Diarrhea

What is diarrhea?

Diarrhea means that you have a change in your bowel movements and pass unusually loose stools. Stool is what is left after your digestive system (stomach, small intestine, and colon) absorbs nutrients and fluids from what you eat and drink. Stool passes out of the body through the rectum. If fluids are not absorbed, or if your digestive system produces extra fluids, stools will be loose and watery. Loose stools are larger than usual. People with diarrhea often have frequent bowel movements and may pass more than a quart of watery stool a day.

What other symptoms accompany diarrhea?

People who have diarrhea may also have

  • crampy pain in the abdomen, the area between the chest and the hips
  • swelling in the abdomen
  • an uncomfortable feeling around the anus
  • an urgent need to have a bowel movement
  • an inability to control their bowels (fecal incontinence)
  • chills
  • fever

Also, people with diarrhea may feel sick to their stomach or be dehydrated.

What is dehydration?

Dehydration means that your body does not have enough fluid to work properly. Every time you breathe out, sweat, urinate, or have a bowel movement, you lose fluid. Diarrhea increases the amount of fluid lost in bowel movements. Along with the fluid, you lose salts-chemicals that your body needs to work properly. The loss of fluids and salts can be serious, especially for babies and young children and for older people.

The signs of dehydration in adults are

  • being thirsty
  • urinating less often than usual
  • having dark-colored urine
  • having dry skin
  • feeling tired or dizzy
  • fainting

In addition, the kidneys could stop working.

Who gets diarrhea?

Anyone can get diarrhea. This common problem can last a day or two or for months or years, depending on the cause. Most people get better on their own, but diarrhea can be serious for babies and older people if lost fluids are not replaced. Many people throughout the world die from diarrhea because of the large volume of water lost and the accompanying loss of salts.

What causes diarrhea?

Diarrhea can be caused by

  • bacteria, viruses, or parasites (tiny organisms that live inside a larger organism)
    medicines such as antibiotics
  • foods such as milk
  • diseases that affect the stomach, small intestine, or colon, such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome

Sometimes no cause for diarrhea can be found.