Diarrhea - Clinical Manifestations, Complications and Nursing Management
Diarrhea Diarrhea is increased frequency of bowel movements (more than three per day), increased amount of stool (more than 200 g per day), and altered consistency (ie, looseness) of stool. It is usually associated with urgency, perianal discomfort, incontinence, or a combination of these factors. Any condition that causes increased intestinal secretions, decreased mucosal absorption, or altered motility can produce diarrhea. Diarrhea can be caused by certain medications (eg, thyroid hormone replacement, stool softeners and laxatives, antibiotics, chemotherapy, antacids), certain tube feeding formulas, metabolic and endocrine disorders (eg, diabetes, Addison’s disease, thyrotoxicosis), and viral or bacterial infectious processes (eg, dysentery, shigellosis, food poisoning). Other disease processes associated with diarrhea are nutritional and malabsorptive disorders (eg, celiac disease), anal sphincter defect, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, paralytic ileus, intestinal obstruction, and acqu