The majority of people get diarrhea a few times a year. You’ll have loose, watery stools if you have diarrhea. Diarrhea caused by different reasons. Bacteria is the most common cause.
Most of the time, it resolves on its own after a few days. A hazardous side effect of diarrhoea is dehydration.
To learn more about what is diarrhea, its symptoms, causes, treatment, and preventive measure, keep reading further!
Table of Contents
What is Diarrhea?
What is diarrhea in Urdu? Diarrhea in Urdu is called “اسہال”.
Diarrhea occurs when you experience loose and watery stool. Such a condition makes you feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom multiple times a day. Causing factors can lead to both types of diarrhea, including chronic and acute.
Gastroenterologists say that it is commonly associated with other symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, weight loss, etc. Irritable bowel movement or inflammatory bowel disease can cause chronic illness that lasts up to a few weeks. In this case, you need to consult a doctor for diarrhea treatment.
People often ask:
How to stop diarrhea fast?
Drink plenty of water and prefer low-sugar beverages that help to fulfill the deficiency of the fluids lost due to diarrhea. Take rest and avoid the stress that can reduce the illness. Some gastroenterologists suggest ispaghol to cure this illness.
How to know if it’s diarrhea?
You may experience some other symptoms as well along with loose and watery stools.
What is the difference between diarrhea and dysentery?
Differences between diarrhea and dysentery – Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation, particularly in the colon, that can cause severe diarrhea with mucus or blood in the feces. On the other hand, diarrhea is a disorder marked by the regular passing of loose or watery stools.
Symptoms of Diarrhea
You may experience the followings signs and symptoms:
- Bloating
- Dehydration
- Blood in the stool
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Mucus in stool
- Nausea
- Urgent need to go the bathroom for bowel movement
- Abdominal cramps
- Weight loss
Keep a record of any additional symptoms you may encounter. It’s best to phone your healthcare physician if you have the following symptoms.
- If diarrhea lasts up to two days
- When dehydration occurs
- Bloody or black color stool
- Fever above 102 F
- Rectal pain
Should I be Concerned if My Diarrhea is A Certain Colour?
Your stool (poop) can be any hue. The color of the food you eat can have an impact on the color of your stool. Typically, you shouldn’t be concerned about this.
However, if you ever notice red (blood) in your stool or experience a black bowel movement, it may indicate a more serious condition.
Observe any bowel movements that:
- are tarry and dark
- contain pus or blood
- despite eating non-fatty meals, that are continually greasy or oily
- have a very bad odor
What Causes Diarrhea?
You may experience diarrhea due to different conditions and diseases, including:
1- Bacteria and Parasites
Contaminated foods and water can cause watery stools. Foods that contain pathogenic bacteria lead to loose and watery stools. People who travel a lot should be aware of the traveler’s diarrhea. It occurs when a person eats foods or drinks beverages from a different country that contains bacteria and parasites.
During hospitalization, you may experience this condition along with some other symptoms. People who use antibiotics are also prone to diarrhea.
2- Lactose Intolerance
Some people have lactose digestion difficulty, which causes watery and loose stools or nausea. It is a type of sugar that is present in milk and other dairy products.
Aging is also a risk factor that increases lactose intolerance. As you get older, the level of enzymes drops (that help to digest lactose).
Get to know in detail about lactose intolerance in children.
3- Artificial Sweeteners
Some nonabsorbable sugars can cause diarrhea, which means artificial sweeteners. These include erythritol, mannitol, and sorbitol. Such artificial sweeteners are found in sugar-free products or bubble gums. The use of these sugars can cause watery stools even in some people.
Read in detail about artificial sweeteners’ side effects.
4- Cancer-Related Causes
Some of its types occur due to serious health conditions. Cancer is also a condition that causes neoplastic diarrhea.
5- Drugs
Some drugs can cause loose motion. Studies say that antibiotics deal with infection as they kill bacteria but also destroy good bacteria. When there is no balanced level of bacteria, it leads to other infections or may upset your stomach. Anti-cancer anti-acid drugs cause diarrhea as well.
6- Fructose
In fruits and honey, there is a sugar found, known as fructose. Many people use it while making beverages. Some people have difficulty digesting fructose which can upset your stomach.
7- Other Causes of Diarrhea
- Alcohol abuse
- Food allergies
- Specific foods that can upset your digestive system
- Overactive thyroid
- Digestive system surgery
- Malabsorption
- Laxative abuse
- Radiation therapy
- Diabetes
- Intestine diseases
Doctors always diagnose the cause before starting the treatment as it helps to reduce the symptoms. After learning about the cause, you need to find out how to cure diarrhea.
When to Visit A Doctor?
