Treating Diarrhea with Diet

Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed stools.



It may be acute or chronic. Commonly known as "loose motions", it is perhaps the most common disease in India.
The intestines normally get more than 10 litres of liquid per day, which comes from the regular food intake and from the secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines. In the case of Diarrhoea, water is either not absorbed or is secreted in excess by the organs of the body.

What happens is, in the course of normal digestion, food is kept liquid by the secretion of large amounts of water by the stomach, upper small intestine, pancreas, and gallbladder. Food that is not digested reaches the lower small intestine and colon in liquid form. The lower small intestine and particularly the colon absorb the water, turning the undigested food into a more-or-less solid stool with form.



Increased amounts of water in stool can occur if the stomach and/or small intestine secretes too much fluid, the small intestine and colon do not absorb enough water, or the undigested, liquid food passes too quickly through the small intestine and colon for them to remove enough water. Of course, more than one of these abnormal processes may occur at the same time.

In many cases, the root cause can be traced to the existence of some viruses, bacteria and parasites which cause increased secretion of fluid, either by entering and causing inflammation to the lining of the small intestine leading to excess secretion of fluid or by producing toxins that stimulate the lining to secrete fluid but without causing inflammation.

Types of Diarrhoea:

Diarrhoea generally is divided into two types, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhoea lasts a few days or up to a week while chronic diarrhoea can be defined in several ways but almost always lasts more than three weeks. It is necessary to distinguish between acute and chronic diarrhoea because their causes differ and usually require different diagnostic tests and treatment.

Causes of Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea can be caused by a variety of reasons. The most common causes are:

• Overeating or eating of wrong foods.
• Putrefaction in the intestine tract.
• Fermentation caused by incomplete carbohydrate digestion.
• Nervous irritability and
• Excessive intake of laxatives.
  
  
  
  

Other causes include:

• Infection caused by parasites, germs, virus, bacteria or a poison, which has entered into the body through food, water or air.
• Allergies to common foods such as milk, wheat, eggs and sea- foods may contribute to diarrhoea.
• Emotional strain or stress in adults and fright in children could also cause diarrhoea .
• Use of antibiotic drugs. This is due to the destruction of the beneficial bacteria in intestines along with pathogenic bacteria at which the antibiotic treatment was aimed.
• Diarrhoea may be a prominent feature of organic diseases affecting the small or large intestine such as the sprue syndrome, malignant disease and ulcerative colitis. It may also result from operations on the gastro-intestinal tract.
• Diarrhoea may alternate with constipation. This may be a result of the irritation of the mucous membrane by impacted hard faces.
  

Apart from the common causes, the causes of acute and chronic diarrhoea may differ. An acute diarrhoea condition could be caused by:

• Viral gastroenteritis- is the most common cause of acute diarrhoea worldwide. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea. It typically last only 48-72 hrs.
• Food poisoning- Food poisoning is a brief illness that is caused by toxins produced by bacteria. It also causes the small intestine to secrete large amounts of water that leads to diarrhoea.
• Traveler's Diarrhoea- Tourists visiting foreign countries with warm climates and poor sanitation can acquire ETEC (Enterotoxigenic E. coli or ETEC) by eating contaminated foods such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, raw meat, water, and ice cubes. Toxins produced by ETEC cause the sudden onset of diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and sometimes vomiting.
• Bacterial enterocolitis- Disease-causing bacteria usually invade the small intestines and colon and cause enterocolitis (inflammation of the small intestine and colon). Bacterial enterocolitis is characterized by signs of inflammation (blood or pus in the stool, fever) and abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
• Parasites- Cryptosporidium is a diarrhoea-producing parasite that is spread by contaminated water because it can survive chlorination. Cyclospora is a diarrhoea-producing parasite that has been associated with contaminated raspberries from Guatemala.
• Drugs- Drug-induced diarrhoea is very common because many drugs cause diarrhoea. The clue to drug-induced diarrhoea is that the diarrhoea begins soon after treatment with the drug is begun. The medications that most frequently cause diarrhoea are antacids and nutritional supplements that contain magnesium.
  

A chronic diarrhoea condition is characterized by:

• Irritable bowel syndrome: The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional cause of diarrhoea or constipation.
• Infectious diseases: There are a few infectious diseases that can cause chronic diarrhoea, for example, Giardia lamblia . Patients with AIDS often have chronic infections of their intestines that cause diarrhoea.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, diseases causing inflammation of the small intestine and/or colon, commonly cause chronic diarrhoea.
• Colon Cancer: Colon cancer can cause either diarrhoea or constipation. If the cancer blocks the passage of stool, it usually causes constipation.
  
  
  
  Sometimes, however, a blockage causes the secretion of water behind the blockage, and liquid stool from behind the blockage leaks around the cancer and results in diarrhoea.
• Severe constipation: By blocking the colon, hardened stool can lead to the same problems as colon cancer, as discussed previously.
• Endocrine diseases: Several endocrine diseases (imbalances of hormones) may cause diarrhoea, for example, an over-active thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) and an under-active pituitary or adrenal gland.
• Laxative abuse: The abuse of laxatives by individuals who want to lose weight is an occasional cause of diarrhoea.
  

Consequences of Diarrhoea:

Diarrhoea for prolonged periods can lead to certain complications. These may include:

• General weakening of health: due to loss of vitamins like vitamin A, E and K and other nutrients as food is rushed through the body without giving the nutrients a chance of being absorbed, dehydration due to loss of body fluids and flushing out of minerals from the body and nervous conditions.
• Dehydration: also poses a serious problem, especially when diarrhoea is accompanied by vomiting. It can even be fatal if unchecked. Dehydration is characterized by hot, dry skin over the abdomen, sunken eyes, dry mouth, intense thirst and reduced flow of urine. This can usually be prevented by regular and continuous intake of liquid. It is advisable to have about 150 to 200 ml. of fluid every hour.