Acute diarrhea is loose, watery stools occurring more than three times a day for less than two weeks, often caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasite. It usually subsides on its own, but if it lasts longer, dehydration may occur and hospitalization may be necessary. Treatment may involve prescribed medications or IV fluids.
When a person has increased stools and their stools are loose and watery, they are said to have diarrhea. If a person has loose, watery stools, often more than three times in any given day, and these symptoms last for less than two weeks, the frequent stools are usually referred to as acute diarrhea. Often, acute diarrhea is caused by an infection with a virus, bacteria, or parasite, and the patient may have to let the infection run its course without medical attention. In some cases, however, the symptoms can be severe or even life-threatening, and a patient may need treatment with prescribed medications or intravenous (IV) fluids.
For many people, having more than one bowel movement a day is normal; some people have bowel movements up to three times a day, for example. While an individual may think he has diarrhea if he passes stools so often, he could be mistaken if his stools are of normal consistency. Typically, diarrhea is defined as loose, watery bowel movements that occur more than three times in a day. If a person normally passes stool three times a week, however, and suddenly passes two watery stools in one day, that too may be considered diarrhea. If an individual’s loose stools last for two weeks or less, he is usually said to have acute diarrhea.
In most cases, a person who has acute diarrhea develops it because their body has become infected with a virus or bacteria. Sometimes parasitic infections also cause acute diarrhea. In most cases, a person can expect acute diarrhea to subside after a day or two as the body fights off the invader that caused it. In fact, most people don’t need any medical intervention to recover. After a couple of days, a person’s stool usually returns to normal on its own.
If acute diarrhea lasts more than a few days, the patient may be at risk of dehydration. To avoid this, people are often advised to consume fluids that help replace vital minerals and salts, called electrolytes, lost due to diarrhea. In fact, a person can even purchase electrolyte drinks and popsicles designed specifically for this purpose. If despite these efforts an individual becomes dehydrated, hospitalization may be required for treatment. Often, this involves giving fluids through an IV.
Sometimes acute diarrhea is severe or lasts more than a few days. In such a case, a doctor may need to treat the patient with prescribed medications. For example, antibiotics may be prescribed to treat some infections that cause acute diarrhea. There are also medications that can be used to stop diarrhea, but they often prolong the infection that caused the symptoms. Therefore, doctors are less likely to prescribe them.
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