Diarrhea
La diarrhea is a common problem. It is characterized by selles of liquid or soft consistency, larger and more numerous than usual (more than 3 stools per day).
It is not a disease, but a symptom of colitis. Its most common cause is ingestion of contaminated food or water. It lasts 1 or 2 days, then goes away without requiring treatment.
Throughout its duration, it must be hydratebecause the body can lose a lot of water and mineral salts through the stool. This measure is particularly important for children and and elderly, for which dehydration can have more serious consequences. Indeed, after only 1 or 2 days of diarrhea, young children can be very seriously dehydrated. In industrialized countries, it is very rare that diarrhea results in death. Nevertheless, in underdeveloped countries, this is the 2e cause of death in children under 51.
What is digestion? Digestion is a biological process in which food is broken down and transformed into nutrients. Digestion begins in the mouth, where food is crushed and mixed with saliva, then continues in the stomach, which secretes acidic digestive juices and continues to crush the food for a few hours. As it leaves the stomach, pre-digested foods (called chyme) continue to be broken down in the small intestine by digestive juices from the pancreas and gallbladder. Transformed into nutrients, they can then cross the semi-permeable membrane of the intestine and be absorbed by the blood and lymph. From there, they can circulate in the body and be used according to the needs of the body. What has not been absorbed is transformed into fecal matter in the colon. An adult drinks about 2 liters of fluid per day. Its digestive system receives 7 to 8 additional liters (saliva, digestive juices, bile, etc.). Thus, a total of 9 to 10 liters of fluid passes through the intestines daily. Most of the water in feces is extracted as it passes through the intestines. The body absorbs or “recycles” about 99% of the water that passes through the digestive system. This system is finely tuned: it suffices for this absorption rate to drop by 1% (due to infection, intestinal disease, etc.) to trigger diarrhea. |
Causes
La diarrhea is an intestinal problem that involves one or other of the following 3 mechanisms. Sometimes they are present simultaneously.
- Un lack of absorption through the intestines from the fluid in the stool;
- Un accelerated intestinal transit, which prevents the drying out of faeces;
- Un abnormal passage water and mineral salts coming from the body through the lining of the intestines.
When bowel disease is involved, diarrhea is often chronic.
Here are the most common causes
- Food poisoning (for example, poultry infected with salmonella or meat contaminated with the bacteria Escherichia coli);
- Viral gastroenteritis;
- Stress or anxiety;
- Takingantibiotics : it alters the intestinal flora, and thus reduces the absorption capacity of the wall of the intestines. Antibiotics cause diarrhea in 5 to 30% of users, depending on the type of antibiotic consumed;
- Chronic bowel disease: celiac disease (gluten intolerance), Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. ;
- Lactose intolerance;
- Hyperthyroidism.
Let us mention that the cholera can cause losses of 10 liters of diarrhea per day. However, it is very rare in industrialized countries.
La tourista, traveler’s diarrhea We colloquially call “tourista” all infectious diarrhea contracted during a trip. Every year, 20 to 50% of travelers experience it. The destinations at risk are Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The main cause is ingestion of food or water contaminated with bacteria. However, when traveling, the stress of adventure, fatigue, jet lag and disrupted eating habits can also trigger diarrhea. |
Possible complications
La Dehydration and all the problems that it can cause are the main complications that can arise and which should be tried to avoid.
In addition, people under antibiotic therapy may have their diarrhea worsen if they get an infection with the bacteria Clostridium difficile. This most often occurs in hospital environment. The bacteria It’s hard takes advantage of a weakening of the intestinal flora to grow in the intestines. It secretes 2 toxins (A and B) which cause severe diarrhea by accelerating intestinal transit and reducing the absorption of fluid in the intestines. Thus, once treatment with antibiotics is finished, if the diarrhea is severe or persists, a doctor should be consulted immediately. Up to a third of diarrhea associated with antibiotics is thought to be caused by this bacterium: a small proportion of them get worse.
When to consult?
See a doctor a.s.a.p if any of the following signs occur.
- Very profuse diarrhea (more than 10 stools per day) which persists for more than 48 hours;
- Signs of Dehydration, especially in a young child or an elderly person (see below);
- A fever 38,5 ºC (101,5 ºF) or more;
- Du blood in the stool;
- Severe abdominal pain;
- Chronic diarrhea.