DIARRHEA Defenition Diarrhea (from the Greek meaning "flowing through"), also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having

g three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. In 2009 diarrhea was estimated to have caused 1.1 million deaths in people aged 5 and over and 1.5 million deaths in children under the age of 5. Oral rehydration salts and zinc tablets are the treatment of choice and have been estimated to have saved 50 million children in the past 25 years. Diarrhea is defined by the World Health Organization as having 3 or more loose or liquid stools per day, or as having more stools than is normal for that person. Dearrhea Causes 1. Infections There are many causes of infectious diarrhea, which include viruses, bacteria and parasites.[7] 2. Malabsorption Malabsorption is the inability to absorb food fully, mostly from disorders in the small bowel, but also due to maldigestion from diseases of the pancreas. 3. Inflammatory bowel disease The two overlapping types here are of unknown origin:

Ulcerative colitis is marked by chronic bloody diarrhea and inflammation mostly affects the distal colon near the rectum. Crohn's disease typically affects fairly well demarcated segments of bowel in the colon and often affects the end of the small bowel.

4. Irritable bowel syndrome Another possible cause of diarrhea is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which usually presents with abdominal discomfort relieved by defecation and unusual stool (diarrhea or constipation) for at least 3 days a week over the previous 3 months. Other causes

Diarrhea can be caused by chronic ethanol ingestion. Ischemic bowel disease. This usually affects older people and can be due to blocked arteries. Microscopic colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease where changes are only seen on histological examination of colonic biopsies. Bile salt malabsorption (primary bile acid diarrhea) where excessive bile acids in the colon produce a secretory diarrhea. Hormone-secreting tumors: some hormones (e.g., serotonin) can cause diarrhea if excreted in excess (usually from a tumor). Chronic mild diarrhea in infants and toddlers may occur with no obvious cause and with no other ill effects; this condition is called toddler's diarrhea.

Prevention Diarrhea A rotavirus vaccine has the potential to decrease rates of diarrhea. There are currently two licensed vaccines against rotavirus. New vaccines against rotavirus, Shigella, ETEC, and cholera are under development, as well as other causes of infectious diarrhea. A Cochrane Review of studies found that in institutions and in communities, interventions that promote hand washing lead to significant reductions in the incidence of diarrhea. Key measures to prevent diarrhoea include:

access to safe drinking-water improved sanitation exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life good personal and food hygiene health education about how infections spread rotavirus vaccination.