Diarrhea

Overview

Diarrhea is not necessarily serious, but it should not be taken lightly. Symptoms of the condition include loose or liquid bowel movements. In developing countries, diarrhea is substantially more dangerous, resulting in dehydration and death among millions of children. With proper care, those with diarrhea have little to worry about.

With proper treatment and monitoring, diarrhea is manageable and should go away on its own. Diarrhea can be caused by viral infections, parasites, or bacteria. Typically, diarrhea will last for a few days at most.

Some serious conditions will last longer. Patients with Chrohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or mushroom poisoning will experience chronic diarrhea. A doctor should monitor both conditions.

Treatment

Treatment will vary based on the condition. Chronic illnesses need consistent medication. If you think that you have a chronic condition, you should consult a doctor. A doctor can help you develop treatment plans to alleviate symptoms, even if no cure exists for your disease.

If you experience extreme pain and develop a fever with your diarrhea, you should visit a doctor immediately. You may have a more serious infection, and you may require immediate intravenous (IV) or oral medications.

Otherwise, you may just have a viral infection, or you may have just eaten something funny. You may choose to take over the counter medications to alleviate symptoms, or you can wait it out. Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids, preferably with electrolytes. If you become dehydrated, you may faint or go into shock. Severe dehydration can even kill you. If you are severely dehydrated, you may need to go to the emergency room to receive IV fluids. Even though diarrhea can be mild, it can also be life threatening when left unmonitored. It is important that you be careful with your health-don't take diarrhea lightly.

If your diarrhea does not subside within a day or so, you should go to the doctor. You may have a parasite or bacterial infection, and you may require antibiotics or other medications. If you have blood in your diarrhea, you should go to a doctor immediately, as you could have a serious problem with internal bleeding.

When you travel abroad, you should expect to get diarrhea. In many situations, you can ask a physician to prescribe you antibiotics ahead of time, as you may not have easy access to medical care. In these situations, you may choose to start taking antibiotics. In any case, you should monitor your symptoms closely, as you could have more serious conditions like typhoid fever and amoebic dysentery.

In developing countries, diarrhea kills millions of people. This is because people do not have access to clean food and water. It is easy to contract a virus, and it is difficult to keep yourself healthy in these situations.