What is the cause of frequent diarrhea? What are the complications of diarrhea?

I believe everyone is very familiar with diarrhea, which is closely related to daily living and eating habits. After suffering from this disease, patients are very painful. In severe cases, it will directly affect daily work and study, so everyone must learn more about this disease. What is the cause of frequent diarrhea? What are the complications?

1. Enteritis

Diarrhea is the most common symptom of enteritis. It often recurs or persists. In mild cases, it occurs 2 to 5 times a day, and in severe cases, it occurs 20 to 30 times a day. The nature of stool varies greatly from person to person. It may be soft, watery, or mucous. However, mucus, pus, and blood in stool are more common, and some may present as dysentery-like pus and blood in stool. Diarrhea after getting up in the morning and after meals are most common. Some patients may also experience alternating constipation and diarrhea.

2. Intestinal polyps

Intestinal polyps can cause changes in bowel habits, including changes in the time and frequency of bowel movements, as well as constipation or unexplained diarrhea. Especially when constipation and diarrhea occur alternately, you should be more vigilant.

3. Rectal cancer

Rectal cancer, a serious intestinal cancer, can also cause diarrhea.

What complications may result from diarrhea

1. Malnutrition and vitamin deficiency: If the diarrhea lasts for a long time, such as fasting for too long or long-term calorie deficiency, it can often cause malnutrition and various vitamin deficiencies. Indigestion and malnutrition can be mutually causal, often creating a vicious cycle and leading to adverse consequences. Vitamin A deficiency can cause dry eyes and keratomelia; vitamin D deficiency can cause tetany.

2. Infection: Common infections include otitis media, angular cheilitis, upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, furuncle, sepsis, urinary tract infection and phlebitis. Various infections may be the cause of diarrhea, but there are also secondary infections that occur after diarrhea due to reduced overall resistance. Children with persistent diarrhea or pre-existing malnutrition are prone to fungal infections such as thrush, fungal enteritis, and even systemic fungal diseases.

3. Toxic hepatitis: Severe diarrhea may cause jaundice, which is common in children with malnutrition and severe sepsis and has a poor prognosis. Therefore, toxic hepatitis is one of the serious complications of diarrhea.