Diarrhea
The squirts. Toilet tornados. Fecal fireworks. Watery stools. A volcanic eruption of the butt variety. Whatever you call it, diarrhea sucks - Charlotte Hilton Andersen
image by: CDC Travelers' Health
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A Good News Story About Diarrhea — With One Surprising Exception
Diarrhea is not only a topic that makes people a bit squeamish, it turns out to be a difficult disease to put into numbers.
But two trends are clear, says an author of a new report: The number of deaths from diarrheal diseases is dropping dramatically in low-income countries – and ticking upward in wealthy nations.
An infection by E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Shigella or rotavirus, and the resulting diarrhea, is often a death sentence in much of the world. In 2005, about 1.6 million people died from diarrhea-related diseases, and roughly 770,000 of them were kids under 5. But that number has been steadily dropping, as a new study points out.
The study comes out of…
Resources
Differential Diagnosis
The differential diagnosis for a patient presenting with a diarrheal illness is broad: Consider: mesenteric ischemia, appendicitis, bowel obstruction, diverticular disease, fecal impaction, fecal incontinence, gastrointestinal cancers, gastrointestinal bleed, inflammatory bowel disease, volvulus, toxic megacolon, hyperthyroidism, pancreatic insufficiency, lactose intolerance, etc.
Acute Diarrhea in Adults
The most common etiology is viral gastroenteritis, a self-limited disease. Increases in travel, comorbidities, and foodborne illness lead to more bacteria-related cases of acute diarrhea.
The Most Effective Diarrhea Remedies To Get You Off Of The Toilet ASAP—Plus What To *Avoid*
Because bubble guts happen to all of us.
Diarrheal Diseases – Acute and Chronic
Acute diarrhea is one of the most commonly reported illnesses in the United States, second only to respiratory infections. Worldwide, it is a leading cause of mortality in children younger than four years old, especially in the developing world. Diarrhea that lasts less than 2 weeks is termed acute diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea lasts between 2 and 4 weeks. Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than 4 weeks.
Addicts Who Can't Get Opioids Are Overdosing on a Diarrhea Drug
“We’ve had patients tell us they take 400 to 500 tablets day … They put it in a blender and make a smoothie and drink it over one or two hours.”
Bringing Your Own Antibiotics On Vacation Could Do More Harm Than Good
People who travel to exotic locales and take along their own antibiotics are more likely to come back colonized with resistant bacteria, according to a new Finnish study.
Diarrhea 101: Time To Talk About Something We Don't Usually Talk About
Diarrhea isn't something we usually discuss in public. But as the second leading cause of death for children younger than 5, it's a topic global health advocates want more people to talk openly about.
Diarrhea caused by primarily non-gastrointestinal infections
Infectious diseases that do not primarily affect the gastrointestinal tract can cause severe diarrhea. The pathogenesis of this kind of diarrhea includes cytokine action, intestinal inflammation, sequestration of red blood cells, apoptosis and increased permeability of endothelial cells in the gut microvasculature, and direct invasion of gut epithelial cells by various infectious agents.
Everything You Need To Know About Adult Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the source of an uncouth childhood rhyme and the bane of many parents, but it doesn’t necessarily stop being a problem in the adult years. Odds are good you’ll experience it at several points in your life, and some people struggle regularly with loose and watery stools. But even if it’s embarrassing and usually not serious, diarrhea can be life threatening and is something to take seriously.
Forget the Flu: The Norovirus Is Taking Over America
Just when it seemed like this year's flu epidemic was finally under control, along comes the CDC with a new plague that's sweeping the nation: the norovirus.
Heartburn Drugs May Lead To Serious Diarrhea
If that case of diarrhea just doesn't get better, your heartburn drug could be the reason. The Food and Drug Administration just warned doctors and consumers that popular medicines called proton pump inhibitors may raise the risk for chronic diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that you'd rather not have colonizing your intestines.
Here's Why You Get Diarrhea When You're Sick
Nobody likes diarrhea. But is the icky and uncomfortable experience actually the body's way of flushing bad stuff out of your system? In a new study in mice, researchers set out to answer the question of whether diarrhea is simply a symptom of an illness or, instead, a way for the body to quickly get rid of germs.
