Diarrhea: the causes and what to eat

The diarrhea is a condition characterized by I made it liquid or semi-formed, which are issued several times over the course of the twenty-four hours and which is often associated with a series of gastrointestinal symptoms such as belly cramps, bloating, sometimes nausea e vomit.

Two types of diarrhea can be distinguished form acute which have a limited duration of a few days and those chronic. In the case of chronic diarrhea, the disorder tends to occur for over a month and it is often the indicator of an underlying pathology, the causes of which must be investigated by the gastroenterologist specialist.

Let’s explore the topic with Roberta Elisa Rossigastroenterologist at Humanitas Rozzano and at the clinic Humanitas Medical Care De Angeli from Milan.

Diarrhea: what are the causes

The acute diarrhea in most cases it is caused by:

• bacteriacome Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella or Escherichia coli;
• viruscome Citomegalovirus e Rotavirus;
• parasitesincluding Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium (parasitic infections however can also cause chronic forms of diarrhea);
• food poisoning;
• the hiring of certain drugsespecially antibiotics;
• the taking of contaminated water or food, generally during trips abroad to countries with poorly controlled hygienic-sanitary conditions.

In case Of chronic diarrhea, the differential diagnosis is more complex. There celiac disease it is an increasingly common pathology that must be excluded in case of chronic diarrhea. Another very frequent etiology, especially in the case of long-standing forms and in the absence of symptoms and/or warning signs, is irritable bowel syndrome. Other causes of chronic diarrhea are inflammatory bowel disease (MICI), which can be associated with the presence of blood and/or mucus in the stool, complicated forms of diverticulosis, neoplastic forms. Also worth mentioning forms iatrogenic (both from drugs and as a result of surgery) and forms associated withpancreatic insufficiency: in the latter case we speak of steatorrea.

What to eat when you have diarrhea

In the acute phase of diarrhoea, greater control of the diet, considering that some foods, in fact, can irritate the intestine, while others tend to help reduce symptoms. So what to eat when you have diarrhea? Make way for:

• rice
• potatoes
• bodies
• banana
• cereals

They can be hired too lean meats, fish and eggsprovided they are well cooked and seasoned with a drizzle of raw oil.

Very important too keep hydrated: during episodes of diarrhea, in fact, the body loses many liquids that must be reintroduced. For this reason it can be useful to assume brothespecially chicken, perhaps accompanied by pasta, and hot tea or apple juice.

To reduce instead irritant drinks, for example coffee or sparkling and sugary drinks, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, such as canned ones, raw vegetables, onions, citrus fruits, fried foods or foods seasoned with butter or spices, fatty meats and sweets.

How to make diarrhea go away: the remedies

The diagnosis of diarrhea is clinically based; especially in cases of chronic diarrhea the gastroenterologist specialist will evaluate the need to investigate the causes through some diagnostic tests. In acute forms, in addition to changes to the diet, the use of antidiarrheal drugs aimed at inhibition of intestinal motility.

When diarrhea is caused by bacterial or parasitic infections, treatment may include the intake of antibiotics targeted with which they habitually associate food supplements with probioticsuseful for restoring the correct functioning of the intestinal flora.

Diarrhea and COVID: a possible symptom

It has been highlighted that diarrhea is also included in the symptoms caused by the disease COVID-19. In fact, patients with COVID usually develop symptoms including fever, tiredness and joint and muscle pain, dry cough and loss of smell and taste, but in certain cases there are also gastrointestinal manifestations. Gastrointestinal symptoms include diarrhea, loss of appetite e vomit and can show up isolated or associated to other symptoms.

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