Health Science: How to deal with diarrhea in summer?

Summer is the peak season for diarrhea. Many people experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. The onset is often sudden. In severe cases, the number of bowel movements may exceed 10 times a day. The stools are thin and frequent, often accompanied by abdominal cramps. In severe cases, electrolyte disorders, dehydration and metabolic acidosis may also occur. The high incidence of diarrhea is one of the important causes of death in infants and the elderly and infirm. So, what should we do when we accidentally encounter diarrhea in summer?

Why is diarrhea more common in summer?

There are many causes of diarrhea, generally including infectious diarrhea and non-infectious diarrhea. Summer diarrhea is mainly infectious diarrhea, and there are also indigestion, drug-related diarrhea, etc. The pathogens of infectious diarrhea are mainly bacteria, viruses and parasites. For example, cholera, a Class A infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, bacillary dysentery caused by Shigella, acute gastroenteritis caused by hemorrhagic Escherichia coli, norovirus enteritis, rotavirus enteritis, cryptosporidium enteritis, etc.

On the one hand, the summer temperature is high and there is a lot of rain. Various pathogens in nature grow and reproduce rapidly, and flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches breed in large numbers. They are "mobile germ petri dishes" that carry various pathogens everywhere and easily cause infection after contact with the human body. On the other hand, the weather makes many people like to eat raw and cold food. Eating too much raw and cold food, eating too fast or getting a cold abdomen will irritate the already fragile gastrointestinal mucosa, causing a stress response in the gastrointestinal tract and causing diarrhea.

In the hot summer, food is very easy to rot and spoil. People sweat a lot in the summer, and drinking a lot of water dilutes gastric juice, reduces local resistance, and creates conditions for the invasion of pathogens. In addition, the hot weather causes many people to sleep less, have poor appetite, and have reduced resistance, which makes diarrhea more likely. Although the human body has a certain defense against pathogens, when intestinal pathogens are "numerous and powerful" and "take advantage of the opportunity to enter", our defense system is also difficult to resist.

There are four main types of therapeutic drugs

Commonly used drugs for diarrhea are divided into four categories: oral rehydration salts, antidiarrheal drugs, antibacterial drugs and probiotic preparations. Diarrhea treatment requires symptomatic medication and should be taken under the guidance of a doctor.

01Oral rehydration salts

Diarrhea causes the body to lose a large amount of fluid and electrolytes from the intestines. If dehydration is severe, it may cause renal failure or even death. Therefore, if there is no frequent vomiting and you can drink water and eat, it is best to replenish oral rehydration salts in time or drink more water. Oral rehydration salt preparations are composed of glucose and sodium and potassium salts that are essential to the human body. They can replenish the water and important salts lost due to diarrhea and regulate the balance of water and electrolytes.

Note: 1. Oral rehydration salts should be consumed intermittently, in small amounts, and multiple times. It is not advisable to drink large amounts in a short period of time. 2. It is contraindicated for patients with oliguria or anuria, severe diarrhea or vomiting, glucose absorption disorders, intestinal obstruction, intestinal paralysis, and intestinal perforation. 3. Infants and young children should use it in small amounts and multiple times. Some parents think that oral rehydration salts taste bad, so they add some milk or juice to improve the taste, which is wrong. This will cause changes in osmotic pressure and affect the efficacy. 4. Do not dissolve a bag in several times, as it cannot be accurately split and will affect the rehydration effect. 5. It is recommended that pregnant women and breastfeeding women use the drug under the guidance of a doctor. 6. Elderly patients have impaired physiological functions and should be paid close attention when taking the drug. 7. Patients with severe dehydration or vomiting should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

02Antidiarrhea drugs

Montmorillonite powder is commonly used in antidiarrhea drugs. It is a highly effective digestive tract mucosal protector. Its main structure is dioctahedral montmorillonite. It has a strong immobilization and inhibition effect on viruses, bacteria and toxins produced in the digestive tract. It also improves the quality of the mucosa and effectively prevents the attack of pathogenic microorganisms. Montmorillonite powder acts on the digestive tract without being absorbed and has no toxic side effects.

03Antimicrobial drugs

Not all diarrhea requires antibiotics. Diarrhea is divided into infectious and non-infectious diarrhea. Antibiotics are ineffective against non-infectious diarrhea, viral diarrhea, and diarrhea caused by parasites.

For bacterial diarrhea, you should first identify the type of pathogenic bacteria and then choose specific antibiotics for the pathogen. If you are infected with Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi, you can use ceftriaxone or ciprofloxacin; if you are infected with Campylobacter, you can take azithromycin; if you are infected with Shigella, you can take azithromycin, ciprofloxacin or ceftriaxone.

Note: The misuse of antibiotics may lead to intestinal flora imbalance and aggravate the condition. It is recommended that you use antibiotics under the guidance of a doctor.

04Probiotic preparations

Intestinal flora imbalance can cause diarrhea, and such patients can be treated with appropriate probiotic supplements. Common probiotics include triple live bifidobacterium and live Bacillus licheniformis, which are available in capsules, powders, granules and other dosage forms. Patients who have difficulty swallowing capsules can open the capsules and disperse them in water, or directly choose powders or granules.

It is recommended that probiotic live bacteria preparations be taken with warm water 30 minutes after a meal. The water temperature should not exceed 40°C when opening the capsule or dissolving the powder. Live bacteria preparations should not be taken with antibacterial drugs. If they are to be taken together, there should be a 2-3 hour interval. Some types of live bacteria preparations (such as Bifidobacterium triple live bacteria capsules) need to be refrigerated (2°C to 8°C) for storage.

The above drugs are often used in combination to treat infectious diarrhea, and the order of taking the drugs is very important. It is recommended that you take montmorillonite powder before meals and take probiotics after meals, usually 1 to 2 hours apart; take antibacterial drugs 1 to 2 hours after taking probiotics.