By the time you become an adult, you will have experienced multiple instances of diarrhea. It is one of the most common problems among humans, whether children or adults. The discomfort that comes with diarrhea may be the reason you need to have the condition resolved. However, it is not the primary reason. When diarrhea persists for several days, treatment is paramount, as this medical condition can severely deteriorate your health.
What Is Diarrhea?
It is a condition that is characterized by watery and loose stool. It also comes with the urgent and unavoidable need to have a bowel movement frequently. Diarrhea is a significant health problem that can cause discomfort and impact your body’s health over time.
Ideally, diarrhea should last a few days and resolves on its own without the need for treatment. However, having that there is both acute and chronic diarrhea, some patients have this problem lasting for longer than a day or two. Acute diarrhea is the kind that lasts about two days at most. Without treatment, you will fully recover. However, chronic diarrhea is worse, and it requires treatment in an emergency room near you.
What Causes Diarrhea?
Among different patients with diarrhea in an ​ER near you, the cause of their condition will differ. Technically, diarrhea results from a viral or bacterial infection. That said, depending on how severe and persistent your diarrhea is, the underlying cause will differ. The common causes are:
- Food poisoning
- Food intolerance – for example, lactose intolerance
- Food allergy – diarrhea becomes one of the symptoms of your allergic reaction
- Drug allergy – you may be having an adverse reaction to a medication
- Viral infection
- Bacterial infection – for example, salmonella or E. coli
- Intestinal disease
- Parasitic infection – is fairly common among travelers
- Post-surgical side effects – it is particularly common for stomach surgery
- Irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease
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Many of the patients in the emergency rooms in Temple suffer from diarrhea as a symptom of another underlying health problem. This is one of the reasons why diarrhea can be hard to treat without the intervention of a doctor. You require a diagnosis on your health to determine the underlying health issue you have hence treating diarrhea.
What Are the Common Symptoms of Diarrhea?
Although diarrhea is often a symptom of a different health problem, on its own diarrhea is a health condition that presents other symptoms in your body. Some of those symptoms are:
- Nausea
- Bloated stomach
- Cramping and overall abdominal pain
- Dehydration
- Bloody and loose stool
- A frequent and urgent need to poop
- A fever
- Decreased urination
Risk Factors Associated with Diarrhea
The reason why you must visit emergency care in Temple when you have any of the above symptoms is that there are health complications that may arise if you don’t. the greatest risk factor with diarrhea is that it results in dehydration. While you may try to keep drinking a lot of water, you may be losing it just as fast. The dehydration in your body will introduce many other health issues including the following:
- Recurrent headaches
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Lightheadedness
- Increased heart rate
- Dry skin
- Sunken eyes
- Irritability
All these symptoms will continue to worsen as diarrhea lasts longer. Therefore, if it has been more than two days and you are still experiencing symptoms of diarrhea, you must contact a doctor near you urgently. The situation may be worse for children.
When Should You Be Alarmed About Diarrhea?
In general, diarrhea should make you a little more conscious about taking care of your health. Aside from that, you must be very intentional about seeking emergency care when you notice any of the following factors:
- The problem persists for more than two days
- If you feel significantly dehydrated, despite efforts to drink a lot of water
- You notice bloodstains in your stool
- If there is pus in your stool
- If your stool is black and tarry
- If you have a persistent fever of 39°C or higher
