Diarrhoea is a disorder of defecation characterized by an increase of the release of the daily amount of feces (usually > 200 g) with a decrease in their abundance and an increased frequency of discharge of the hive. It is mostly triggered by infectious agents (in 70% of cases) but can also reflect the use of drugs (e.g. chemotherapy) in the presence of fecal impaction, reintroduction of solid foods after a period of fasting, and to radiation other pathological conditions (diverticulitis, poisoning by heavy metals, ischemic bowel, allergies or intolerances).
There are plenty of micro-organisms that can cause acute diarrhoea, it includes: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera, Clostridium, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., Shigella., Giardia lamblia (or intestinalis), Entamoeba histolytica, Rotaviruses, Adenovirus, some species of helminths. The list, however, is extremely long.
The cause of acute infectious diarrhoea is a serious problem in developing countries as it is believed to cause, annually, killing at least 4 million children under the age of 5 years. These diseases are an easy ground propagation conditions in areas with poor sanitation: lack of drinking water, crowding, presence of waste not disposed of, inadequate preparation of certain foods.
Causes infectious diarrhoea can accompany other symptoms, depending on the type of organism responsible for the pathological condition. You may have nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhoea can be watery or bloody. In case of ingestion of foods that are bacterial toxins, generally, there is vomiting, nausea and pain Cramping widespread but not very strong. The fever, however, is uncommon.
Micro-organisms can invade the intestinal epithelium (Salmonella, Shigella, etc.). Cytotoxic or to produce toxins (Clostridium) cause abdominal pain and high fever and bloody diarrhoea The micro-organisms that invade the intestinal mucosa (e.g., Giardia), or those that invade it produces little inflammation (virus) to determine the most watery diarrhoea. There are also hemorrhoid condition that can only be cured with hemorrhoid treatment.
Chronic diarrhoea
Most often it is caused by irritable bowel syndrome but can be caused even by celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis). They can be linked with other causes including: eosinophilic gastroenteritis, radiation, pancreatic insufficiency, lactase deficiency, short bowel syndrome, Whipple disease, carcinoid syndrome, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, tumors or endocrine disruption, fecal impaction , abuse of laxatives.
Secretory diarrhoea
They are characterized by a high stool volume because it has a considerable loss of fluids. Are triggered by the presence of endogenous or exogenous substances able to bind to specific receptors located on the membrane of intestinal epithelial cells. This leads to the activation of molecular cascades of various types (depending on the receptor involved) that culminate in phosphorylation of transport proteins that increase the permeability of the cell to chlorine (apical section) and potash (Section basolateral). The strong outside secretion of chlorine is the driving force for the recall of sodium, potassium and water. It also occurs in bicarbonate secretion, but not the mechanism by which this happens.
Osmotic diarrhoea
The osmotic diarrhoea occur when the osmolarity of the intestinal lumen exceeds 50-100 mOsm / kg, while plasma. This means that water is drawn from the cells, a process opposite to that which occurs physiologically and that is due to the absorption of sodium. The causes of this are due to carbohydrate malabsorption, lactase deficiency, use of laxatives or antacids containing magnesium.