and comes out of the body more often. Diarrhea is one of the most common health complaints it can range from a mild temporary condition to a potentially life-threatening one. Globally an estimated two billion cases of the diarrheal disease occur each year and 1.9 million children under the age of five years mostly in developing countries die from diarrhea.

Causes:

 Diarrhea can be caused by a virus such as

• Norovirus or rotavirus.
• Bacteria such as Campylobacter and s Curitiba coli.
• Ecoli which are often picked up from contaminated food.
• A parasite such as a parasite that causes giardiasis.

which is spread in contaminated water. These infections can sometimes be caught during travel abroad, particularly to areas with poor standards of public hygiene. This is known as traveler's diarrhea. Diarrhea can also be the result of anxiety a food allergy. Medication or a long-term condition such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Signs and Symptoms

The main symptom of diarrhea is loose watery bowel motions stools, or feces three or more times a day.

Accompanying signs and symptoms may include:

• Urgent need to go to the toilet.
• Abdominal pain.
• Cramping change in color of your stools.
• Mucus, pus, blood, or fat in your stools.
• Vomiting.
• General body weakness and tiredness.

The excessive loss of water in your stool can also sometimes lead to dehydration. Which can be serious if it's not recognized and treated quickly,

 The signs of dehydration in adults can include:

• Tiredness and lack of energy.
• Loss of appetite.
• Nausea.
• Feeling lightheaded.
• Dizziness.
• Dry tongue.
• Sunken eyes.
• Muscle cramps.
• Rapid heartbeat.

Diagnosis:

Besides conducting a physical exam and reviewing your medications your doctor might order tests to determine what's causing your diarrhea they include: 

1. Blood tests a complete blood count tests can help determine what's causing your diarrhea.
2.  Stool tests your doctor might recommend a stool test to determine whether a bacterium or parasite is causing your diarrhea.
3.  Flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.

 your doctor might recommend one of these  procedures to look at the lining of your colon and provide biopsies if no cause is evident for persistent diarrhea 

Treatment

Most cases of diarrhea clear on their own within a couple of days without treatment. If you've tried lifestyle changes and home remedies for diarrhea without success your doctor might recommend medications or other treatments.

1. Antibiotics :

Antibiotics might help treat diarrhea caused by bacteria or parasites. If a virus is causing your diarrhea antibiotics won't help.

 2. Treatment to replace fluids

 your doctor likely will advise you to replace the fluids and salts. For most adults that means drinking water juice or both. If drinking liquids upsets your stomach or causes diarrhea your doctor might recommend getting fluids through a vein in your arm or (intravenously).