Causes of Diarrhea

One among the common disease faced by people of all age is diarrhea. Though not very serious, the disease is treated with much care and consideration because it makes the person to lose the mineral and fluid content of the body.

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Diarrhea is not usually harmful, but it can become dangerous or signal a more serious problem. Diarrhea is directly linked to bacterial, parasitic infection, viral and food intolerance. Sometimes diarrhea is accompanied by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating and nausea. Depending on the cause of diarrhea the person may have a fever or sometimes even bloody stools.

The five most common causes of diarrhea could be the following:

Bacterial Infection:

Strains of bacteria consumed through contaminated food and water can cause diarrhea. This type of bacterial diarrhea is most common among children.

The effects of bacterial diarrhea are vigorous and they quickly dehydrate the body. Some of the bacteria that are known to cause diarrhea include Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella and Escherichia coli.

Bacteria are capable of living in refrigerated food also. Therefore the food has to be heated well before consumption to destroy the bacteria. Consuming the food items which remain open may also enhance the bacterial growth which in turn may cause diarrhea.

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Infection by viruses and Parasites:

Most of the viruses also cause diarrhea. To name a few: Norwalk virus, rotavirus cytomegalovirus, herpes and some strains of viral hepatitis. Parasites are capable of intruding through the contaminated food and water in the body. Also they manage to adhere to the digestive tract of the body. Entamoeba and Cryptosporidium are the common parasites that cause diarrhea. The most common cause of acute diarrhea is rotavirus. It affects children very easily. Hence children who are 6 to 32 weeks old are to be vaccinated against this particular virus.

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Food intolerance:

Some of the people are not able to digest certain food components like the artificial sweeteners and milk lactose and even half cooked food. This is because of their own internal mechanism. Diarrhea due to food intolerance vanishes on its own. It is wise to avoid caffeine, milk products and foods that are greasy and very sweet until diarrhea subsides. Once the condition is improved foods containing nutrition can be added to the diet especially for children. People who find it difficult to digest specific food components are advised not to consume those type of food and fall into the risk of developing diarrhea. It is recommended that proper food should be consumed by people who are very old and children because they are affected more.

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Medicines:

Diarrhea sometimes occurs due to the side effects caused by the medicines that are taken for some other disease. Children who suffer from pneumonia are given some oral antibiotics. The most potent macrolide causes diarrhea. Therefore in certain cases diarrhea is also caused because of the intake of other medicines. Anti hypertensive drugs and anti cancer drugs and all the non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs contain magnesium which cause diarrhea. If the intake of any medicine results in diarrhea then it has to be stopped immediately with the advice of the doctor.

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Intestinal diseases:

Few people suffer from diarrhea after gastric bypass or even after the removal of gall bladder. Change in movement of food into the gut may be a reason for this. Increased amount of bile juice in the small intestine after cholecystectomy also cause diarrhea. Diarrhea is also due to the irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease.

All these causes of diarrhea can be diagnosed by medical and physical examination. Stool culture, blood tests, and fasting tests are also taken to determine the cause of diarrhea and treated accordingly. People who visit other countries face a risk of traveler’s diarrhea. This is caused mainly due to the consumption of food and drinking water contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Almost in all cases the causes of diarrhea cannot be found. An extensive search for the cause is not needed if diarrhea goes away on its own. The worst effect of diarrhea is dehydration which is nothing but the loss of fluid and electrolytes from the body. Dehydration becomes a risky factor in case of children and even older adults and they have to be treated promptly.