Diarrhoea Treatment in Indore

What is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is defined as having loose or watery stools at least three times a day. It is one of the most common digestive complaints and almost everyone has an episode at some time. In most cases it is brief, caused by an infection or food that the gut did not agree with, and settles in a couple of days with rest and fluids.
When loose motions keep recurring or go on for weeks, the case is different. Doctors classify diarrhea by its duration. Acute diarrhea is for less than two weeks. Persistent diarrhea is diarrhea lasting two to four weeks. Chronic diarrhea lasts more than four weeks and is seldom just a stomach upset. It’s often a sign of a condition of the intestine, pancreas, thyroid or immune system that needs to be identified.

Dr. Kriti Bansal is treating all types of loose motions patients. Her job is to separate the benign from the serious, manage dehydration when it happens and track down the origin of chronic diarrhea. Treatment of diarrhea the first step is to find out how long the problem has been going on and what else is happening in the body.

How the Gut Normally Handles Water

To appreciate why diarrhea happens it is useful to understand the workings of the intestine. The body is supplied with about two liters of fluid daily from food and drink, and the digestive glands add several more liters. Most of this is absorbed in the small intestine, and the colon removes the remaining water to form a solid stool.
If this balance is disturbed, it leads to diarrhea. Substances that cannot be absorbed tend to pull water into the bowel (osmotic diarrhoea); toxins from germs can pump water into the bowel (secretory diarrhoea); an inflamed lining can allow water to leak out (inflammatory diarrhoea); and motility-related diarrhea is when things move through too quickly for absorption to occur. Knowing what mechanism is involved helps the doctor to choose appropriate tests and treatment.

Symptoms of Diarrhea

Other features may be present in addition to frequent watery stools and they help in judging the cause and seriousness of the problem.

• Cramping and urgency: Abdominal cramps and a sudden urge to rush to the toilet are typical of infection and bowel irritation.
• Bloating and gas: Excess gas, rumbling sounds and a swollen belly often indicate food intolerance or malabsorption.
• Fever and vomiting: These may accompany bacterial or viral infections and typically resolve as the illness progresses.
• Blood or mucus in the stool: Red streaks, mucus or pus are signs of inflammation, dysentery or conditions such as ulcerative colitis and require prompt testing.
• Fatty, floating, foul-smelling stool: Pale, bulky, hard to flush stools suggest fat malabsorption as in pancreatic or small-bowel disease.
• Diarrhea at nite: If you are waking up at nite with loose stools, it is less likely to be functional and needs to be evaluated.
• Signs of dehydration: If your body is losing more fluid than it takes in, you might notice thirst, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, less urine, dizziness and unusual drowsiness. Older adults and children can dehydrate quickly.

Reasons of Diarrhea

There are many possible reasons. It is easier to understand when separated into the groups of short term and long term.
Short-term diarrhea – causes

• Infections: viruses (e.g., rotavirus, norovirus), bacteria (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella) and parasites (e.g., Giardia, ameba) are transmitted through contaminated food, water and unwashed hands.
• Food poisoning: Bacteria in stale or improperly stored food produce toxins that cause sudden vomiting and loose stools within hours of consumption.
• Medicines: Antibiotics, antacids containing magnesium, metformin and some chemotherapy drugs can cause loose stools.
• Travel: Water and food changes during travel often cause a short episode of diarrhea.
  Causes of chronic diarrhea
• Irritable bowel syndrome: A gut disorder, often with pain and bloating, which is over-sensitive.
• Inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease cause chronic diarrhea, often with blood loss and weight loss.
• Malabsorption disorders: Celiac disease, lactose intolerance, bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine and tropical sprue affect the correct absorption of nutrients.
• Pancreatic disease: If the pancreas does not produce sufficient digestive enzymes, fat will pass undigested into the stool.
• Endocrine causes: An overactive thyroid and diabetes affecting the nerves in the gut can accelerate transit.
• Microscopic colitis: A disease where the colon appears normal at endoscopy but biopsy samples show inflammation, most often causing watery diarrhea in middle-aged and older adults.
• Chronic infections: Intestinal tuberculosis and chronic parasitic infections may persist for months.