Although diarrhea frequently goes away without medical intervention, it is crucial to get checked out when there is:
- Continual vomiting
- Constant diarrhea causing dehydration
- A substantial decrease in weight
- Pus in the stool
- Blood in the stool, and/or the possibility of the stool turning black
Anyone who has diarrhea following surgery, a stay in the hospital, or the use of antibiotics should also visit a doctor.
Adults who experience insomnia as a result of diarrhea should also consult a doctor as soon as possible because this is frequently an indication of more serious problems.
If a child has had more than five episodes of diarrhea or has puked more than twice in 24 hours, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible. You can make an appointment with the gastroenterologist near you by visiting our website Healthwire.
Diarrhea Diagnosis
Your doctor will inquire about your health history, current medications, and recent dietary intake addition to your medical history. Your physical will be examined to check for symptoms of dehydration or abdominal pain.
The following tests can assist determine the reason behind your diarrhea:
- Blood tests to check for particular conditions or diseases
- Colonoscopy is a very unusual procedure in which your doctor uses a tiny camera and light-equipped tube to view your colon. They can also take a little tissue sample with this gadget. Alternatively, your doctor may simply need to perform a sigmoidoscopy, which only examines the lower colon
- Stool examinations for parasites or germs
Diarrhea Treatment
If you are experiencing mild diarrhea, you can take over-the-counter medicines. Due to loose and watery stools, you lose the fluids from your body that you need to replace. Make sure that you drink clear beverages and at least 8-ounce glasses every day.
Doctors suggest avoiding caffeine intake as it can trigger the condition.
You can also take a warm bath for burning relief that comes as a result of bowel movement.
Petroleum jelly is also a good solution to apply for burning relief.
You need to choose some home remedies for diarrhea that are chronic or persistent.
1- Antidiarrheal Medication
You can take antidiarrheal medications that can stop diarrhea. You should ask your doctor before taking any medicine as there may be other health conditions that cause loose and watery stools. These medications help in removing the bacteria that can upset your stomach.
Read more about lomotil tablet uses.
2- Rehydration
It does not matter if the diarrhea is mild or severe, rehydration is a must for every person. Replacing fluids is possible when you drink more water or clear beverages. Intravenous fluids are for those with severe cases. You can also consider ORS water benefits to treat nonsevere diarrhea cases. You can also have broth to fulfill the deficiency which occurs due to multiple bowel movements.
3- Antibiotics
You can treat this sickness with antibiotics that occur due to bacterial infections. Some examples of antibiotics include ciprofloxacin, rifaximin, and novidat tablet for diarrhea, etc. to learn more about novidat tablets for diarrhea uses, click here!
NOTE: Make sure that you consult with your doctor before taking any antibiotics. Because your doctor will ask about your medical history before prescribing you antibiotics.
4- Foods for Diarrhea
One of the best ways to deal with this illness is to learn what you should eat and drink.
- The BRAT diet is good, it consists of bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast.
- Try to sip on one cup of liquid after every stool.
- Avoid drinking during your meals but sip on liquids between meals.
- To thicken your stool, choose high-fiber foods, like oatmeal, rice, and bananas.
- Avoid foods like high dairy, sugary diet, and fried foods.
- Try to consume high-potassium foods, including potatoes without skin, fruit juices, etc.
What Foods You Should Avoid
Some foods can make your diarrhea worse and cause burning in the stomach, such as:
- Avoid things that contain artificial sweeteners.
- Olestra
- Medications
- Caffeinated drinks
- Sugar-free gum
- Prunes
- Sweet cherries
- Magnesium
- High amount fructose
5- Probiotics
Researchers claim that probiotics play an important role in preventing traveler’s diarrhea. You should not take any probiotics until your doctor prescribes you.
How can I ease the agony that diarrhea has produced in my lower rectal area?
A lot of times, diarrhea necessitates repeated bathroom visits. Itching, burning and having bowel movements that hurt is one of the uneasy effects of this.
There are a few things you can do to alleviate any of these discomforts, including:
- Sitting in a bathtub filled with a few inches of warm water.
- Following a bath or shower, pat your lower abdomen dry with a fresh, soft towel. Avoid rubbing the area dry because doing so will only exacerbate the inflammation.
- Applying hemorrhoid cream or petroleum jelly to your anus.
How to Prevent Diarrhea?
You can protect yourself from getting sick:
- Do not use tap water or ice.
- Prefer only bottled water.
- Avoid street vendors’ foods.
- Wash your hands before and after cooking.
- Take 20 seconds to rinse your hands.
- Wash your hands every time you do any activity.
- Ask the doctor about antibiotics.
Wrapping Up
Young children and adults are at risk of dehydration that leads to life-threatening conditions if they do not seek diarrhea treatment. Most diarrhea cases are easy to treat at home, and you do not rush to the doctor. But if you experience watery and loose stools for more than 2 days, get medical help.
