Diarrhea can be potentially life-threatening!

I thought last Tuesday would be my end. 

My stomach started aching as I stepped out of the bus.  And it was wrong timing that I felt dizzy when I reached the middle as I crossed the road. As if I was a zombie struggling to regain my sight.  I was already half blind and almost fall down.  I can’t stop walking because of diarrhea that I felt, otherwise I would put myself in an embarrassing instant and worst enough if I would be hit and run, and I  supposed that no one would pick up my corpse when I died at that impulse.  I had no one to turn to but only through the spirit of God. Simultaneously with struggling not to collapse, I praised Him repeatedly saying “Hallelujah!” until I reached the mall and revived my normal condition after approximately 500 meters of walking.

Guess what I saw when I checked my underwear?  Don’t be shy I know some of you had experienced it.  Just kidding!

I was suspecting of the Greenwich pizzas and lasagna that caused the diarrhea.  I finished 4 slices when we had our snack prior to this attack, because the other manager (who assisted me in my ocular inspection in my prospective client) did not eat his share so we divided it with the other engineer. 

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) discloses that diarrhea  or loose, watery bowel movements that happens more recurrently than usual is one of the most commonly reported ailments in the United States after respiratory infection.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it does not typically cause serious complications for most patients but it can be a fatal ailment for young children, especially the malnourished or have compromised immune systems.

Kinds of diarrhea and its causes:

Acute diarrhea lasts not more than two weeks and is most often caused by a viral infection.

Norovirus is the most common diarrhea-causing virus for adults, which is often referred to as "cruise ship diarrhea" due to its unfortunate tendency to infect sea-faring vacationers.

Rotavirus is another diarrhea-inducing virus, which is very common in young children.

Traveler's Diarrhea is a bacterial infection which is one of the causes of acute diarrhea, which is sometimes called as "Montezuma's revenge" in  some parts of the world.  Victims of this uncomfortable ailment are victims of the bacteria Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), according to Dr. Ian Lustbader, a clinical associate professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Parasites are final common cause of acute diarrhea, which can be swallowed when a person consumes contaminated food or water, according to Lustbader.

Chronic Diarrhea is a type that that lasts longer than four weeks. Like acute diarrhea, it has many causes which include:

• Infectious causes (most commonly parasites)
• Osmotic and malabsorption causes (which result in excessive water being absorbed into the bowel), such as Celiac deisease (a digestive disorder that occurs in reaction to gluten, a protein found in rye, barley, wheat, and hundreds of foods made with these grains. The body's immune system reacts to the gluten and causes damage to the intestine), and lactose intolerance (People with this condition are incapable of fully digesting the sugar (lactose) in milk, which results to diarrhea, gas and bloating after eating or drinking dairy products.
• Inflammatory causes, such as ulcerative colitis  or Crohn's disease (the immune system of people with this condition mistakes food, bacteria, and other materials in the intestine for foreign or invading substances. As this happens, the body sends white blood cells into the lining of the intestines, where they produce chronic inflammation and ulcerations.)
• Intestinal ischemia, or lessened blood flow to the intestine
• Certain cancer therapies, like radiation
• Certain medications, such as antibiotics

Complications

"Diarrhea can be nothing to be anxious, or it can be potentially life-threatening," depending on the primary cause of a patient's diarrhea.  Its primary complication is dehydration caused by the loss of large amounts of water, salt and nutrients. 

Dehydration can lead to other serious conditions such as low blood pressure, seizures, kidney failure or even death. Those with ongoing diarrhea should consult medical attention if the following condition occur:

• Dark urine or small amounts of urine
• Rapid heart rate
• Dry, flushed skin
• Headaches or light-headedness
• Fatigue
• Irritability or confusion
• Severe abdominal or rectal pain
• Blood in the stool or black, tar-like stools

Diagnosis & Tests

According to the research, diagnosing diarrhea itself isn't always as simple as one might think, and noted that people often experience changes in their bowel movements thinking that they have diarrhea when, in fact, they do not. However, having three or more watery or soft bowel movements a day is most likely a diarrhea.

To diagnose diarrhea, a doctor may want to determine the condition’s cause, especially for patients whose symptoms are severe and/or ongoing. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), diagnostic tests for diarrhea include: 

• Physical exam of the abdomen and queries on eating habits
• Medication review, including over-the-counter medicines and supplements
• Blood tests to rule out particular illnesses
• Stool culture to identify presence or absence of bacteria or parasites
• Fasting tests, avoiding a range of foods to check whether diarrhea responds to dietary changes
• Imaging tests to rule out intestinal blockages or other irregularities
• Sigmoidoscopy   or colonoscopy, which allow doctors to view the colon and rectum internally

Treatment & Medication

According to the National institutes of Health (NIH), most cases of diarrhea resolve spontaneously in a few days and all that is needed is averting dehydration by replacing lost fluids.

Temporarily, various over-the-counter prescriptions may help firm the stool and decrease the urgency for bowel movements, which include loperamide hydrochloride (commonly known as the brand name Imodium AD), bismuth subsalicylate and attapulgite.  These medications are not recommended for diarrhea caused by bacterial infection or parasites, according to the (NIH), as these trap organisms in the intestines if the diarrhea stops before they are completely excreted.

It is recommended to drink two to three quarts or liters of liquids daily while recovering from diarrhea. Although water is good, it does not replace lost salt or nutrients, so better choices are broth, tea with honey, sports drinks and pulp-free juices. Milk products, caffeine, alcohol, and apple and pear juices should be avoided because these may worsen diarrhea.

Bananas, plain rice, toast, crackers, boiled potatoes, smooth peanut butter, cottage cheese, noodles and applesauce are also recommended. Since yogurt, cheese and miso contain probiotics, which contain strains of bacteria comparable to those in a healthy intestine, they are also good choices. Fatty, high-fiber or heavily seasoned foods should be avoided for several days.

To prevent diarrhea especially when traveling drinking only bottled or boiled water, frequently washing hands especially before eating and eating only freshly cooked foods are recommended steps. 

Sirach 30:15 No treasure greater than a healthy body; no happiness, than a joyful heart!

Sirach 30:16 More precious than gold is health and well-being, contentment of spirit than coral.

References: 

Elizabeth Palermo, Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments http://www.livescience.com/34719-diarrhea-intestinal-flu-dehydration.html, May 05, 2015 10:51pm ET 

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/celiac-disease, What Is Celiac Disease? 

http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/?referrer=https://www.google.com.ph/, What is Ulcerative Colitis?