Causes of Diarrhoea

The list of possible causes is long. It is easier to understand by dividing it into the short-term and long-term groups.

Causes of short-term diarrhoea

• Infections: Viruses such as rotavirus and norovirus, bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella, and parasites like Giardia and amoeba spread through contaminated food, water and unwashed hands.
• Food poisoning: Toxins produced by bacteria in stale or improperly stored food cause sudden vomiting and loose stools within hours of eating.
• Medicines: Antibiotics, magnesium-containing antacids, metformin and some chemotherapy drugs can loosen stools.
• Travel: Changes in water and food during travel commonly cause a brief bout of diarrhoea.

Causes of chronic diarrhoea

• Irritable bowel syndrome: A functional disorder in which the gut is over-sensitive, often with pain and bloating.
• Inflammatory bowel disease: Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease cause long-standing diarrhoea, often with blood and weight loss.
• Malabsorption disorders: Coeliac disease, lactose intolerance, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and tropical sprue prevent proper absorption of nutrients.
• Pancreatic disease: When the pancreas cannot produce enough digestive enzymes, fat passes undigested into the stool.
• Endocrine causes: An overactive thyroid and diabetes affecting gut nerves can speed up transit.
• Microscopic colitis: A condition in which the colon looks normal at endoscopy but biopsies show inflammation, mostly causing watery diarrhoea in middle-aged and older adults.
• Chronic infections: Intestinal tuberculosis and persistent parasite infections can continue for months.

How Diarrhoea is Evaluated

A short episode of watery stools without any warning signs may need nothing more than an examination and observation. Further investigation is advised when diarrhea is prolonged, bloody, associated with weight loss, fever or night time symptoms.

Common tests include a full blood count, inflammatory markers such as CRP, kidney function and electrolytes, thyroid tests and screen for celiac disease with a blood antibody test. The stool exam looks for infection, parasites, fat and white cells. The stool calprotectin test helps to differentiate inflammatory disease from functional causes. In some patients, breath tests reveal lactose intolerance or bacterial overgrowth.

If the cause is still unclear, the doctor can use colonoscopy and biopsies to look at the lining of the colon and the end of the small intestine. Upper endoscopy with small-bowel biopsies is used to look for celiac disease. If there is suspicion of pancreatic or other abdominal disease, an ultrasound or CT scan of the abdomen may be added.

Treatment of Diarrhea

There are two aims of treatment: to replace what the body is losing, and to deal with the reason it is being lost. So, loose motion treatment in Indore at the clinic starts with fluids and then finding the cause.

Re-hydration

The most important treatment in acute diarrhea is oral rehydration solution (ORS). And it’s salted and sugared just right so the gut can absorb water.” Some useful extras are coconut water, lemon water with a pinch of salt, rice water and clear soups. If vomiting is persistent, very weak or unable to drink, intravenous fluids may be required in hospital.

Infection management

Most virus-causing watery diarrhea resolves on its own without antibiotics. Antibiotics are reserved for some conditions like dysentery with blood, typhoid, cholera or proven bacterial infection. Specific antiparasitic tablets are used in the treatment of parasitic infections (giardiasis, amoebiasis). Do not take antibiotics unless prescribed, as these may prolong diarrhea.

Medicines to control symptoms

Zinc supplementation reduces diarrhea in children. Sometimes probiotics can help after antibiotics . Anti-motility medicines such as loperamide can be used for short periods in adults with watery diarrhea but should not be taken when there is a high fever or blood in the stool.

Treatment of the underlying cause

Chronic diarrhea will only improve if the underlying cause is treated. Celiac disease requires a gluten free diet. Lactose intolerance may be treated by reducing dairy or taking lactase. Both of these are treated with anti-inflammatory and immune-modifying drugs . * Inflammatory bowel disease . Treatment of pancreatic insufficiency includes enzyme capsules taken with meals. Bacterial overgrowth is treated with a course of an appropriate antibiotic and correction of cause. Treating the underlying hormonal or metabolic problem improves thyroid disease and diarrhea related to diabetes.

