Watery diarrhea is commonly caused by a viral infection or food poisoning from eating undercooked meat or rotten foods. It can be serious if it causes dehydration. Keep an eye out for blood in the stool, and be sure to drink water and fluids with electrolytes.
Schedule a doctor's visit for an adult with these symptoms:
Diarrhea lasts more than two days without improvement. Excessive thirst, dry mouth or skin, little or no urination, severe weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness, or dark-colored urine, which could indicate dehydration. Severe abdominal or rectal pain.
Drink plenty of liquids, including water, broths and juices. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Add semisolid and low-fiber foods gradually as your bowel movements return to normal. Try soda crackers, toast, eggs, rice or chicken.
In children, diarrhoea will usually pass within 5 to 7 days and will rarely last longer than 2 weeks. In adults, diarrhoea usually improves within 2 to 4 days, although some infections can last a week or more.
Some infections, food allergies and intolerances, digestive tract problems, abdominal surgery, and long-term use of medicines can cause chronic diarrhea. Some infections from bacteria and parasites that cause diarrhea do not go away quickly without treatment.
Viral gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the inside lining of your gastrointestinal tract. It can be caused by rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus. Babies can be vaccinated against rotavirus. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are nausea, vomiting, and watery diarrhea.
Explosive, or severe, diarrhea causes a person to pass liquid or loose stool more frequently and forcefully than regular diarrhea. Explosive diarrhea occurs when the rectum fills with more liquid and gas than it can hold. Passing the stool is often loud, due to the escaping gas.
Water is best. Drink at least 1 cup (240 milliliters) of liquid every time you have a loose bowel movement. Eat small meals throughout the day, instead of 3 big meals. Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels, soup, and sports drinks.
Toast adds bulk to your stool, making it more likely you will have a normal bowel movement. It is the 'T' in the anti-diarrhoea diet BRAT, which comprises bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These plain foods supply energy and nutrition without upsetting the stomach because they are easier to break down.
Fatty Foods These include foods that are fried, greasy, or covered in gravy, which can make diarrhea worse. Milk, Butter, Ice Cream, and Cheese Even if the diarrhea isn't caused by lactose intolerance — a difficulty processing lactose, a sugar found in dairy products — stay away from these foods when you have diarrhea.
If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also have diarrhoea, the cause may be a tummy bug (gastroenteritis). This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel. It should get better without treatment after a few days.
It's usually caused by a bacterial or viral tummy bug. It affects people of all ages, but is particularly common in young children. Most cases in children are caused by a virus called rotavirus. Cases in adults are usually caused by norovirus (the 'winter vomiting bug') or bacterial food poisoning.
The type of gastrointestinal symptoms is a clue to the type of infection. Viral infection generally produces diarrhea without blood or mucus and watery diarrhea is a prominent symptom. Conversely, a person is more likely to have diarrhea with mucus and blood in bacterial diarrhea.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are less common symptoms of COVID-19. Still, when they do occur, they tend to be some of the first symptoms you will experience. Diarrhea caused by COVID-19 tends to be more watery, yellow or green in color. It may be accompanied by cramping and bloating.
However, the key distinction is time: The symptoms of a stomach bug will take 12 to 48 hours to develop, while the symptoms of food poisoning typically develop much faster, usually with 6 hours of consuming an infected dish. Another common difference between the two is the length of illness.
Giardiasis is a diarrheal disease caused by the microscopic parasite Giardia duodenalis (or “Giardia” for short). Once a person or animal has been infected with Giardia, the parasite lives in the intestines and is passed in stool (poop). Once outside the body, Giardia can sometimes survive for weeks or even months.
If you have diarrhea, you'll also have loose or watery stools. However, if you have loose stools from time to time, it doesn't mean you have diarrhea. In order for loose stools to be considered diarrhea, they have to occur repeatedly. If you have loose stools three or more times per day, then it's diarrhea.
Diarrhoea and vomiting are common in adults, children and babies. They're often caused by a stomach bug and should stop in a few days. The advice is the same if you have diarrhoea and vomiting together or separately.
When it detects the bad food, your body will probably try to expel it immediately. That may cause diarrhea or vomiting anywhere from within one hour to a few weeks after eating the contaminated food.
If a person experiences diarrhea within hours of eating, they may have food poisoning. Symptoms such as diarrhea can occur in as little as a few hours from eating the bad food. It is also possible that a person may have an undiagnosed case of IBS, so they should talk with their doctor if symptoms persist.
Eating probiotic foods, taking a fiber or probiotic supplement, or eating BRAT diet consisting of bread, (white) rice, applesauce, and toast can also help make poop more solid. Loose stool is a common symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), particularly diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D).
The most important treatment for diarrhea is to drink fluids that contain water, salt, and sugar, such as oral rehydration solution (ORS). Sports drinks (eg, Gatorade) may be acceptable if you are not dehydrated and are otherwise healthy.
Yogurt may help prevent or treat diarrhea
Certain types of yogurt contain friendly bacteria, also known as probiotics, which may help prevent or treat diarrhea.