Diarrhea occurs when the contents in your digestive system move so quickly through the digestive system that the intestines don't have enough time to absorb the fluids, or when the digestive system produces extra fluid. The result is stools that contain excess fluids, making them loose and watery.
How does diarrhea affect the body?
Diarrhea means having bowel movements that are soft, loose, or watery more often than normal. If diarrhea is severe or lasts a long time, the body does not absorb enough water and nutrients. This can cause you to become dehydrated or malnourished.
Which organ is not functioning correctly when you have diarrhea?
When the cells in your small intestine or colon are irritated, the relaxed and regular movement of your intestines can become overactive. Essential salts and fluids, as well as nutrients from the food that you eat, end up being passed through the colon too quickly.
What happens inside your stomach when you have diarrhea?
Diarrhea is caused by increased secretion of fluid into the intestine, reduced absorption of fluid from the intestine or rapid passage of stool through the intestine. Symptoms associated with diarrhea include abdominal pain, especially cramping. Other symptoms depend on the cause of the diarrhea.
Does diarrhea clean your system out?
It is your body's way of quickly clearing viruses, bacteria, or toxins from the digestive tract. Since most cases of diarrhea are viral, they will clear up in a few days with good home treatment.
Why does diarrhea smell so bad?
Certain foods, such as eggs, garlic, legumes, and dairy, are hard to digest and can cause gas. In turn, this makes your stool extra pungent. Other times, the problem may be from an abundance of bad bacteria in your gut, a viral infection, or Clostridioides difficile—a bacterium that causes diarrhea.
Does diarrhea make you smell?
It's a safe bet to say that all stool smells unpleasant, but when experiencing diarrhea, the smell can be worse than normal.
When should I be concerned about mucus in my stool?
But you should talk to your doctor if you notice an increased amount of mucus in stool — particularly if it begins happening regularly or if it's accompanied by bleeding or a change in bowel habits.
What does mucus in poop look like?
The presence of mucus in stool is common. When you're healthy, mucus is typically clear, which makes it difficult to notice. It may also appear white or yellow.
Does stress cause mucus in stool?
In IBS, there's a breakdown between how your brain and gut talk to each other. When you have this condition, certain foods, stress, or changes in your hormones can make your colon spasm. This pushes food too quickly through your system and causes it to come out as watery or mucus-filled diarrhea.
Does IBS cause mucus in stool?
Many people experience mild symptoms of IBS, but for some, symptoms can be severe. Symptoms can include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, mucus in the stool, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Is mucus in stool bad?
Passing mucus in the stool is not harmful in and of itself, because it is a normal part of stool, but too much could also be a sign of a disease or condition that may require treatment. If the mucus layer is shedding too much, it could make the colon more susceptible to bacteria.
Why is there white balls in my poop?
A common source of white specks in the stool is undigested food. Sometimes foods that are difficult to digest — like quinoa, nuts, seeds, high-fiber vegetables, and corn — can actually move through the digestive tract without fully digesting. This can cause small white flecks in the stool.
How do you treat an intestinal infection?
Treatment for gastrointestinal infection includes taking antibiotics and staying hydrated. Common antibiotics used to treat gastrointestinal infection are penicillin, cephalosporin, antifolate / sulfa combinations, nitroimidazole, penem, glycopeptide, and monobactam antibiotics.
Why is there white stuff on my poop?
White or clay-like stool is caused by a lack of bile, which may indicate a serious underlying problem. Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Stool gets its normal brownish color from bile, which is excreted into the small intestine during the digestive process.
How long does it take to get over an intestinal infection?
Symptoms usually last just a day or two, but occasionally they may persist as long as 10 days. Because the symptoms are similar, it's easy to confuse viral diarrhea with diarrhea caused by bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile, salmonella and E. coli, or parasites, such as giardia.
