All about diarrhea  causes of diarrhea symptoms of diarrhea diagnosis of diarrhea treatments for diarrhea acute diarrhea infant diarrhea prevention and treatment causes of acute diarrhea chronic diarrhea causes of chronic diarrhea traveler's diarrhea causes of traveler's diarrhea symptoms of traveler's diarrhea traveler's diarrhea diagnosis treatment for traveler's diarrhea prevention of traveler's diarrhea Articles in signs and symptoms of digestive diseases - diarrhea vomiting nausea gas in the digestive tract heartburn constipation |
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What are the causes of traveler's diarrhea?
Traveler's diarrhea describes a specific condition that happens when visitors from countries that have good public sanitation and hygiene travel to countries that have poor public sanitation and hygiene. Traveler's diarrhea may be caused by any of
several bacteria, viruses, or parasites. However, enterotoxigenic E. coli is the most common cause. E. coli organisms are commonly present in the water supplies of areas that lack adequate water purification. Infection is common in persons traveling to some areas of Mexico and Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Travelers often avoid drinking local water but become infected by brushing their teeth with an improperly rinsed toothbrush, drinking bottled drinks with ice made from local water, or eating food prepared with local water.
Cooks and food handlers may have the germs that cause traveler's diarrhea on their hands, but they may not get sick themselves. In the same way, people who live in a place often drink tap water that contains these germs, but they do not get diarrhea. This is because their bodies are used to the germs. When people travel to a new place, they are more likely to become sick, because they lack protective antibodies (infection-fighting agents in the blood) that attack these germs. |
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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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