Are you worried about your Diarrhoea?
Diarrhoea is also common in young children and infants and is commonly caused by a stomach bug, symptoms tend to stop within a few days to a week.
In most cases diarrhoea can be treated at home. Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended to combat the dehydration that diarrhoea causes, this is particularly important in young children and adults with weakened immune systems.
Diarrhoea is particularly infectious, and precautions should be taken to avoid spreading to those around you. Regular washing of your hands with soap, washing any clothes or sheets that may have faeces on (separate from your regular wash), and cleaning of surfaces you have touched that others will come in contact with (handles, taps etc.)
As well as drinking plenty of fluids and getting plenty of rest, you can also steer clear of certain food types:
- Avoid spicy food
- Lessen dairy intake
- Lessen caffeine intake
For children, you should see a GP if:
- Symptoms do not improve after the first day
- Blood is present in their stool
- They have a fever
- They are experiencing a dry mouth
- No tears are produced whilst crying
- Their abdomen, eyes, or cheeks appear sunken
A visit to the doctor should be scheduled if an adult is experiencing:
- Symptoms lasting more than a few days
- Dark, little, or no urine
- Severe pain
- Blood present in stool
- A fever
Here at VIDA we have expert clinicians on hand to help diagnose and treat your condition. To find out more about these services, we recommend visiting the following pages:
- Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (or other medication side effects)
- Artificial sweeteners
- C. difficile infection
- Celiac disease
- Colon cancer
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Cryptosporidium infection
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
- E. coli
- Food intolerances
- Food poisoning
- Fructose intolerance
- Giardia infection (giardiasis) (or other infections causes by parasites)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Lactose intolerance
- Medications used to treat heartburn
- Medicines
- Norovirus infection
- Radiation therapy
- Rotavirus (or infections caused by other viruses)
- Salmonella infection (or other infections that may occur from bacteria)
- Shigella infection
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Stomach surgery
- Traveler's diarrhea
- Ulcerative colitis
- Whipple's disease
Can stress cause diarrhoea?
It is not uncommon for stress to cause diarrhoea. This is because stress and anxiety can impact digestion. Some people find that stress speeds up digestion which can result in diarrhoea whilst other people actually find it slows digestion which may result in constipation.
If you are experiencing a lot of stress which is affecting your physical or mental health and you are struggling to cope, you should speak to a GP to find out the root cause of the stress and ways to better manage it.