Diarrhoea - causes, symptoms and treatment (2 of 2)

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How do I know if I have diarrhoea?

Your doctor's most important tool for diagnosing the cause of your diarrhoea is the information you provide. You will need to inform the doctor about recent traveland whether other people in your family are ill. Providing details about the stools may be embarrassing to you, but they are very important, such as presence of blood or mucus; how watery it is; how long you've had diarrhoea; whether you are also experiencing severe urgency, abdominal pain, or pain in your rectum; and whether it occurs more often after eating certain foods.

Your doctor may want to examine a sample of your stools and send it to a laboratory for testing. If your doctor suspects food intolerance, the doctor may ask you to avoid a particular type of food for a while to see if this helps stop your diarrhoea. If your doctor needs more information to make a diagnosis, you may need to undergo sigmoidoscopy, which is an examination of the rectum and lower part of the colon with a lighted tube-like instrument, or colonoscopy, which is an examination of the entire colon with a similar instrument. If your symptoms suggest food intolerance or a hormonal disturbance, other tests may be recommended.

What are the treatments for diarrhoea?

The most important aspect of treating diarrhoea involves avoiding dehydration and replacing lost fluid. Because plain water does not contain sugar, sodium, orpotassium, which are also lost in diarrhoea, it is important to consume plenty of fluids that contain these substances. Examples of appropriate drinks include water, prepared re-hydration solutions, chicken or beef soup. Fruit juice or fizzy drinks can make diarrhoea worse in children.

If you also are vomiting, try taking tiny amounts of liquid every 15 minutes. After you are able to hold down liquids, you can advance to a bland, soft diet.

You may be asked to avoid fats, sweets,coffee, and milk products until you are completely over the diarrhoea.

Effective antidiarrhoeal medicines such as loperamide, that works by slowing down the muscle movements in the gut, are available over the counter for adults andchildren over 12. This medicine shouldn’t be used if breastfeeding. Pharmacists can advise on suitable products.

Seek medical advice before using anti-diarrhoea medicines if there is blood in the poo,a high temperature or other symptoms. Also seek medical advice in the case of severe or persistent diarrhoea in a child under 12.

In severe diarrhoea due to infectious bacteria, your doctor may advise taking antibiotics to help resolve the symptoms. However, antibiotics won't help with viral diarrhoea, which is the most common type of infectious diarrhoea.

How can I prevent diarrhoea?

The most important way to avoid diarrhoea is to avoid coming into contact with infectious agents that can cause it. This means that hygienic food preparation and storage techniques, and good hand washing, especially when preparing food and after using the toilet are very important.

If someone in your home has diarrhoea, take precautions to stop it spreading:

• Disinfectant the toilet, handle and the seat after the person has used it each time.
• Don't share towels, flannels, cutlery or utensils with the person who is unwell.
• Keep them at home until at least 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea.