How to treat acute diarrhea

The disease can be found in many places, all ages and easily spread into epidemics. Causes of acute diarrhea are many, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, it will be dangerous to life. Understanding the causes of bacterial and bacterial toxins will help people know how to manage and prevent them.

Diarrhea due to contaminated food poisoning

Bacteria that cause Salmonella
( Photo picturethis.pnl.gov )

Causes of ingestion of food containing bacteria capable of penetrating into the intestinal mucosa and pathogens such as Salmonella (S.typhi murium and S.enteritidis) are the most common diseases. Gastrointestinal disease is caused by eating foods contaminated with Salmonella. The average incubation period is 12-36 hours after eating. Sudden onset of illness: fever, abdominal pain in the epigastric region or around the navel, no frequent diarrhea, rotten stool, sometimes watery mucus, blood, almost feces in bacilli dysentery. Severe cases of electrolyte disorders due to dehydration (dry lips, sunken eyes, thirst). If not diagnosed and treated promptly, patients can die from vascular collapse.

In addition, food-borne infections are also caused by ingesting food containing the toxins of bacteria that are already formed in food and this toxin causes disease (toxins of golden staph, Clostridium perfrigens, Clostridium botulinum, bacilluscerus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus). Clinical manifestations are diarrhea several times a day, abdominal pain, no fever, nausea and vomiting. If not treated promptly, it will lead to dehydration and death.

Diarrhea in cholera

Cholera: Caused by Vibrio cholerae. The incubation period averages 5 days. Symptoms are common to go out many times a day, fecal lethargy such as rice water, no abdominal pain, no fever, death if not properly diagnosed and treated. The disease is easy to cause epidemics.

E.coli produces intestinal toxins: causes increased secretions and electrolytes into the intestine, without inflammation. The source is food and water. Incubation period 24-72 hours, possible mild fever, watery stool. This is a mild form of diarrhea but lasts for up to 5 weeks.

Bacteria Vibrio cholerae causes cholera
( Photo pathmicro.med.sc.edu )

E.coli bacteria produce intestinal toxins
( Photo rowett.ac.uk )

How to treat acute diarrhea?

The main treatment is rehydration and electrolytes on the principle of properly assessing dehydration.

Mild dehydration: Drinking water by mouth while still drinking, often using oresol in 1 liter of water. If no oresol is available, use salt porridge.

Severe dehydration: Expressing sunken eyes, dry lips, wrinkled skin. When the amount of water loss is greater than 5% of body weight or when drinking is not effective, then water must be compensated by intravenous infusion. Infusion is mainly saline and sweet isotonic solution. Antibiotics are indicated for patients with signs of infectious diarrhea (white blood cells in the stool). Depending on the cause, use appropriate antibiotics. However, it is necessary to distinguish from cases of diarrhea caused by Enterovirus (localized and predominantly small epidemics in children).

When treating diarrhea, in addition to rehydration, electrolytes and medications, attention should also be paid to proper nutrition. Patients with diarrhea, poor digestibility and food absorption so food needs to be carefully processed, puree easily digestible, ensure adequate nutritional needs. No excessive abstinence.

Prevention is an important requirement. Diarrhea is transmitted mainly by dirty hands, food or intermediate flies, cockroaches . People are the only source of transmission. So prevention is an urgent and specific requirement that needs to be strictly followed:

Hygiene in eating: eating cooked, boiled, not eating raw vegetables, salad seafood, shrimp sauce .; Wash hands with soap before eating, when preparing food and after using the toilet; Protecting clean water sources, using clean water for cooking (if there is no tap water, use chloramin B to disinfect). Do not throw garbage, dead mice into ponds and rivers; When a family or around a dangerous diarrhea person needs to report to the nearest medical facility for prompt treatment; Everyone must have a sense of hygiene, not defecate indiscriminately. When diarrhea has to go to the toilet, sprinkle lime powder or flush chloramin B.

4 recommendations for the community to prevent dangerous acute diarrhea

Dangerous acute diarrhea spreads quickly and easily, but can be prevented. To prevent disease and prevent disease from spreading, people make the following recommendations:

1. Personal hygiene, environmental sanitation:
- Wash your hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet.
- Each family has a hygienic latrine, indiscriminate toilet. For families with acute diarrhea patients need to sprinkle lime or chloramin B after each bowel movement.
- Feces and waste of patients must be poured into the latrine, lime powder, chloramin B . after each time to sterilize.
- Avoid concentrating on eating and drinking crowded people like funerals, weddings and death ceremonies.
- Limit people to and from areas where epidemics are available.

2. Food safety and hygiene:
- Everyone, every home is done eating and drinking.
- Do not eat raw vegetables, do not drink water.
- Do not eat foods that are susceptible to infection, especially live shrimp paste, fresh seafood, fish salad, soup, nem chua.

3. Protect water sources and use clean water:
- Drinking water must be protected cleanly.
- All drinking water must be disinfected with chloramin B. chemical.
- Prohibit the dumping of waste, washing water, washing patient's belongings into ponds, lakes, rivers and wells. Prohibit the disposal of dead animals and garbage into ponds, lakes, rivers and wells.

4. When someone has acute diarrhea:
When a family member has acute diarrhea, they must promptly notify the nearest medical facility for prompt treatment.

Vietnam Department of Preventive Medicine