What is diarrhea?
Diarrhea can be defined as loose, watery bowel movements and usually happen more often than normal bowel movements. Having loose stools three times a day or more is considered diarrhea. Usually, diarrhea only lasts for a short period of time, but chronic or persistent diarrhea can point to a much more serious complication. Diarrhea can sometimes be treated at home. The most important thing to do is to drink plenty of fluids to replace the fluids being lost during watery bowel movements. You can also include bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast into your diet. If you believe you have a virus or bacteria, antibiotics or antivirals might be prescribed. You can also use over-the-counter medications with your physician’s oversight. However, there are several conditions, diseases, and cancers that manifest themselves through diarrhea. Some of these conditions include colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. That is why it is important to not self-diagnose and seek a doctor if severe diarrhea develops. You can find a local gastrointestinal specialist through a GI Alliance location in your community.
What can cause diarrhea?
Diarrhea is a generally common condition. Most of us have experienced watery and loose stools after eating some bad food, during stressful times in our lives, or after starting a new medication. It can sometimes indicate that something more serious is going on in your body. Here is a list of possible habits or conditions that can cause diarrhea:
- Bacteria and parasites from contaminated food or water
- Viruses
- Lactose intolerance
- Alcohol abuse
- Laxative abuse
- Overactive thyroid
- Radiation therapy
- Runner’s diarrhea
- Some cancers
- Fructose (difficulty digesting it)
- Artificial sweeteners in your diet
- Surgery (sometimes abdominal and gallbladder removal surgeries can cause diarrhea)
- Malabsorption (trouble absorbing certain nutrients)
When should I visit a gastroenterologist for diarrhea?
When your diarrhea becomes severe, contact a GI Alliance gastroenterologist as soon as possible. Some signs of severe diarrhea include:
A sigmoidoscope is used to view the inside of the rectum and lower colon. A finger-sized thick tube with a camera at the end is inserted from the rectum, and images of the inner wall of the rectum and part of the colon can be seen on the monitor. It can be used to take a biopsy of the polyp or tumor and remove some polyps. However, a colonoscopy needs to be done to view the whole colon and remove all polyps or tumors. It is fairly safe but has a small risk of bowel tear, bleeding, and infection.
A colonoscope is similar to a sigmoidoscope but is longer and is used to examine the inner wall of the whole colon. It is inserted from the rectum, and the doctor can see the images of the entire colon on the monitor. Special surgical tools can be passed through the colonoscope to take a biopsy and remove polyps. Sedation is required. There is a small risk of bowel tears, bleeding, or infection after the procedure. It’s important to note this is the only colorectal prevention strategy offered.
This is the computed tomography scan of the colon. The person is asked to lie on a table of the CT scanner, which takes cross-sectional images of the colon. It is a non-invasive technique and does not require sedation. If any abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy needs to be done to remove the polyps or tumors.
A small tube is inserted in the rectum, and barium sulfate, a white chalky liquid, and air is pumped into the colon. The barium suspension lines the outer walls of the colon. X-ray images of the colon are then taken to reveal abnormalities on the inner wall of the colon. If any abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy needs to be done to remove the polyps or tumors.
These are done with the fecal sample and are totally safe. Fecal tests may not give confirmatory results but may suggest abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract, warranting further tests. A colonoscopy needs to be repeated if results are positive, indicating the presence of cancerous growth in the colon. There are three types of fecal tests:
- Fecal occult blood tests detect blood in the feces that is not visible to normal eyes through a chemical reaction.
- Fecal immunochemical tests detect blood through a specific immunochemical reaction of a protein in the blood and can detect hidden blood.
- Stool DNA tests look for certain abnormal DNA genes in the cells shed from cancerous outgrowth or polyps in the stool sample.
- Diarrhea accompanied by a fever
- Lasts longer than two days
- Dark urine and diarrhea
- Severe stomach pain
- Vomiting accompanied by diarrhea
- After a vacation in a foreign country
If any of these issues manifest themselves, it is important to seek professional help. It is better to be safe than sorry. If you feel that you should visit a gastroenterologist because of diarrhea, please do not hesitate to do so.
