When the bowel movements are loose and watery, the condition is called diarrhea. A person suffering from diarrhea will pass stools more than 3 times a day. Diarrhea can be acute (sudden onset and short duration) or chronic (repeated episodes and long duration). Acute diarrhea is usually due to infections. Eating food contaminated with microbes and its toxins leads to diarrhea. The onset of diarrhea can be delayed from 12 hours to 4 days. The cause of acute diarrhea is not usually identified in most patients as it resolves spontaneously after a short duration. Diarrhea can be a side effect of a drug (certain antibiotics) and can be due to food allergy. Chronic diarrhea is due to a wide range of conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, malabsorption syndromes, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Foul-smelling greasy stool (steatorrhea) is due to pancreatic enzyme deficiency.
Correcting and maintaining the water and electrolytes (mainly sodium and potassium) balance is the priority. The patient is asked to drink plenty of fluids like coconut water. Diarrhea rectifies itself but it is advisable to check with the doctor if the symptoms get worse or persist throughout the day. In chronic diarrhea, the underlying cause should be identified and corrected.
Antibiotics:
The gastroenterologist will prescribe antibiotics to fight off the infection caused by bacteria and parasites. Diarrhea caused by viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics.
Electrolytes:
Electrolytes are given to replace the loss of fluids and salts in your body. This is done to help prevent the body from getting severely dehydrated.
IV Fluids:
When the body is severely dehydrated and when there is much loss of salts and electrolytes, the gastroenterologist will advise the intake of intravenous (IV) Fluids.
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