What're the symptoms of diarrhea?
Diarrhea is characterized by frequent loose stools. The consistency of the stool can be anything from soft and pasty to completely watery. The color can range from brown to clear. Symptoms related to any diarrheal illness are often those associated with any injury to the gastrointestinal tract, such as fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. All or none of these may be present depending on the disease causing the diarrhea. The number of bowel movements can vary--up to 20
or more per day. In some patients, blood or pus is present in the stool. Bowel movements may be difficult to flush (float) or contain undigested food material.
Patients with diarrhea present with various clinical features depending on the underlying cause. Diarrhea due to small-intestinal disease is typically high-volume, watery, and often associated with malabsorption, and dehydration is frequent. Diarrhea due to colonic involvement is more often associated with frequent small-volume stools, with the presence of blood and a sensation of urgency. Patients with acute infectious diarrhea typically present with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and frequent stools, which may be watery, malabsorptive, or bloody depending on the specific pathogen. In general, small-intestinal pathogens are noninvasive, and ileocolonic pathogens are more likely to be invasive. Patients ingesting toxins or those with toxigenic infection typically have nausea and vomiting as prominent symptoms along with watery diarrhea but rarely have a high fever. Vomiting that begins within several hours of ingesting a food should suggest food poisoning due to preformed toxin. Parasites that do not invade the intestinal mucosa, such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium, usually cause only mild abdominal discomfort. Giardiasis may be associated with mild steatorrhea, gaseousness, and bloating. Dehydration can occur if diarrhea is severe and oral intake is limited due to nausea and vomiting, particularly in very young and elderly patients. It is manifested as increased thirst, decreased urinary output with dark urine, inability to sweat, and orthostatic changes. In severe cases, it may lead to acute renal failure and mental status changes like confusion and drowsiness. |
More information on diarrhea
What is diarrhea? - Diarrhea is a condition characterized by frequent bowel movements and feces that are soft or watery, and that may contain blood, pus, or mucus. Severe diarrhea in children can lead to dehydration and death.
What causes diarrhea? - Diarrhea may be caused by infections of the digestive system, medicines such as antibiotics, malabsorption, irritable bowel syndrome, or other factors.
What're the symptoms of diarrhea? - Diarrhea is characterized by frequent loose stools. Patients with diarrhea present with various clinical features depending on the underlying cause.
How is diarrhea diagnosed? - Most cases of acute diarrhea never need diagnosis or treatment. The most useful are stool culture and examination for parasites.
What're the treatments for diarrhea? - Treatment is ideally directed toward correcting the cause; however, the first aim should be to prevent or treat dehydration and nutritional deficiencies.
What's acute diarrhea? - Acute diarrhea is a disorder in which people develop loose stools and increased frequency of stools. Acute diarrhea lasts for a day or two and often stops as suddenly as it started.
Infant diarrhea prevention and treatment - Most acute diarrhea in infants and young children is due to viral gastroenteritis and is usually short-lived. Antibiotics are not routinely prescribed for viral gastroenteritis.
What are the causes of acute diarrhea? - The most common causes of acute diarrhea are infectious agents. Other important causes include food poisoning, medications, inflammatory or ischemic bowel disease.
What is chronic diarrhea? - Chronic diarrhea is defined as loose stool that persists for greater than 1 month. Chronic diarrhea is usually caused by a parasite.
What are the causes of chronic diarrhea? - Chronic diarrhea is frequently due to many of the same things that cause the shorter episodes (infections, medications, etc.).
What is traveler's diarrhea? - Traveler's diarrhea is a term used to describe the diarrhea caused by infection with bacteria, protozoa, or viruses ingested by consuming food or water that has been contaminated.
What are the causes of traveler's diarrhea? - Traveler's diarrhea may be caused by any of several bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Cooks and food handlers may have the germs that cause traveler's diarrhea.
What are the symptoms of traveler's diarrhea? - Nausea, vomiting, borborygmi, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea begin 12 to 72 h after ingesting contaminated food or water.
How is traveler's diarrhea diagnosed? - In some cases, a doctor might be able to identify the infecting organism, which could lead to a specific treatment.
What's the treatment for traveler's diarrhea? - Dehydration is the biggest danger of traveler's diarrhea. In most cases, diarrhea ends within three to five days without antibiotic treatment.
How to prevent traveler's diarrhea? - Many cases of traveler's diarrhea can be prevented. Travelers should dine at restaurants with a reputation for safety and avoid foods and beverages from street vendors. |
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