10 causes of diarrhea that should not be underestimated
Diarrheal disease really interferes with activities, because sufferers often have to go back and forth to the toilet to defecate. Actually, what are the things that can cause diarrhea?
What are the causes of diarrhea pain?
In addition to making bowel movements more frequent, this digestive disorder also causes other symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, nausea, and vomiting.
Generally, people experience diarrhea after eating contaminated food, either because it has expired or because it is not well cooked.
In chronic diarrhea that occurs for a long time, its appearance could be a sign of another digestive disease that you are suffering from.
The following are various causes of diarrhea.
1. Bacterial infection that causes diarrhea
The bacteria that cause diarrhea usually enter the body through unhygienic food and drinks. Bacteria can also enter the body if you eat foods that are not fully cooked, whether they are vegetables, meat, or fish.
Various bacteria that can cause diarrhea symptoms are as follows.
Escherichia coli(E. coli)
In fact, these bacteria mostly live in the intestines of humans and animals, often being harmless. However, there are several types E. coli which can lead to severe infection.
Bacteria E. coli which is harmful can enter the body through the consumption of undercooked beef or when you do not wash your hands before and after eating and after going to the toilet.
Salmonella
Salmonella can contaminate humans through foods such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs that have been contaminated. It can also be caused by consumption of raw fruits and vegetables that are not washed properly.
Not only diarrhea, salmonella infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream or to other organs.
Shigella
The infection is also known as shigellosis, this bacteria releases toxins that can irritate the intestines and cause diarrhea.
These bacteria are found in water or food contaminated with feces. Shigella infection is more often the cause of diarrhea in children or toddlers.
Campylobacter
Bacteria Campylobacter commonly found in birds and chickens. If the infected poultry is not thoroughly cooked, the infection can be transmitted to humans who eat it.
Vibrio cholerae
This bacterial infection is also known as cholera. Cholera is a contagious disease that causes severe diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in sufferers.
Sources of transmission for these bacteria are supplies of contaminated water or ice, vegetables grown in dirty water, and raw fish and seafood caught in sewage-contaminated waters.
2. Viral infection
Diarrhea is not only caused by bacteria, but also viruses. The types of viruses that cause diarrhea are rotavirus and norovirus.
The route of transmission is mostly the same as bacterial infection, namely through consumption of unhygienic food and drinks or direct contact with people who are sick with diarrhea.
A person who is infected with the virus that causes diarrhea can start to spread the disease even before feeling the symptoms of diarrhea.
Shaking hands with other people, opening door handles, or pressing light switches are some examples of activities that involve touching hands that can transfer the various germs that cause diarrhea.
In adults, rotavirus infection does not always cause diarrhea. In fact, some do not cause any symptoms However, rotavirus infection is prone to causing severe diarrhea in young children and infants.
Children’s diarrhea caused by rotavirus can last up to 8 days.
3. Parasitic or fungal infections
Apart from bacteria and viruses, diarrhea can also be caused by consuming food or drinks that are contaminated with fungi or parasites. Giardia duodenalis is a parasite that can cause diarrhea in humans.
Diarrhea caused by parasitic infections is common, especially in places where water sanitation is poor, the environment is not sterile, and people do not maintain hygiene.
Food or water can be contaminated by parasites during processing, production, preparation, shipping or storage.
Parasitic infections not only cause diarrhea, but also trigger stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, and foul smelling stools within one to two weeks of exposure.
4. Travel to a certain place
Traveling, aka traveling is one way to relieve stress. But if you are not careful, your favorite destination can be the cause of diarrhea while on vacation.
In medicine, diarrhea that only occurs during holidays is called tourist diarrhea. During holidays, diarrhea can be caused by a tendency to taste food in tourist areas where cleanliness is not guaranteed.
Apart from food, germs that cause diarrhea can also be spread in drinking water or in waters or swimming pools at the tourist attractions you visit.
Based on the CDC report, swimming in contaminated waters can be a cause of diarrhea. The types of germs that are usually in the pool are Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
5. Side effects of certain drugs
For some people, the side effects of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor can be a cause of loose stools. The reason is, even though it is tasked to kill bacteria, this drug cannot distinguish which bad bacteria cause infection and which are good bacteria that live naturally in the body.
Therefore, taking antibiotics can help kill the good bacteria that protect the intestines. The imbalance of the good bacteria colonies in the intestine due to the consumption of antibiotics can cause diarrhea.
Apart from antibiotics, diarrhea can also be caused by side effects of blood pressure drugs, cancer drugs, and antacid drugs.
6. Food intolerance
The cause of your diarrhea may be because you have a certain food intolerance. In this condition, the body cannot digest certain nutrients or substances in a food because it does not have special enzymes.
A person who has a food intolerance will experience symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, and bloating that usually appear within 30 minutes to two hours after eating.
7. Certain medical conditions that cause diarrhea
Sometimes, diarrhea can also last a long time. If you have symptoms for more than two weeks, then diarrhea is a chronic type.
If acute diarrhea is often caused by consumption of unhygienic food, chronic diarrhea is caused by an inflammatory disease in your digestive tract. Here are some of the diseases.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
IBS indicates a disruption in your colon, which is generally triggered by stress. The irritated intestine cannot work optimally to absorb nutrients as well as fluids, which can lead to symptoms of diarrhea.
Apart from diarrhea, IBS is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as flatulence, gas, constipation, stomach cramps, and mucus stools.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
IBD is used to describe several chronic bowel disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Both of these conditions are characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract. The inflammation usually spreads from the digestive tract to the surrounding tissue and causes sores along the lining of the large intestine.
That is why diarrhea caused by this disease can be accompanied by blood.
Celiac disease
If you have Celiac disease, eating foods that contain gluten will trigger an immune system response to attack the healthy tissue in your small intestine.
Over time, this condition can damage the lining of the intestine which in turn can interfere with the absorption of important nutrients in the body (malabsorption). As a result, you will be more prone to experiencing diarrhea because of intestinal performance problems.
8. Drinking alcohol causes diarrhea
Harvard Medical School states that drinking alcohol can cause diarrhea. Especially when coupled with the consumption of foods high in fiber or oily.
In small portions, alcohol can trigger the intestines to move faster to digest food.
But on the other hand, these two types of food prevent the large intestine from absorbing water optimally. As a result, the stool will contain a lot of water and make the texture thin.
9. Food choices are not appropriate
As we get older, the digestive system will become more sensitive to certain foods.
That means, improper food choices can be a cause of digestive problems, one of which is diarrhea. In fact, it can also worsen diarrhea that has already occurred.
There are several types of foods that are prone to causing diarrhea due to diarrhea, including:
- spicy foods containing capsaicin, irritate the intestines and speed up the absorption process so that the stomach becomes heartburn and diarrhea,
- sugary foods, stimulate the intestines to remove water and electrolytes from the body, making it easier for a person to pass urine,
- milk and cheese in some people can cause diarrhea because it is difficult to digest, even makes the symptoms worse.
- foods that are fried or fatty because they are difficult to digest, causing fatty acid fluid in the feces, as well
- caffeinated drinks that can speed up the absorption process so that it can trigger diarrhea.
10. Surgery on the stomach
If you have recently had a surgical procedure on your digestive organs, especially your intestines, this could be a trigger for diarrhea to appear.
Postoperative side effects on the digestive organs can temporarily affect the performance of the intestine in absorbing food nutrients. Diarrhea will get better as the body recovers after surgery.
If you are not sure which is the cause of your diarrhea (loose stools), consult your doctor. Your doctor may recommend that you undergo a medical examination to determine the exact cause of diarrhea plus treatment.
