Diarrhea Flashcards
What is diarrhea?
Passage of abnormally liquid or unformed stools at an increased frequency >=3x/24hrs
Classification of diarrhea?
- Acute: < 2 weeks
- Persistent: 2-4 weeks
- Chronic: > 4 weeks
Types of diarrhea?
- osmotic
- secretory
Osmotic diarrhea?
- Ingestion of poorly absorbable osmotically active solids
- Fluid drawn in lumen thus the watery stools
- restricted with starvation and commonly has a trigger
Secretory diarrhea?
- Increased secretion/decreased absorption
- Abnormality of ion transport across enterocolic mucosa
Bacteria that cause watery diarrhoea?
- E Coli
- nontyphoidal salmonellae
- campylobacter species
- aeromonas species
- clostridioides
Common viruses that cause watery diarrhiea?
norovirus, rotavirus, adenoviruses, astrovirus and others
Common protozoa that causes watery diarrhoea?
giardia, Cyclospora, entamoeba, cryptosporidium
Causes of acute bloody diarrhoea?
Shigella particularly S. flexneri, Campylobacter jejuni, enterohemorrhagic E Coli, Entamoeba histolytica, non typhoidal salmonella species, and Schistosoma mansoni
Acute diarrhea?
- <2 weeks
- caused by infectious agents
Infectious diarrhoea?
caused by fecal-oral transmission or contamination of food or water source with pathogens
Severe diarrhea?
primarily a disease of children, the elderly and the immunosuppressed
Chronic diarrhoea?
is not infectious- Unless the patient is HIV infected
Treatment of diarrhoea?
- For all causes of diarrhea, maintenance of adequate hydration is essential.
- Electrolyte replacement
- Oral rehydration solution and oral intake are preferred in mild cases
- Moderate to severe cases need intravenous hydration
Food poisoning?
Acute gastrointestinal symptoms developing within 24 hours of food ingestion are likely related to food contaminated with bacteria with a preformed toxin
Bacteria that causes food poisoning?
Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus are the most common organisms to cause symptoms within 8 hours
- Clostridium Perfringes symptoms present within 16 hours.
Bacteria associated with specific food items?
- S. aureus is typically associated with prepared foods (salads that have be sitting out all day)
- B. Cereus is classically associated with “fried rice”.
Management of food poisoning?
- The disease is generally self-limited and symptoms will resolve within 24 hours.
- Management is symptomatic only
- Antibiotics have no role.
Travelers diarrhea?
- Enterotoxigenic E. Coli is the most common cause of this syndrome
- Diarrhoeagenic heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins
- The diarrhea is caused by the production of two toxins.
- This is generally self-limited with resolution with 5 days.
Treatment of travelers diarrhea?
Treatment with loperamide reduces symptoms and is sufficient for most
Antibiotics (cotrimoxazole, ciprofloxacin) can reduce symptoms by about one day and are generally not needed.