The symptom of ‘diarrhea’ is considered one of the conditions that almost everyone has experienced. Sometimes diarrhea symptoms gradually improve and go away on their own, but other times the symptoms persist for several days before recovery and require treatment.
The concern with diarrhea or loose stools is allowing the symptoms to become chronic for too long, leading to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, or high fever, which can cause shock. Therefore, we should understand which symptoms are just normal diarrhea and which qualify as severe or abnormal diarrhea to ensure proper and appropriate care and treatment.
These types of bowel movements… are “abnormal diarrhea”
Most patients often cannot clearly distinguish between diarrhea and normal bowel movements. However, diarrhea has several distinguishing signs as follows:
- Stools are loose or watery
- Having bowel movements continuously more than 3 times a day
- Experiencing more severe abdominal cramping than usual
- Feeling fatigued and having a mild fever
If a patient has these symptoms, it may indicate that you are experiencing acute diarrhea, which normally resolves on its own within 1-2 days. However, if diarrhea persists for more than 3-14 days, you should see a doctor because there may be other underlying causes leading to chronic diarrhea that require proper diagnosis and treatment.
What causes diarrhea?
The main cause of diarrhea is usually consuming food or water that is not clean, contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses, or even our own hands that have touched dirty objects before accidentally putting food into the mouth.
Additionally, diarrhea can be caused by other factors such as stress, anxiety, excessive alcohol consumption, or food allergies. In some cases, diarrhea may occur after treatment, such as taking certain antibiotics that affect intestinal function or receiving radiation therapy that damages the intestinal lining, preventing normal absorption of water and nutrients.
Prevention and treatment of diarrhea
We can prevent and take care of ourselves from diarrhea with the following methods:
- Eat freshly cooked food every time
- Wash hands before eating or after any activities every time
- Avoid eating fermented or pickled foods if unsure about their quality and cleanliness, as they may be contaminated with bacteria
- When diarrhea occurs, drink water or oral rehydration solution (ORS) to compensate for the loss of water and electrolytes in the body
- Take anti-diarrheal medication (Diosmectite), which helps inhibit bacteria and relieve diarrhea symptoms
- Eat easily digestible foods such as rice porridge or soup, and avoid spicy, fermented, or high-fat foods
However, if after 3 days the diarrhea does not improve, and the patient feels fatigued, has dry lips, dizziness, blood in the stool, or blood in vomit, they should see a doctor immediately to find the cause and receive treatment. Do not wait for the diarrhea to resolve on its own, as there may be complications such as inflammatory bowel disease, adverse reactions to certain medications causing diarrhea, or rotavirus infection, among others.
