Stomach issues may come out at the most inopportune times after we eat questionable food or drink unsafe water. Diarrhoea and dysentery are also put in the same category, which is not always the case, as they present with very similar symptoms of frequent loose stools. But there is a key difference between the two that you should be aware of.
What Are Diarrhoea And Dysentery?
Diarrhoea is the passage of loose or watery stools 3 or more times a day or more often than what is normal for you. It may happen due to infections, contaminated food or water, certain medications, food intolerance and other digestive issues.
Dysentery, which is a subset of intestinal diseases, is very much recognised by blood in the stool. Also, you may see mucus, abdominal pain, fever and a great need to go to the bathroom. Bacterial infections of the type Shigella and certain kinds of E. coli cause dysentery; also, we see that parasites may play a role.
Symptoms Of Diarrhoea And Dysentery
Diarrhoea may cause:
Loose or watery stools
Frequent trips to the toilet
Stomach cramps
Nausea
Urgency to pass stool
Dysentery has very similar symptoms to those of these diseases, but poses a much greater health risk when there is the presence of blood or mucus in the stool, fever, severe abdominal pain or frequent bowel movements. As for me, I think that checking what the stool looks like is a very easy and basic indicator that, for some reason, we tend to ignore in our attempt to tell which is which.
Causes Of Diarrhoea And Dysentery
Diarrhoea has several causes, which may include viral infections, contaminated food or water, medication side effects and certain digestive conditions. Dysentery is usually a result of an intestinal infection, which in turn is caused by bacteria or parasites that have entered through contaminated food, water or poor hygiene.
Prevention Of Diarrhoea And Dysentery
Easy changes can bring great results. Use safe water, lather up well with soap, prepare food right and put away leftovers. Also, at travel or at outdoor dining — that’s when good hygiene really counts.
Home Remedies For Diarrhoea And Dysentery
During the acute phase of diarrhoea, the first thing to do is rehydrate and replace lost electrolytes. ORS (oral rehydration solution) is very useful in this stage to prevent dehydration. Also, it is best to continue to eat light, nutritious foods as you can tolerate them, which in turn will aid in your recovery and avoid the tendency to starve yourself.
Also, however, we should not just use home remedies for bloody diarrhoea. In some cases of bloody diarrhoea, anti-diarrhoea medications like loperamide may in fact make some infections worse, and thus we should not turn to these right away.
At what point should you seek medical attention at the hospital or from a doctor?
If you see blood in your stool, have severe abdominal pain, present with continuous diarrhoea, high fever or show signs of dehydration like intense thirst, dizziness, very little urine or atypical weakness, seek medical care.
Conclusion
Although we may see diarrhoea and dysentery as the same at first, blood in the stool is a very important indicator that requires medical care. We can stay hydrated, practice good hygiene and note down serious symptoms early, which in turn will help to prevent a simple stomach issue from turning into a more serious health issue.
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