Diarrhea is a disease that causes the sufferer to have frequent bowel movements with watery or watery stools. Diarrhea generally occurs due to consuming food and drink contaminated with viruses, bacteria or parasites.
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| Diarrhea, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, Complications |
Diarrhea usually lasts no more than 14 days (acute diarrhea). However, in some cases, diarrhea can continue for more than 14 days (chronic diarrhea).
Generally, diarrhea is not dangerous and can heal by itself. However, if not treated properly, diarrhea that does not improve or even gets worse can cause fatal complications.
Causes and Symptoms of Diarrhea
Most diarrhea is caused by a viral or bacterial infection in the large intestine that comes from the food or drink consumed. However, long-lasting diarrhea can result from inflammation in the digestive tract, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
The main symptom of diarrhea is loose stools, which may contain mucus or blood. Other symptoms that are often experienced by people with diarrhea are:
- Fever
- Stomach upset
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizzy and weak
- Skin feels dry
Treatment and Prevention of Diarrhea
The main treatment for diarrhea is to prevent dehydration. Sufferers can drink ORS, thin soup, and water, to replace lost body fluids due to diarrhea.
In addition, consumption of soft and non-spicy foods, probiotic supplements, and anti-diarrheal drugs that can be obtained at pharmacies, is also recommended to speed up recovery from diarrhea.
In infants who are still breastfeeding, breastfeeding is still carried out even though the baby has diarrhea.
In more serious conditions, the doctor will give medicines, such as:
- Antibiotic drug
- Pain relievers
- Medications that can slow bowel movements
To prevent diarrhea, it is recommended to always maintain personal and food hygiene, for example by diligently washing hands with soap and running water, washing fruits and vegetables, and not consuming food or drinking water that has not been cooked until cooked.
Causes of Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be caused by a number of conditions, but is most commonly the result of a viral infection in the large intestine. Types of viruses that cause diarrhea include Rotavirus, Norwalk or Norovirus, Cytomegalovirus, and viral hepatitis. Among these types of viruses, Rotavirus is the virus that most often causes diarrhea in children.
Apart from viral infections, diarrhea can also be caused by:
- Bacterial infections, such as Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella
- Parasitic infections, for example amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, or strongyloidiasis
- Other viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
- Food allergies
- Consuming too many foods that contain artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol
- Fructose intolerance, which is a disorder in digesting natural sweeteners in honey and fruits
- Lactose intolerance, which is a disorder in digesting sugar in milk and similar products
- Gallstone surgery side effects
- Side effects of medications, such as antibiotics, which can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the gut, or antacids that contain magnesium
In cases of long-lasting (chronic) diarrhea, causes may include:
- Inflammation of the intestine, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or microscopic colitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- HIV infection and AIDS
- Celiac disease
Symptoms of Diarrhea
The main symptom of diarrhea is frequent bowel movements with watery or watery stool texture. Other complaints that can accompany are flatulence, stomach cramps, heartburn, unable to hold bowel movements, and nausea and vomiting.
Other symptoms that can also occur include:
- Stools that are slimy, bloody, or contain undigested food
- Fever
- Headache
- Weight loss
Please note, diarrhea easily causes dehydration. Signs that indicate a person with diarrhea is dehydrated are:
- Dizzy
- Very thirsty
- Urinating becomes little or infrequent
- Dark urine
- Dry mouth or skin
- Weak
Meanwhile in infants and children, dehydration can also be recognized from the following symptoms:
- Tears decrease when crying
- No urine in the diaper for 3 hours or more
- Dry mouth and tongue
- Fussy
- Eyes, belly, and cheeks that look sunken
- Weakness and drowsiness if dehydration is severe
When to See a Doctor
Basically, diarrhea is not a dangerous disease and can be treated independently at home. However, be aware of signs of worsening diarrhea, one of which is if it lasts more than 2 days in adult sufferers, or more than 24 hours in children.
Immediately go to the emergency room if you or your child has diarrhea accompanied by:
- Signs of dehydration
- Fever over 39°C
- Vomited many times
- Blood or pus in the stool
- Stools are black and mushy
- Severe pain in the stomach and rectum
Diagnosis Diarrhea
To diagnose diarrhea and its causes, the doctor will ask about the symptoms felt, daily habits, medical history, and medical history that the patient has undergone.
If the patient often experiences diarrhea after consuming certain foods, the doctor may suspect that the patient has food poisoning, suffers from an intolerance, or has a food allergy. To be sure, the doctor will do an allergy test or a food tolerance test.
If needed, the doctor will also carry out supporting examinations, such as:
- Stool examination, to check for bacteria or parasites that cause diarrhea
- Blood tests, to detect complications that can occur due to diarrhea and detect other diseases that can cause diarrhea
If the cause of diarrhea is still unknown, the doctor can perform a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is done to determine the condition of the intestine and detect if there are abnormalities in the large intestine. This procedure uses a tool in the form of a small hose equipped with a light and a camera at the end.
