Diarrhea is a common disease and many of us will ignore it initially or will resort to home remedies. As per a recent survey, acute diarrhea leading the list of causes for childhood mortality. It may end up in more severe medical conditions in adults also. Hence, it is not wiser to ignore it or to take it not seriously. You should consult a gastroenterologist if you experience diarrhea as a timely treatment for the real cause can prevent any serious medical conditions.
Basically, there are two different types of diarrhea, Acute, and Chronic Diarrhea. Acute diarrhea is caused by the virus. Most common type of virus that causes acute diarrhea in children is Rotavirus and in adults is Norovirus.
Chronic Diarrhea is again classified into fatty diarrhea or malabsorption diarrhea and Inflammatory Diarrhea. The major cause of bloody diarrhea is IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In certain cases, it can be caused due to Ischemia of the gut, infections, colon cancer and radiotherapy.
The common cause of fatty or malabsorption diarrhea is the improper digestion of fats which is the result of low pancreatic enzyme level. It can happen due to the poor absorption of fat because of some bowel related diseases also.
Symptoms
The common symptom of diarrhea is the loose or watery stool. Abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting etc can also be associated symptoms. In the case of chronic diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain etc can also be experienced.
Diagnosis
It is important to consult a gastroenterologist if diarrhea lasts for more than 48 hours. In the case of severe and bloody diarrhea, stool test will be conducted first followed by a blood test. In the case of severe diarrhea, the doctors will prescribe more tests to test the blood count level, electrolyte abnormalities, infections etc. Endoscopic inspection of the colon may also be suggested in some severe cases. CT scan and an Ultrasound scan of the abdomen may be helpful to assess the conditions of bowel, pancreas etc.
Treatments
The major treatment is medication and following a certain diet. The patient should consume large quantities of water and sugar to avoid dehydration. However, finding the real cause of diarrhea plays an important role in deciding the success of the treatment. You need to get the tests done perfectly and you need highly experienced doctors to analyze the reports precisely to decide the actual cause. It is always better to approach hospitals such as Ananya Gastro which are offering exclusive gastroenterology treatments, as they will have the right equipment and the right doctors to ensure hundred percent success in the treatment.