Health And Medical

Archive for the ‘Diarrhea’ Category

To most individuals, diarrhea means an increased frequency or decreased consistency of bowel movements; however, the medical definition is more exact than this.

In many urbanized countries, the average number of bowel actions is three per day.

However, researchers have establish that diarrhea best correlate with an increase in stool weight; stool weights above 10oz (300 gs) per day generally indicates diarrhea.

This is mainly due to excess water, which normally makes up 60-85% of fecal matter.

In this way, true diarrhea is famous from diseases that cause only an amplify in the number of bowel schedule (hyperdefecation) or incontinence (involuntary loss of bowel contents).

Diarrhea is loose, watery stools. A person with diarrhea typically passes stool more than three times a day.

People with diarrhea may pass more than a quart of stool a day. Acute diarrhea is a common difficulty that more often than not lasts 1 or 2 days and goes away on its own without special treatment.

Causes of Diarrhea

1.    Bacterial infections. Several types of bacteria inspired through impure food or water can cause diarrhea. Common culprits include Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli (E. coli).

2.    Viral infections. Many viruses cause diarrhea, counting rotavirus, Norwalk virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and viral hepatitis.

3.    Food intolerances. Some people are unable to digest food mechanism such as artificial sweetener and lactose—the sugar found in milk.

4.    Parasites. Parasites can enter the body through food or water and settle in the digestive system. Parasites that cause diarrhea include Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Cryptosporidium.

Symptoms of Diarrhea

1.    Loose/watery stools
2.    At times there can be abdominal pain associated with diarrhea.
3.    Nausea
4.    Sometimes stool contains blood
5.    Fever

Treatment of Diarrhea

Adults: Make sure you do not become dehydrated if you have diarrhea. Drink plenty of fluids.

1.    The type of drink is not as important as simply replenishing lost water. But avoid milk.

It will make diarrhea worse. Diet soft drinks do not provide the calories that dehydrated community may need, so regular soda or soft food and drink may be selected to replace lost water.

2.    Try to eat. The food does not need to be bland, but try to avoid greasy or fatty foods. Infants and children should be confident to eat bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast — called the BRAT diet — a mixture used for decades to treat diarrhea.

If diarrhea is accompanied by nausea, suck on ice chips until the nausea stops. After the diarrhea stops, avoid intoxicating beverages and spicy foods for two more days.

Home Remedies for Diarrhea

Fresh juice of Indian gooseberry (Amla) taken with lemon juice and sugar is beneficial. Morpheme Amalaki offers pure Amla fruit extract in vegetable capsules.

Add one teaspoonful of ginger juice in half cup of boiling water and drink hot after every one-hour.

Diarrhea treatment – Make a blend by adding 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ginger juice and 1/4 tsp infuse powder.

Drink this mixture two times a day. This is one of the useful home remedies for diarrhea.

Banana taken along with curd is also positive for the treatment of fixed motions.

Diarrhea is loose, watery, and frequent stool. Diarrhea is an uncomfortable condition that can have many causes. Diarrhea in adults is usually mild and goes away quickly without complications. In infants and children (especially under age 3), diarrhea can cause dehydration fairly quickly. Diarrhea is most commonly caused by viral infections or bacterial toxins, viruses or parasites, certain medicines, food intolerances and diseases that affect the stomach, small intestine or colon. Acute diarrhea due to viral gastroenteritis. Acute diarrhea is an unpleasant digestive disorder. It estimated that most Americans.

 

Gastroentérite virus (viral infection of the stomach and small intestine) is the most common cause of acute diarrhea World chronic diarrhea lasts much longer than the acute diarrhoea, usually over four weeks. Chronic or recurrent Diarrhea can be a symptom of poor absorption of nutrients (malabsorption). There are at least four types of diarrhoea: secretory diarrhea, osmotic diarrhea, motility-related diarrhea, diarrhea and inflammation. Secretory Diarrhea means that there is an increase in active secretion, or there is an inhibition of absorption. Osmotic diarrhea occurs when there is a loss of water due to heavy osmotic.

