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Please add the profiles for those who died from Diarrhea.
Be aware there is also a project for Dysentery
- Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation, especially in the colon, that can lead to severe diarrhea with mucus or blood in the feces.
- Flux is the discharge of large quantities of fluid material from the body, especially the discharge of watery feces from the intestines or hemorrhage. This is an old term frequently used on death certificates. The free dictionary – flux & Old Disease Names Frequently found on Death Certificates
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or as having more stools than is normal for that person as defined by the World Health Organization. Acute diarrhea is defined as an abnormally frequent discharge of semisolid or fluid fecal matter from the bowel, lasting less than 14 days, by World Gastroenterology Organization.
It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin with loss of the normal stretchiness of the skin and changes in personality. This can progress to decreased urination, loss of skin color, a fast heart rate, and a decrease in responsiveness as it becomes more severe. Loose but non watery stools in babies who are breastfed, however, may be normal.
Diarrhea can be caused by diseases and other conditions, namely:
- Infections -- most common cause
- The infection is due to either a virus, bacteria, or parasite
- The most commonly identified causes of acute diarrhea in the United States are the bacteria Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, and Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli.
- a condition known as gastroenteritis.
- These infections are often acquired from food or water that has been contaminated by stool, or directly from another person who is infected.
- It may be divided into three types: short duration watery diarrhea, short duration bloody diarrhea, and if it lasts for more than two weeks, persistent diarrhea. The short duration watery diarrhea may be due to an infection by cholera. If blood is present it is also known as dysentery.
- Irritable bowel syndrome -- IBS- usually presents with abdominal discomfort relieved by defecation and unusual stool (diarrhea or constipation) for at least 3 days a week over the previous 3 months.
- Inflammatory bowel disease - can cause chronic diarrhea. (Ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease; there can be blood in the stool in both conditions)
- Malabsorption--the inability to absorb food fully, mostly from disorders in the small bowel, but also due to maldigestion from diseases of the pancreas. (Celiac disease)
- Drug-induced diarrhea - the obvious cause is laxatives, but a list of other drugs can also lead to diarrhea including antibiotics, certain medications used to treat heartburn and acid reflux, and chemotherapy drugs.
- Chronic ethanol ingestion
- Endocrine causes - sometimes hormones are the cause (Hyperthyroidism, Addison disease and carcinoid tumors)
- Allergies or food intolerance such as Lactose intolerance
- Ischemic bowel disease: This usually affects older people and can be due to blocked arteries.
- Microscopic colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease where changes are only seen on histological examination of colonic biopsies.
- Bile salt malabsorption (primary bile acid diarrhea) where excessive bile acids in the colon produce a secretory diarrhea.
- Hormone-secreting tumors: some hormones (e.g., serotonin) can cause diarrhea if excreted in excess (usually from a tumor).
- Chronic mild diarrhea in infants and toddlers may occur with no obvious cause and with no other ill effects; this condition is called toddler's diarrhea.
- Environmental enteropathy
- Radiation enteropathy following treatment for pelvic and abdominal cancers.
Prevention of infectious diarrhea is by improved sanitation, clean drinking water, and hand washing with soap. Breastfeeding for at least six months is also recommended as is vaccination against rotavirus. Oral rehydration solution (ORS), which is clean water with modest amounts of salts and sugar, is the treatment of choice. Zinc tablets are also recommended. These treatments have been estimated to have saved 50 million children in the past 25 years. When people have diarrhea it is recommended that they continue to eat healthy food and babies continue to be breastfeed. If commercial ORS are not available, homemade solutions may be used. In those with severe dehydration, intravenous fluids may be required. Most cases; however, can be managed well with fluids by mouth. Antibiotics, while rarely used, may be recommended in a few cases such as those who have bloody diarrhea and a high fever, those with severe diarrhea following traveling, and those who grow specific bacteria or parasites in their stool. Loperamide may help decrease the number of bowel movement but is not recommended in those with severe disease.
About 1.7 to 5 billion cases of diarrhea occur per year. It is most common in developing countries, where young children get diarrhea on average three times a year. Total deaths from diarrhea are estimated at 1.26 million in 2013 – down from 2.58 million in 1990. In 2012, it is the second most common cause of deaths in children younger than five (0.76 million or 11%). As of 2017, globally, there are an estimated 2 billion cases of diarrheal disease each year, and 1.9 million children under the age of 5, mostly in developing countries, die from malnutrition which often results from frequent episodes of diarrhea. Other long term problems that can result include stunted growth and poor intellectual development.
For Additional Reading:
- Wikipedia - Diarrhea
- WebMD - Diarrhea: Why It Happens and How to Treat It
- Medical News Today - Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments (updated 4 Jan 2017)
- EMedicineHealth - Diarrhea Causes, Symptoms, Home Remedies & Treatments
- Mayo Clinic - Diarrhea
- Healthline - What You Should Know About Explosive Diarrhea
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