Diarrhea
What I need to know about Diarrhea
- What is diarrhea?
- What other symptoms accompany diarrhea?
- What is dehydration?
- Who gets diarrhea?
- What causes diarrhea?
- When should I talk to a doctor?
- What tests might be done?
- How is diarrhea treated?
- Points to Remember
- For More Information
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.
The signs of dehydration in babies and young children are:
- having a dry mouth and tongue
- crying without tears
- having no wet diapers for 3 hours or more
- having a high fever
- being unusually sleepy or drowsy
Also, when children have diarrhea, their skin seems to lose its elasticity. It does not flatten back to normal when pinched and released.
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.