How it Happens
Diarrhea is an incredibly common complaint that can strike at any time for a number of reasons - and it's often easily looked after.
There are 2 main categories of diarrhea: acute, which is temporary diarrhea, and chronic, where the diarrhea lasts longer than 4 weeks. The two happen for different reasons, but both work the same way.
Essentially, diarrhea is a simple interruption in your digestive process that affects your body's absorption of nutrients and water.
Normally, food and liquids travel from your stomach into the small intestine, where nutrients and water are absorbed, and then into the colon, where undigested waste is stored and then expelled.
Diarrhea (which comes from the Greek for "a flowing through") occurs when something (an infection, poison, inflammation, for example) disrupts the routine in your digestive system.
The process speeds into hyperactivity, pushing food and fluids through the colon too quickly. The result? Watery stools - better known as diarrhea.
Symptoms:
- Loose watery stools, often accompanied by abdominal cramps
- Virus-caused diarrhea is often preceded by nausea and vomiting and is sometimes accompanied by abdominal pain, cramping and flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever and sore muscles
- Bacteria - or parasite-generated diarrhea often includes a high fever (over 39C or 102F) and stools containing blood or mucus
