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Symptoms and Causes of Diarrhea |
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Symptons and Causes of Diarrhea Diarrhea Author: Edward F. Group III, D.C., Ph.D, N.D.,CCN
Acute diarrhea is an unpleasant digestive disorder that virtually everyone experiences at one time or another. The loose-stool consistency usually lasts a few days at most. Diarrhea often means more frequent trips to the bathroom and may mean your stool is greater in volume. The most 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. You may become infected through the water you drink, the ice cubes you use, the food that is washed by water such as fruits and vegetables, people handling your food, the flies landing on your food, and food that is not adequately cooked. Chronic diarrhea lasts much longer than acute diarrhea. It can be a sign of a serious disorder, or may be due to a less serious condition such as irritable bowel syndrome. Diarrhea may cause your bowel to lose significant amounts of water and salts. Also, chronic or recurrent diarrhea may signal a more serious underlying medical problem, such as chronic infection, inflammatory bowel disease or poor absorption of nutrients (malabsorption). Most cases of diarrhea clear on their own without treatment. But if diarrhea persists or you become dehydrated, see your doctor. Signs and symptoms associated with diarrhea may include:
Nausea and vomiting may precede diarrhea that's caused by an infection. Bacterial or parasitic infections sometimes cause bloody stools. Fever may accompany these infections as well. Persistent abdominal pain is a symptom of potentially even more serious causes of diarrhea. Normally, the food you eat remains in liquid form during most of the digestive process. When food passes through your colon, most of the fluids are absorbed and what remains is a semisolid stool. In diarrhea, food and fluids you've ingested and secreted pass too quickly or in too large an amount - or both - through your colon. The fluids aren't sufficiently absorbed and the result is a watery bowel movement. Also, the lining of your colon may be inflamed or diseased, making it less able to absorb fluids. The most common causes of diarrhea include: Viruses. Rotavirus and adenovirus are common examples in young children. Direct contact easily spreads viral diarrhea. Bacteria and parasites. Parasites such as Giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium can cause diarrhea. Certain bacteria can make a toxin that triggers intestinal cells to secrete rather than to absorb salt and water. Common bacterial causes of diarrhea include campylobacter, salmonella, shigella and Escherichia coli. These infections overwhelm the capacity of your lower small bowel or your colon - or both - to absorb fluid. The result is diarrhea. Contaminated food or water can transmit bacteria and parasites to your body. Lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products, also is a common cause of diarrhea in some people. Diarrhea may be mild with just some cramps and a few loose bowel movements per day, or much more severe. Dysentery refers to diarrhea associated with blood and pus and fever, and it is usually caused by one of the bacteria. This is the sort of experience that makes some people choose Florida over Mexico!
Besides the viruses mentioned here, there are also many kinds of viruses
that can cause diarrhea and they are common to us. During their first 5
years of life, all children acquire rotavirus (which causes inflammation
of the stomach and bowels to cause diarrhea) and almost all children
acquire other viruses causing intestinal disease.
Giardia is described as a large sucking disk by which it holds onto the inside of the intestine, prevents food from being absorbed there. This causes malabsorption of fluids in the bowels and speeds contents through the intestines to produce diarrhea. By age 5, many children have acquired Giardia.
Other reasons for diarrhea include anatomic defects of the intestinal tract. These are:
Hirschsprung's disease is an abnormal condition present at birth which is due to absence of the normal nerves (ganglia) in the bowel wall. Nerves can be missing in this condition starting at the anus and extending up a variable distance of the bowel. This results in enlargement of the bowel above the point of missing nerves. (The nerves normally assist in the natural movement of the muscles in the lining of our bowels which move bowel contents through.) Hirschsprung disease (also known as congenital aganglionic megacolon) is the commonest cause of lower intestinal blockage (obstruction) in the newborn and later a cause of chronic constipation or, paradoxically, chronic diarrhea. Diarrhea can also be a side effect of many medications, particularly antibiotics. Antibiotics can disturb the natural balance of bacteria in your intestines. In addition, the artificial sweeteners sorbitol and mannitol found in chewing gum and other sugar-free products can cause diarrhea. Many otherwise healthy people may have some difficulty with these sweeteners. If you want to learn ways to help stop or control diarrhea continue reading onward.
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