Diarrhea: Understand Its Causes and Further Complications

Diarrhea can be pretty common. It can also take a toll in your schooling or work especially if it gets worse. It can also lead to hospitalization if it gets severe or if you get complications like dehydration.

But first of all, you must know what this illness is so you can also differentiate it with loose bowel movement. Basically this disease involves loose and watery bowel movements or stools. You may notice that when you have this, you may take more frequent trips to the bathroom and you excrete more stool than in normal days.

This disease can occur with or without abdominal bloating, pressure or cramps. There are also times that you will experience nausea

Anyone from any age group can suffer from this condition. According to studies, an American kid who is 5 years of age has already had 7 to 15 instances of this disease by that age. Similarly, an adult experiences acute diarrhea at an average of four times every year.

Thus, you may have noticed that this disease is pretty common. In fact, it is ranked as next to common cold in terms of causes of absence in work or school. Nonetheless, you must not be complacent about it because it can lead to several complications which may, in turn, lead to severe illness.

So what are the causes of this disease? Well, there are a number of them.

Bacterial infection may be one cause. You may not be aware of it, but you accidentally consumed bacteria through contaminated food or water. Some of the common bacteria that cause this disease are Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). You may have also gotten it from food poisoning.

Viruses are also a common cause. Some of them would be rotavirus, norovirus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and viral hepatitis. Rotavirus is the most common virus which causes this disease in children.

Parasites that enter your body can cause this disease as well. These parasites get into your body also through the food and water you infest. Specific parasites that cause this disease are Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Cryptosporidium.

If you are very picky and sensitive when it comes to food, you may be very prone to this disease. For instance, certain people are lactose or glucose intolerant. If you are guilty of these but you were not to be able to control your milk and sugar intake, chances are you might get this disease.

Medicine can also trigger this condition where certain antibiotics, cancer drugs, and even antacids may cause it.

Lastly, this disease can also be a mere manifestation of other illnesses. For instance, it can be a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome. Similarly, intestinal diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease are all capable of causing this disease.

Finally, if you already have this, you should treat it at once so as not to incur even more complications which can be worse. One example of a complication you may get is dehydration or loss of water and electrolytes. This can result in hospitalization for several days.