Diarrhea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed stools. It may be acute or chronic. Commonly known as ” loose motions”, it is perhaps the most common disease in India.<\/p>\n
The intestines normally get more than 10 litres of liquid per day which comes from the diet and from the secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines. In the cause of diarrhea, water is either not absorbed or is secreted in excess by the organs of the body. It is then sent to the colon where the water holding capacity is limited. Thus, the urge to defecate comes quite often.<\/p>\n
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Causes<\/span><\/p>\n There are many and varied causes of diarrhea. The chief causes are overeating or eating of wrong foods, putrefaction in the intestine tract, fermentation caused by incomplete carbohydrate digestion, nervous irritability and excessive intake of laxatives. Other causes include infection by parasites, germs, virus, bacteria or a poison which has entered into the body through food, water or air, allergies to certain substances or even common foods such as milk, wheat, eggs, and sea foods and emotional strain or stress in adults and fright in children.<\/p>\n It may also result from the use of antibiotic drugs. This is due to the destruction of the beneficial bacteria in intestines along with pathogenic bacteria at which the antibiotic treatment was aimed.<\/p>\n Diarrhea may be a prominent feature of organic diseases affecting the small or large intestine such as the sprue syndrome, malignant disease and ulcerative colitis. It may also result from operations on the gastro-intestinal tract. Diarrhea may alternate with constipation. This may be a result of the irritation of the mucous membrane by impacted hard faeces.<\/p>\n Diarrhea for prolonged periods can lead to certain complications. These may include general weakening of health due to loss of vitamins A, D, E and K and other nutrients as foods is rushed through the body without giving the nutrients a chance of being absorbed, dehydration due to loss of body fluids and washing out of minerals from the body and nervous conditions.<\/p>\n Among the various complications, dehydration poses a serious problem, especially when diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting. It can even be fatal if unchecked. Dehydration is characterised by hot, dry skin over the abdomen, sunken eyes, dry mouth, intense thirst and reduced flow of urine. This can usually be prevented, if the patient suffering from diarrhea, with or without vomiting, is given plenty of liquids. The patient should be given about 150 to 200 ml. of fluid every hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"