Fact Checked
Overview
Diarrhea is a disease that is spread from one person to another due to infection from an organism. According to statistics, India falls behind the rest of the world because of the large number of people who do not have access to proper bathrooms which leads to open defecation, a practice common in rural parts of the country.
Causes
Most commonly, diarrhea is caused due to –
- Infection
- Eating contaminated food (food poisoning)
- Drinking unclean water
- Transmission from a person who is suffering from the condition.
Apart from this there are certain non-infectious conditions that can be the cause of diarrhea . These include –
- Inflammation in the stomach lining
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Diverticulitis (a condition where a pouch forms in the wall of the stomach and gets infected)
- Lactose intolerance (allergy to milk)
- Allergies to certain foods
- Certain medications
- Side effect of certain surgeries (gallbladder removal or the removal of some part of the intestine)
Symptoms
Diarrhea is a condition where a person passes 3 or more loose watery stools per day, or that is more than normal for that person. It may be accompanied with –
- Fever
- Stomach pain
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Pain and cramps in the stomach or abdominal region
- Drastic weight loss (in severe cases)