Medical Mysteries: What was causing a woman’s chronic digestive distress?
But Sam found no sign of microscopic colitis and turned her attention to a second possibility: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO. The condition has received new attention as gastroenterologists have focused on the importance of the microbiome, the stew of bacteria and other microorganisms that comprises the gut’s ecosystem and is affected by diet
Norovirus gives 699 million people diarrhea every year. No one talks about it
We may worry about salmonella in our chicken and the chemical additives in our bread. But how often do we fret about the most common cause of food poisoning and serious stomach flu in the US? No, we don't really talk much about norovirus, an extremely contagious bug spread by — prepare yourself — ingesting the stool or vomit of an infected person often through food or touching a contaminated surface.
Pooping at the Office Again Is Going to Be Terrible
No one likes going in a public restroom—but especially not those of us with fussy bowels.
Stomach Ache And Diarrhea May Be Among The First Signs Of COVID-19 Coronavirus
While we are focused on cough and fever as the initial signs of COVID-19, it’s also important to be aware that abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea could precede respiratory symptoms in some people.
The Science Is Clear: Dirty Farm Water Is Making Us Sick
For more than a decade, it’s been clear that there’s a gaping hole in American food safety: Growers aren’t required to test their irrigation water for pathogens such as E. coli. As a result, contaminated water can end up on fruits and vegetables.
This Is Why Getting Drunk Gives Some People Diarrhea
“Even after one binge episode, people may develop some inflammation or ulceration of the gut epithelium,” Beyder tells me, referring to the tissue that lines organs and blood vessels throughout the body. Alcohol can stimulate the production of more stomach acids, which can lead to the disruption of the digestive tract’s thin barrier, and can stimulate diarrhea.
Those Probiotics May Actually Be Hurting Your ‘Gut Health’
The newly fashionable pills and foods meant to increase the variety of healthy bacteria in our bodies can actually have the opposite effect.
To Make A Big Stink About Diarrhea, Ask 'Em To Write A Poo-em
How do you get people to discuss diarrhea? Ask them to write poetry about it. That's the idea behind Poo Haiku, a competition created by Defeat DD, a campaign dedicated to the eradication of diarrheal disease.
What to Blame for Your Stomach Bug? Not Always the Last Thing You Ate
It happens like a bolt out of the blue. One minute you’re fine, and the next you begin to sweat as crippling cramps move wavelike through your belly. You vomit or have diarrhea, or both, fearing you won’t live to see another day. And then it goes away. You’re back to your old self, maybe after a day or two of binge-watching Netflix and chasing dry crackers with ginger ale.
Why do marathon runners get the runs?
It doesn't just work your leg muscles—racing is rough on your intestines, too.
Why You Have So Much Diarrhea When You're on Your Period
Like a bill hastily rushed through Congress, your period comes with lots of bullshit attached. There's the bloating, the mood swings, the being banished to a tent on the outskirts of town because your elders fear you'll bring drought. And of course, the period shits. As if you didn't have enough stuff gushing out of you, some women find their periods cause diarrhea like none other.
A Good News Story About Diarrhea — With One Surprising Exception
Diarrhea is not only a topic that makes people a bit squeamish, it turns out to be a difficult disease to put into numbers.
Core EM
The majority of diarrhea is non-bloody. The presence of blood raises concern for shiga-toxin producing e coli(O157:H7) or for non-infectious causes of diarrhea such as ischemia or inflammatory bowel disease (Shane 2017).
NIDDK
Diarrhea is loose, watery stools three or more times a day. Diarrhea may be acute, persistent, or chronic. Acute diarrhea is more common than persistent or chronic diarrhea. Complications of diarrhea are dehydration and malabsorption.
WHO
Diarrhoeal disease is a leading cause of child mortality and morbidity in the world, and mostly results from contaminated food and water sources. Worldwide, 780 million individuals lack access to improved drinking-water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation. Diarrhoea due to infection is widespread throughout developing countries.
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