Acute diarrhea lasts up to 14 days and is usually a violent reaction of the body to invasion of bacteria, viruses or fungi, or to poisoning with toxic substances. However, psychological factors such as stress can also cause acute diarrhea. Find out what causes acute diarrhea and whether it's more dangerous than chronic diarrhea.

Acute diarrhea , no matter whatcauses , lasts up to 14 days. During this time, the patient passes more than 3 loose stools within 24 hours, sometimes even containing blood, mucus or pus. The most common causes of acute diarrhea are usually viral or bacterial infections, a consequence of poor hygiene.

Acute (sudden) diarrhea: causes

Acute diarrhea due to infection

The main cause of acute diarrhea is failure to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene - irregular hand washing, eating unwashed fruit, vegetables and drinking water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria, after entering the body, cross the barrier in the digestive tract, which is gastric juice, and enter the small intestine, where they multiply. The bacteria then damage the intestinal epithelial cells, reducing the absorption of glucose and sodium. Such diarrhea is the body's defensive reaction to an attack by toxic substances. By passing more stools, the body systematically removes harmful toxins.

  • viral infections - rotaviruses, noroviruses and adenoviruses;
  • bacterial infections - staphylococci, coliform bacteria (E. coli), typhoid fever, salmonella and dysentery;
  • action of bacterial toxins (e.g. staphylococcal enterotoxin) and fungal toxins that sometimes contaminate food.
  • parasitic infections ( Giardia, Entoameba, Microsporum ) - we usually get infected through contact with another person or through the alimentary tract, therefore parasitic invasions are not common in developed countries.

Acute non-infectious diarrhea

  • drugs: antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs (converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants (SSRIs), drugs that reduce gastric acidity, metformin (oral antidiabetic drug);
  • food intolerance, e.g. intolerancelactose or gluten intolerance, i.e. celiac disease;
  • inflammatory bowel diseases, e.g. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, acute diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome.

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