Diarrhea

What is Diarrhea?

A healthy person normally needs to defecate several times a day as part of bowel movements. However, if these stools occur more often than usual during the day and are loose and watery stools, these bowel movements are called diarrhea. The other name used for diarrhea is known as diarrhea.

Diarrhea is known to be a very short-lived condition, but it usually resolves within a few days and does not require intensive treatment. However, it is possible to talk about two different types of diarrhea.

The first focus is on acute diarrhea, which usually lasts for 1 or 2 days. This can be caused by an infection with viruses or bacteria or by food poisoning. Diarrhea caused by bacteria or parasites, usually during a visit to underdeveloped areas or third world regions, during a vacation or a visit to an area where sanitation is lacking, can cause tourist diarrhea or acute diarrhea.

The other type of diarrhea is chronic diarrhea, which can last for at least 1 month. Underlying such a condition can often be a bowel disorder or a disorder of the intestinal system. Problems such as Chron's disease, persistent infections, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome are often accepted as the cause of diarrhea.

What is Good for Diarrhea?

The first question that comes to everyone's mind in diarrhea, which has a negative impact on the quality of life, is the question of what is good for diarrhea. In diarrhea in both children and adults, it is especially important to pay attention to the foods consumed. This is because diarrhea can usually be treated at home.

In order to stop diarrhea, the excess water in the intestine must be removed, i.e. drawn out of the intestine. In this respect, foods rich in pulp, rich in mucilage and rich in guar gum should be chosen in terms of foods to be consumed. Among such foods;

• Potatoes with rich starch
• Water-retaining tea, coffee or cocoa
• Rice as a water-retaining food that prevents sodium loss
• Probiotic yogurt
• Apple with pulp and pectin content
• Fluid-retaining and pulp-rich bananas
• Peach, gherkin juice, carrot, pasta
• Saltine crackers in cases such as nausea
• Foods such as plenty of healthy water can be chosen.

How Does Diarrhea Pass?

People suffering from diarrhea should be prevented from dehydration to relieve diarrhea. So the most practical way to relieve diarrhea is to prevent dehydration. In this case, water can be supplemented with the consumption of the foods mentioned, and fluid loss in the body can be prevented by replenishing electrolytes such as sodium and chloride.

In fact, more broadly, the treatment of diarrhea is primarily based on whether it is acute or chronic. In case of diarrhea, especially in infants and young children, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor before both nutritional supplements and medication.

Childhood diarrhea is usually viral and can resolve within a few days. Since antibiotics will not be effective in this regard, their use will not be necessary. However, if diarrhea is accompanied by problems such as high fever, abdominal pain and bloody stools, antibiotics can be used under the supervision of a doctor.

What Causes Diarrhea?

Diarrhea can be caused by a number of diseases and medical conditions. First of all, diarrhea caused by a virus can be caused by Norwalk virus, viral hepatitis or cytomegalovirus.

While bacteria and parasites are among the causes of diarrhea, microorganisms such as Clostridium difficile can cause diarrhea in cases such as contaminated food, contaminated water and the use of dirty objects. Diarrhea can also occur after antibiotic treatments or hospitalization. Antibiotics used for treatment of different diseases can cause diarrhea. In addition, cancer drugs and antacid drugs with magnesium can also cause diarrhea.

When a child or adult is lactose intolerant, they may suffer from diarrhea. If there is difficulty in digesting fructose, diarrhea may occur when gum-like foods containing sorbitol and mannital-like substances are consumed, after gallbladder surgery or due to intestinal disorders such as Chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome.

What are the Symptoms of Diarrhea?

Diarrhea can be accompanied by many different symptoms. It should be recognized that sometimes only one of these symptoms may be present and sometimes many of them may be present together. This is among the general symptoms;

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Increased defecation
• Excessive amount of feces
• Watery stools
• General unrest
• The stool may be slimy or mixed with blood.

Symptoms of diarrhea include especially dehydration, i.e. loss of fluids. At some points, patients may experience palpitations, headache, low urination, dry mouth and weakness. On the other hand, if diarrhea is of a chronic nature, that is, if it persists for weeks, intense abdominal pain, bloating and nausea may occur.

Which foods cause diarrhea?

In daily life, meaty foods that you can consume especially in open areas, stale dairy products, foods such as cream, mayonnaise, chocolate, ice cream and foods that have the quality of spoilage can cause diarrhea. Again, diarrhea can occur when hygienic water is not preferred in daily water consumption, that is, when water containing germs is consumed, especially in summer.

Although not a food, diarrhea can also spread rapidly from dirty pools during the summer. Because when the dirty water of the pool is swallowed during swimming, diarrhea may occur. In such cases, healthy fluid supplementation and water supplementation should be made in response to fluid loss in terms of diarrhea, especially in children.

Again in terms of foods, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, excess coffee, beans, chickpeas, corn, cauliflower, cabbage, which are among the foods that tire the digestive system and cause deterioration in the excretory system, can also cause diarrhea. Sometimes dairy products or high-fiber foods and sometimes foods high in fat and spices can cause diarrhea.

Diarrhea during Pregnancy

Changes in the immune and digestive systems may occur with hormonal changes during pregnancy. While it is possible to experience diarrhea in this situation, viruses, bacteria, food poisoning or medication can cause diarrhea.

Although diarrhea is a common problem during pregnancy, diarrhea can be seen as normal in case of a sudden change in diet and consumption of new foods. In fact, diarrhea, which is much more common in the last 3 months of pregnancy, is due to the body preparing itself for childbirth. Diarrhea in the first 3 months is caused by hormonal changes.

It is not often recommended to use medicines to treat diarrhea during pregnancy. The condition usually goes away on its own, but when severe symptoms occur in pregnant women, a doctor's check-up and medication can be arranged.

During pregnancy, it is important to avoid dehydration as the blood supply to the fetus must be constant. For this reason, plenty of fluids should be consumed to prevent fluid loss, fizzy drinks should be avoided, too much sugar should not be consumed, spicy foods and caffeine should be avoided.