Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
This can cause elevated physical temperature, painful spasms of the intestinal muscles , swelling due to fluid leaking from capillaries of the intestine and further tissue damage by the body's immune cells and the chemicals, called cytokines, which are released to fight the infection. The result can be impaired nutrient absorption, excessive ...
In chronic diarrhea there is no evidence of blood in the stool and there is no sign of infection. The condition may be related to irritable bowel syndrome. [1] There are various tests that can be performed to rule out other causes of diarrhea that don't fall under the chronic criteria, including blood test, colonoscopy, and even genetic testing.
Shigellosis, known historically as dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by Shigella bacteria. [1] [3] Symptoms generally start one to two days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass stools even when the bowels are empty. [1]
Antibiotics can also cause diarrhea, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea is the most common adverse effect of treatment with general antibiotics. While bismuth compounds ( Pepto-Bismol ) decreased the number of bowel movements in those with travelers' diarrhea, they do not decrease the length of illness. [ 112 ]
Viruses cause about 70% of episodes of infectious diarrhea in the pediatric age group. [13] Rotavirus is a less common cause in adults due to acquired immunity. [27] Norovirus is the cause in about 18% of all cases. [28] Generally speaking, viral gastroenteritis accounts for 21–40% of the cases of infectious diarrhea in developed countries. [29]
The condition is usually caused by Gram-positive enteric commensal bacteria of the gut (). Clostridioides difficile is a species of Gram-positive bacteria that commonly causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal diseases when competing bacteria are wiped out by antibiotics, causing pseudomembranous colitis, whereas Clostridium septicum is responsible for most cases of neutropenic enterocolitis.
Clostridioides difficile, also known more commonly as C. diff, accounts for 10 to 20% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases, because the antibiotics administered for the treatment of certain disease processes such as inflammatory colitis also inadvertently kill a large portion of the gut flora, the normal flora that is usually present within the bowel.
Some consider diarrhea to be the most common aggravating factor. [2] Where diarrhea is caused by temporary problems such as mild infections or food reactions, incontinence tends to be short-lived. Chronic conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease, can cause severe diarrhea