Diet and Home Care During Diarrhoea

If you have loose motions, don’t stop eating. Fasting doesn’t help the gut recover. Eat light and easily digestible foods like rice, khichdi, banana, curd, toast, boiled potato and dal water. Instead of drinking large amounts of fluid at once, drink fluids throughout the day.

Avoid fried and spicy food, raw salads, sugary drinks, packaged juices and excess caffeine until your stools get better. Wash your hands with soap after using the toilet and before handling food. Boil or filter drinking water, eat freshly cooked meals. Gently wash the perianal skin and if sore apply a barrier cream.

When to Consult a Gastroenterologist

If you have diarrhea for more than a few days, if you see blood or black stool, or have a high fever, repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain, marked weakness or weight loss, make an appointment to see the doctor. You should also see a specialist if you have had repeated episodes over several months, night-time stools or a family history of bowel or celiac disease. Infants, older adults, pregnant women and people with other illnesses should get advice sooner. One plan can arrange for a gastroenterologist for diarrhea in Indore to do stool tests, blood tests and an endoscopy.

Diarrhoea in Children, Older Adults and Pregnancy

Some groups need to be more careful about loose motions. Infants and young children can lose a large share of their body water within hours. Frequent feeding of ORS, continued breastfeeding and zinc supplements are important. A pediatrician should be consulted early. Watch for signs such as no urine for six hours, a soft spot on the head that seems sunken, lethargy or a refusal to drink and seek urgent attention.
Older people can be more prone to getting dehydrated because they often don’t feel thirsty as much. Loss of fluid can upset kidney function and blood pressure medicines. They should be evaluated at an earlier age than young adults. Diarrhea can lower fluid levels during pregnancy and should be checked by a doctor so that medicines selected are appropriate for both mother and baby.

Travelers’ Diarrhea & Preventing Infection
Eating outside especially during festivals, marriages or travel can lead to loose motions for many people in India. Common sources include contaminated water, ice, cut fruit, street snacks, and food at room temperature for long hours. Prevention relies on simple habits: drinking boiled or filtered water, consuming freshly cooked and hot food, peeling fruit yourself, avoiding raw or undercooked meat and seafood, and washing hands with soap and water.

Vaccines for typhoid, rotavirus in infants, cholera in high-risk areas and hepatitis A also lower the risk of infection-related diarrhea. Households should take care of food, keep cooked food in the refrigerator, and regularly clean kitchen surfaces and utensils.

Common Myths About Loose Motions

1. Myth: Having no food in the gut means less work for the gut.Actually, light food helps the lining of the intestine recover quicker. Fasting can make one weaker.
2. Myth: An antibiotic is required for every loose motion: The majority of episodes are viral and antibiotics are of no use in these cases.
3. Myth: Loose motions are only due to weak digestion. : Loose motions may indicate a disease such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or a thyroid problem, and deserve a thorough check.
4. Myth: Never drink milk again.: Temporary lactose intolerance is common following an illness and often resolves, so dairy may usually be reintroduced slowly.

Why Choose Dr. Kriti Bansal

Dr. Kriti bansal says persistent loose motions are not a routine stomach upset. Each patient is subjected to a structured work up so that causes like inflammation, food intolerance or malabsorption are not missed and unneccessary medicines are not prescribed.

She explains test results in lay terms and creates a diet and medication plan that integrates with the patient’s existing daily life and eating habits. Follow-up appointments are made to monitor the response of stools, weight and blood counts to treatment.

For those seeking help for chronic diarrhea in Indore, this means one place where tests, endoscopy when needed and long-term advice are co-ordinated by a gastroenterologist. Dr Kriti Bansal, a chronic diarrhea specialist in Indore, in Indore will also check your medicines and your diet to see what could be loosening your stool.