Diarrhea is a leading cause of death among children and the elderly worldwide. According to a study recently published in 'The Lancet', diarrhea has been the leading cause of death for children under 5 years of age and the elderly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia for the past few decades.
According to this study published in 'Lancet', 12 lakh people died due to diarrhea in the year 2021. However, this figure is lower than the 29 lakh deaths it caused in 1990. This means a 60% reduction in death cases over the years. Despite this, the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about these figures.
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, more than 1 lakh 58 thousand children aged 1-6 die in India every year due to diarrhea.
That's why today' Health waterIn ' we will talk about diarrhea. You will also learn that-
- What do national and international statistics say about diarrhea?
- Why is it so dangerous for young children?
- Why does this happen and what are the precautions?
Diarrhea is the third leading cause of death in children According to the World Health Organization, diarrhea is the third leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age. Due to this, about 4 lakh 44 thousand children die every year all over the world. Diarrhea has a mortality rate of up to 9% in children under 5 years of age.
Such deaths due to diarrhea become a concern as both treatment and prevention of the disease are available. Check out all the stats related to this in the graphic:
Higher risk in children due to weak immune system Pediatrics and Neonatology Consultant Dr. Pradeep Agarwal says that diarrhea can happen to anyone. However, young children and the elderly have weak immune systems. So they are at increased risk of infection. Apart from this, diarrhea caused by rotavirus is often fatal for children.
Why does diarrhea occur? Most people have diarrhea caused by a virus. People call it stomach flu. It infects the intestines and causes stomach upset. However, diarrhea can occur for many reasons.
Due to infection: Infections caused by any virus, bacteria, or parasite can cause diarrhea. Norovirus is usually the cause in older people. In young children, it is mostly caused by rotavirus.
Causes of Food Poisoning: Toxins and pathogens can enter our stomach through contaminated food or drink. This can reach the intestines and cause diarrhea. In the case of young children, cases of food poisoning are also common.
Due to drugs: Sometimes some medicines can cause diarrhea. Taking too many antibiotics kills the healthy bacteria in our gut. This creates a condition of dysbiosis and can lead to stomach upset.
Due to intolerance: Some people may experience diarrhea after eating certain foods. If a person is lactose intolerant, eating products made from milk can cause an upset stomach. This happens because their bodies have to work very hard to digest lactose, the sweetness found in any dairy product. It causes bad digestion.
Causes of diseases: Some diseases can cause diarrhea due to intestinal inflammation. Diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease can cause diarrhea.
What are its symptoms? Its most common symptom is passing watery stools. During this period, abdominal cramps may occur. Sometimes vomiting may also occur. Severe diarrhea can be life-threatening, so consult a doctor immediately. See its features in the graphic:
Diarrhea Some common questions and answers related to
Question: DiarrheaWhat problems can occur in? Answer: The biggest complication of diarrhea is dehydration. Children under the age of 5 and the elderly over the age of 65 are at the highest risk. Dehydration, if not controlled, can lead to kidney failure, heart attack or death.
Question: DiarrheaWhat is the treatment of? Answer: Diarrhea in adults usually resolves at home. However, during this time they have to take care of hydration. In case of children and elderly, do not try to treat it at home as it is difficult for them to recover from dehydration. Get to a hospital or doctor immediately.
Question: What is the treatment for dehydration? Answer: Just drinking water is not enough in case of dehydration. Therefore, doctors may advise drinking ORS solution for this. If severe dehydration occurs, an IV (drip) may be needed.
Question: What are the things that need to be taken care of before or after the treatment? Answer: Diarrhea causes swelling of the intestines. Therefore, only light food should be taken during and after treatment.
In case of diarrhea, it is important to stay hydrated with treatment. Due to diarrhea, the body becomes so weak that maximum rest is required for recovery.
- During this time we should increase our fluid intake.
- Drinking mixed veg soup prepared from seasonal vegetables is beneficial.
- Can be taken with Pedialyte and other liquid electrolytes.
- Eating very sweet or greasy food should be avoided. Increasing sugar intake can increase the problem of diarrhea.
- During this period, one should not eat bananas, rice, applesauce, toast etc.
Question: What are the remedies to prevent diarrhea? Answer: Maintaining cleanliness is most important to prevent diarrhea. For this-
- Keep washing your hands frequently.
- Avoid eating street food.
- Keep food well covered.
- Do not eat stale or old food.
- If you go out somewhere, drink only pure water.
- Do not drink fruit juice available on the roadside.
- Eat fruits and vegetables after washing them with warm water.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