Motility related to diarrhea occurs when the motility of the gastrointestinal tract is abnormal. Inflammatory of diarrhea occurs when there is damage to the lining or the brush border, which leads to a loss of liabilities protein-rich fluid, and less capacity to absorb fluids lost. Diarrhea symptoms can be broken down into uncomplicated 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. Other symptoms of diarrhea include blood, mucus or undigested food in the stool , weight loss and fever

 

Drink plenty of fluid to avoid becoming dehydrated.

 

1. Don’t wash pet cages or bowls in the same sink.

 

2. A diet high in FIBER may help relieve your symptoms.

 

3. Active cultures of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) make diarrhea less severe.

 

4. Foods like rice, dry toast, and bananas can sometimes help with diarrhea.

 

5. Wash your hands often, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.

 

6. Do not eat uncooked vegetables or fruit that do not have peels.

What is Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be defined in absolute or relative terms based on either the frequency of bowel movements or the consistency (looseness) of stools.

Diarrhea is loose, watery stools. A person with diarrhea typically passes stool more than three times a day. People with diarrhea may pass more than a quart of stool a day. Acute diarrhea is a common problem that usually lasts 1 or 2 days and goes away on its own without special treatment. Prolonged diarrhea persisting for more than 2 days may be a sign of a more serious problem and poses the risk of dehydration. Chronic diarrhea may be a feature of a chronic disease.

The loose-stool consistency that characterizes diarrhea usually lasts a few days at most. Diarrhea often means more-frequent trips to the toilet and a greater volume of stool. Some common causes of loose, watery stools and abdominal cramps are infections from viruses, bacteria or parasites. Other causes include medications — particularly antibiotics — and artificial sweeteners.

Causes of Diarrhea
Diarrhea is most commonly caused by viral infections, parasites or bacterial toxins.[1] In sanitary living conditions where there is ample food and a supply of clean water, an otherwise healthy patient usually recovers from viral infections in a few days. However, for ill or malnourished individuals diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and can become life-threatening without treatment.

Bacteria and parasites. Contaminated food or water can transmit bacteria and parasites to your body. Parasites such as Giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium can cause diarrhea. Common bacterial causes of diarrhea include campylobacter, salmonella, shigella and Escherichia coli. This type of diarrhea can be common for people traveling to developing countries.

Tap water (A common mistake travelers make is to avoid tap water but to place ice cubes in a beverage. Contaminated ice is still able to transmit disease. Do not use ice cubes.)Giardia parasite: Infection with Giardia (called giardiasis) is easily spread through child-care settings and contaminated water supplies, especially water parks and pools (the bacteria are resistant to chlorine treatment), children’s “touch tanks” in aquariums and museums, and contaminated streams or lakes.

Symptoms of Diarrhea
The common illness, which may last several days, often called “intestinal flu,” is often due to one of a number of viruses that infect the bowel, making it weep fluid. The excess of fluid in the bowel leads to liquid stools. The inflammation may also be associated with cramping abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Other common infectious diarrheas may be caused by bacteria. These bacteria irritate the bowel and make it pour out fluid. The inflammation may also be associated with cramping abdominal pain. “Travelers’ diarrhea” is due to particular bacteria common in certain areas of the world.

Treatment of Diarrhea
Most cases of diarrhea clear on their own within a few days without treatment. If you seek medical attention, your doctor likely will advise you to take steps to replace the fluids and salts lost during diarrhea.Medicines that stop diarrhea should not be used for people whose diarrhea is caused by bacterial infection or a parasite because they may prolong the infection. In these cases, antibiotics are typically recommended. Depending on the severity and type of virus, viral caused diarrhea is either treated with medication or left to run its course.

Try to eat. The food does not need to be bland, but try to avoid greasy or fatty foods. Infants and children should be encouraged to eat bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast—the BRAT diet—a combination used for decades to treat diarrhea. If diarrhea is accompanied by nausea, suck on ice chips until the nausea stops. After the diarrhea stops, avoid alcoholic beverages and spicy foods for 2 more days.