Diarrhea Treatment
Treatment of diarrhea is divided into two based on the type of treatment, namely:
Independent Therapy
Most cases of diarrhea get better on their own within a few days. However, there are several therapies that sufferers can do at home to relieve symptoms, namely:
Increase fluid intake (rehydration)
Replacing lost body fluids and electrolytes is an important key in treating diarrhea and preventing dehydration. The trick is to consume fluids as often as possible, which can be in the form of water, ORS, juice or broth.
In children, giving ORS is highly recommended. Meanwhile, for babies who are still breastfeeding, milk intake must always be maintained, especially in the first 6 months. Breastfeeding babies can help increase the baby's immunity against viral and bacterial infections.
Eat the right foods
In addition to increasing fluid consumption, people with diarrhea are advised to eat foods that contain lots of water, such as soup. Sufferers are also advised to eat soft foods so they are easier to digest.
Consumption of food supplements, such as probiotics containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, is also thought to accelerate the healing of diarrhea, especially diarrhea due to side effects of antibiotics.
This is because probiotics can increase the number of good bacteria in the gut. Even so, the effectiveness of probiotics to treat diarrhea apart from the side effects of antibiotics is still unclear.
Probiotics are found in yogurt and Greek yogurt. However, consumption of yogurt is not recommended for diarrhea caused by lactose intolerance, because yogurt is made from milk.
In addition, avoid foods that are high in fat (such as fried foods and coconut milk), fibrous foods (such as fruits and vegetables), or foods with strong spices, such as spicy foods. These foods can be re-consumed gradually if the diarrhea has decreased.
Taking anti-diarrhoeal medication
Anti-diarrhea medicine can help reduce the frequency of bowel movements and compact the stool. There are several anti-diarrhea drugs that are sold freely in pharmacies, namely:
- Attapulgite
- Pectin
- kaolin
Even though it is sold freely, the use of these drugs should still be accompanied by consultation with a doctor. You can ask your doctor about using the right medicine.
Treatment by Doctor
If efforts to treat diarrhea independently have not been effective, there is a possibility that diarrhea is caused by a bacterial or parasitic infection. To overcome this, doctors can give antibiotics or antiparasitic drugs.
Medicines to relieve diarrhea symptoms, such as attapulgite and kaolin pectin, can also be given. Apart from anti-diarrheal drugs, doctors can also give other drugs, such as:
- Loperamide, to slow bowel movements
- Paracetamol or ibuprofen, to relieve fever and stomach pain
In diarrhea that causes severe dehydration, the doctor will provide intravenous fluid therapy. Giving fluids to the body can replace body fluids and electrolytes lost due to diarrhea.
Meanwhile, in cases of diarrhea caused by other diseases, such as colitis, the doctor will give medication to control the disease. If the disease that causes it is under control, the symptoms of diarrhea will gradually subside.
To treat diarrhea caused by taking certain drugs, the doctor will replace or reduce the dose of drugs that cause diarrhea so that the symptoms of diarrhea can improve.
For children who have acute diarrhea, the doctor will prescribe zinc supplements which need to be taken for up to 10-14 days, even if the diarrhea has improved. The goal is to help repair the intestinal wall injured by diarrhea.
Diarrhea complications
Diarrhea can cause dehydration. If not treated immediately, this condition can be life-threatening for sufferers, both adults and children.
Complications that can occur due to dehydration include:
- Faint
- Organ damage, such as kidney failure
- Hypovolemic shock
- Coma
The large amount of fluid that comes out when diarrhea or vomiting will be followed by a significant loss of electrolytes. This can cause electrolyte balance disturbances in the blood, such as:
- Hypokalemia, which can cause muscle weakness to heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias)
- Deficiency of blood bicarbonate, which can lead to metabolic acidosis
- Hypomagnesemia, which can cause muscle cramps to spasms
In addition, frequent bowel movements during diarrhea can cause irritation in the anus. In severe or long-lasting diarrhea, rectal prolapse can occur, which is the lowering of the end of the large intestine due to weak pelvic muscles.
Diarrhea Prevention
Prevention of diarrhea can be done with discipline in maintaining the cleanliness of food and drink. By implementing clean living habits, a person can avoid viruses or microorganisms that cause diarrhea.
Here are some recommendations that can be applied to prevent diarrhea:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before and after eating, after touching raw food, after using the toilet, and after sneezing or coughing
- Consuming cooked or cooked food and drink
- Avoid consuming raw or uncut fruits and vegetables, especially when traveling
- Give exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months for babies, to help form antibodies against microorganisms that cause diarrhea
- Undergo rotavirus vaccination, to protect babies from the most common viruses that cause diarrhea
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