1.what is diarrhoea?
Answers
Answer:
it causes your stomach to be upset
Explanation:
Answer:
Diarrhoea is when your bowel movements become loose or watery. The definition of diarrhoea is passing loose or watery bowel movements 3 or more times in a day (or more frequently than usual).
Diarrhoea occurs when the lining of the intestine is unable to absorb fluid, or it actively secretes fluid. There are many causes, including infection and inflammation.
Many cases of diarrhoea are self-limiting and don’t need specific treatment. However, it’s important in any case of diarrhoea to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of liquids.
Symptoms of diarrhoea
In addition to frequent, watery bowel movements, the stool may also contain mucus, pus, blood or excessive amounts of fat.
Diarrhoea can be accompanied by:
painful abdominal cramps;
nausea;
fever;
bloating; and
generalised weakness.
Diarrhoea can cause , especially in young children and older people. Symptoms of dehydration in adults can include:
thirst;
lack of energy;
passing less urine than normal;
dizziness or light-headedness; and
the skin on the back of your hand being slow to return to position after being pinched upwards.
Symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration in children can include:
dry mouth;
passing less urine than usual (often noticed as fewer wet nappies in babies and toddlers);
irritability;
listlessness; and
less tears when crying.
Signs of severe dehydration in children include sunken eyes, cheeks or belly, or a sunken fontanelle (the soft spot on the top of the head in babies and toddlers).
People with diarrhoea, especially the very young and the very elderly, are at risk of becoming rapidly dehydrated. This requires immediate medical attention.
Causes
Diarrhoea may have many different causes including the following.
Infection (with a virus, bacteria or parasite). Infectious diarrhoea is most commonly caused by viruses passed from person to person, or by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with viruses or bacteria.
A change in diet.
Food intolerance (e.g. ). Some people have diarrhoea after eating foods containing fructose (a type of sugar) or artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol and mannitol.
Drinking excess alcohol.
Bowel conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease ( or ), or .
Malabsorption (e.g. due to problems with the pancreas).
Surgery (e.g. when part of the bowel has been removed).
Some medicines can cause diarrhoea as a side effect. Antibiotics are a common example. They can disrupt the balance of , which can lead to diarrhoea. Other examples of medicines that can cause diarrhoea include some antacids and diabetes tablets.
Diarrhoea in very young children is often caused by viral infections. Rotavirus infections were a common cause, but this risk is reduced by the rotavirus vaccine, which can prevent gastroenteritis (or reduce the risk of severe gastroenteritis) caused by rotavirus infection. Many other viruses still commonly cause diarrhoea in infants and toddlers.