Possible Causes of Diarrhea

What is diarrhea, and what are some possible causes of diarrhea?

Usually, when you eat, the food that you consume stays in liquid form throughout the digestive process. The fluids are typically absorbed in your colon, and the remaining fluid is then formed into stool.

However, diarrhea occurs when the fluid passes through your colon so quickly that it never has the chance to be absorbed; the stool thus cannot harden. So what are the possible causes and triggers of diarrhea?

Viral gastroenteritis, also called the stomach flu, is the most common cause of diarrhea. This is a viral infection that should clear up on its own, and antibiotics are generally ineffective for it. Other viral infections include the rotavirus, herpes simplex virus, Norwalk virus, cytomegalovirus, and viral hepatitis.

Food poisoning can also be one of the causes of diarrhea. People who travel to foreign countries can develop traveler's diarrhea, which is caused by consuming food or water that is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or bacteria. This is primarily a concern for those people who are going to developing countries, although you can develop food poisoning by eating any kind of contaminated food. Some of the common bacteria that can lead to this are Escherichia coli E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigell.

There are some medications that can be causes of diarrhea as well, such as laxatives that contain magnesium, chemotherapy, blood pressure medicine, and antibiotics.

Malabsorption syndromes, like lactose intolerance, can be a culprit. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to what you eat if you find that you are having diarrhea regularly. Sometimes, doctors will suggest that you keep a food diary in order to help you keep track of what you are consuming.

Occasionally, the cause of diarrhea is not known. But if it only lasts for a few days and goes away on its own, then it's actually generally not necessary to figure out the causes of diarrhea.

If diarrhea sets in rapidly, then it is normally attributed to a parasitic, viral, or bacterial infection. However, if it continues on, then it can be referred to as chronic diarrhea and can be caused by a disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

If you find that you are having stomach cramps that are sharp and are not relieved by having a bowel movement, then you should consider visiting a doctor to check out the causes of diarrhea. In addition, you should contact someone if you have a high fever with the diarrhea, or if you feel light-headed when you sit or stand.

In severe cases, diarrhea can lead to dehydration. If you have a child with diarrhea who has been vomiting for more than 12 hours, you should also contact a medical professional.

Lastly, if you have been eating with a group of people and all or most of you soon develop diarrhea, then you should inform someone. You might have contacted food poisoning and, in these cases, the health department might have to be notified to ascertain the origin and causes of diarrhea.

Diarrhea will usually clear up on its own, however, and there are numerous home and natural health remedies that you can try without resorting to paying a visit to the doctor. Learn more in the related diarrhea pages and articles.

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