Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments for Diarrhea

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments for Diarrhea

Diarrhea is mostly associated with irregular bowel syndrome. The condition is accompanied by dehydration which can occur to not only infants and little ones but also adults and seniors. In most cases, diarrhea can continue for a few weeks which can be easily diagnosed and treated with fluid intake and medications. Apart from this acute syndrome, Chronic Diarrhea is also seen where the initial symptoms go unnoticed and the symptoms last for over four weeks which ultimately might require hospitalization.

Adults can prevent the complications by avoiding unpeeled or unwashed raw vegetables and fruits, having perfectly cooked food served hot, using iodine tablets or boiling water before drinking or using for any purpose. As for kids, they must be given bottle fluid and proper medication if no vaccination was taken during childhood. By eating properly cooked food and purified water and looking out for travel warnings, one can avoid diarrhea.

What are the causes of diarrhea?
In the US, the commonest shenanigans for causing Diarrhea are the bacteria like Salmonella, E-coli, Shigella, Campylobacter being contaminated with water and food. Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease are also some of the diseases responsible for causing chronic Diarrhea. The infections caused by the virus like Adenovirus, Rotavirus, Norovirus as well as Parasites like Entamoeba and Giardia are quite prevalent reasons behind diarrhea. Other causes include:

  • Medicines like laxatives, magnesium-rich Antacids, antacids, Colchicine, Theophylline, low cholesterol agents, antibiotics, Digitalis, and Lithium
  • Removal of parts of intestine or gallbladder during surgery, thereby causing irregular bowels
  • Intake of too much alcohol and caffeinated drinks, soda or soft drinks
  • Food sensitivity with lactose –dairy products, artificial sweeteners in soft drinks, gums or sugar-free products and with natural sweeteners like Fructose in honey and fruits
  • Pre-existing pancreatic or celiac diseases
  • Contamination with toxic elements like pesticides, Arsenic, and psychedelic mushrooms
  • Disorders of hormones causing diabetes, thyroid, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, etc
  • The rare tumors like pheochromocytoma and carcinoid tumor can cause diarrhea
  • Blocked arteries creating Ischemic bowel syndrome that causes bloody diarrhea
  • Radiation treatment for cancer
  • Certain cancers like colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, carcinoid syndrome, lymphoma, pheochromocytoma, medullary carcinoma, etc

Apart from these, frequent travelers are prone to contract Diarrhea due to contamination of bacteria, virus, and parasites in food, water, and other materials.

What are the symptoms of diarrhea?
Some of the common symptoms of diarrhea include liquid stools, fever, abdominal cramps, bloated abdomen, the urgent need for bowel movement and dehydration. While reddish stools indicate severe diarrhea due to intestinal bleeding, thick black stools indicate bleeding in the upper intestines or in the stomach. The stools or vomit can often be greenish due to movement through intestines unusually faster.

Mild to medium abdominal pain indicates acute diarrhea while severe pain indicates severe diarrhea. Unusual high fever is also an alarming symptom for diarrhea. Unusual thirst, dry mouth, sunken eyes, less urination, etc are symptoms seen in infants and kids. In older or aged people, skin appears to be loose and they can be confused and drowsy.

What are the treatments for diarrhea?
In case of dehydration in mild diarrhea, consuming electrolytes and fluid like water (minimum six to eight ounces glasses), salty broths like low-fat chicken broth, saline water, non-caffeinated sodas, sports drinks, tea with honey and fruit juices (no pulp) can help. Some over-the-counter medications in both tablet and liquid forms can be taken accordingly.

Burning, itching or ache in the rectal area can be treated with a warm bath and patting with a soft towel followed by applying petroleum jelly or hemorrhoid cream to the affected area. Kids should be given vaccines for Traveler’s Diarrhea and rotavirus diarrhea as preventive measures.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.