Overview
Diarrhea is the change in normal bowel movements
characterized by an increase in frequency, water content, or volume of stools,
as stated in the Introduction
section.
The estimated yearly cases of diarrhea are at 1.5 billion
worldwide. A detailed discussion about the prevalence of diarrhea is in the Epidemiology section.
Discussions on non-infectious and infectious causes of
diarrhea are in the Etiology section.
The Pathophysiology section states that inflammatory diarrhea
(ie watery or bloody diarrhea) is characterized by enterocyte damage, villus
atrophy, and crypt hyperplasia. The development process of diarrhea in infected
patients is in this section.
The Risk Factors section discusses different causes of
diarrhea depending on factors such as the place of residence, history of
travel, attendance in daycare, or ingestion of unsafe foods.
The Classification section defines the different types of diarrheas
depending on the duration, causes, and symptoms. Classifications of acute
traveler’s diarrhea are also listed in this section.
Diarrhea in Adults - Infectious_Disease SummaryHistory and Physical Examination
The Clinical Presentation section describes the importance of an
initial clinical evaluation in the diagnosis of diarrhea. The different
clinical features of patients with different degrees of dehydration are also
explained in this section.
The History section emphasizes the need to determine the
onset of bowel movements, stool characteristics, and symptoms of volume
depletion in the evaluation of diarrhea.
Evaluation of hydration status, vital signs, and signs of
volume depletion should be the focus of the physical exam and are discussed in
detail in the Physical Examination
section.
The Screening section identifies conditions that should be
considered in patients presenting with acute diarrhea.
Diagnosis
Discussions on stool exams and microscopy, molecular
diagnostic tests, stool culture and sensitivity, blood cultures, biopsy, and
other tests that can be requested in the evaluation of diarrhea are in the Laboratory Tests and Ancillaries section.
Other conditions that should be ruled out in the diagnosis
of diarrhea are listed in the Differential
Diagnosis section.
Management
A comprehensive discussion of the clinical manifestations of
infectious diarrhea, which may aid clinical decision-making in its management,
is provided in the Evaluation
section. Indications for specialist consultation or hospitalization are also in
this section.
General therapy principles for the management of infectious
diarrhea are in the Principles of Therapy
section.
The Pharmacological
Therapy section discusses in
detail the symptomatic therapy and pathogen-specific antibiotic treatment of
infectious diarrhea as well as the duration of the therapy.
The Nonpharmacological section enumerates and discusses the
importance of oral rehydration therapy and intravenous (IV) therapy in the
management of diarrhea.
The Prevention
section includes measures to prevent diarrheal diseases and how to educate patients
on these measures.
The Monitoring
section identifies indications for follow-up in patients who were treated for
infectious diarrhea.
