Diarrhea like water - what can it be?
What is watery diarrhea?
Diarrhea generally describes an increased amount of bowel movements. In most cases, the proportion of fluids is significantly higher, and there is also a higher frequency of stool, so that affected people by definition must have bowel movements at least three times a day. Watery diarrhea is characterized by its extremely high proportion of liquid components. Typically, the stool is no longer firm or mushy; rather, watery diarrhea is basically only colored water (usually yellowish or brownish). In addition, the diarrhea can hardly be kept and affected people have to go to the toilet very often during the day to defecate.
What are the causes of watery diarrhea?
Pathogens such as bacteria or viruses are usually responsible for diarrhea such as water. These include types of bacteria such as Eschericia coli (E.coli), which cause diseases such as EHEC (enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli) or ETEC (enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli). Food poisoning is also often triggered by bacteria such as salmonella or enterotoxins (toxins that are contained in the bacteria), for example from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.
Watery diarrhea can also be infected in contaminated water, in which case the bacterium Vibrio cholerae can trigger the disease cholera.
In addition, viral pathogens can also be the cause of watery diarrhea. Typical representatives of the viruses that cause diarrhea are the noro- and rotaviruses.
In addition, inflammatory bowel diseases, various medications or metabolic disorders can also cause severe diarrheal diseases.
Read more about this section on our website: Causes of diarrhea
Can cholera be a cause of watery diarrhea?
Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is mainly transmitted through contaminated water, occasionally also through food or directly from person to person. The disease often occurs in regions where the hygienic conditions are particularly poor or where many people live together in a very confined space.
Most cholera infections are mild, but one in ten people can develop severe watery diarrhea (called rice water stools). Abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting are also common in cholera. The disease becomes dangerous when the sick person does not take in enough fluids.
Above all, hygienic precautionary measures help against infection, and vaccination is also possible. If the disease does break out, however, sufficient fluids must be drunk (and given in addition through the vein, if necessary). In severe cases, the disease can also be treated with antibiotics.
Read more about this section on our website: cholera
Can Diabetes Be a Cause of Watery Diarrhea?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body cannot break down blood sugar sufficiently. This usually leads to an increased excretion of sugar in the urine, so that affected people have to urinate particularly frequently. But bowel movements can also be affected by the increased sugar level. In this case, what is known as osmotic diarrhea occurs: the large number of sugar molecules in stool draws a particularly large amount of water into the intestine. As a result, the stool becomes very fluid, which can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea. However, diabetes rarely causes diarrhea like water.
General information about the disease can be found on our website: Diabetes mellitus
Can the norovirus be a cause of watery diarrhea?
The norovirus is one of the most common viral pathogens in diarrhea. In adults, they account for half of all non-bacterial diarrhea, in children the noroviruses are the second most common cause of viral diarrhea after the rotaviruses. The risk of infection with viral diarrheal diseases such as the norovirus is very high, so that the disease spreads quickly, especially in community facilities such as kindergartens, hospitals and old people's homes.
Typically, very watery diarrhea with nausea and vomiting occurs. However, the symptoms only last for a day or two. Therapy consists primarily in giving sufficient fluids. In addition, affected people must be isolated as quickly as possible to prevent the norovirus from spreading. Children and the elderly are particularly at risk of complications (mostly caused by severe dehydration).
General information about this condition can be found here: Norovirus - How Dangerous Is It?
How is diarrhea diagnosed like water?
The diagnosis of watery diarrhea (diarrhea like water) must initially be made purely on a clinical basis. For example, the diagnosis of diarrhea can usually be made solely on the basis of the anamnesis (questioning of the person concerned by the doctor).
If you want a more detailed diagnosis, you usually have to submit a stool sample in which the causative pathogens and possibly antibodies in the body can be found. If the cause of the diarrhea is not infectious, such as water, blood tests or a gastroscopy and / or colonoscopy can follow.
When do I have to see a doctor?
If you have diarrhea like water, you don't necessarily have to see a doctor first. Often the symptoms can be cured within a few days with sufficient fluids and gentle food.
However, if it is not possible to compensate for the loss of fluid through the diarrhea with the amount of drink (plus, for example, soup), a doctor should be consulted. Even if blood is found in the diarrhea, you have to see a doctor. In this way, chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease can be excluded or found.
Read more about this at: Blood in the stool with diarrhea
However, since watery diarrhea is often triggered by infectious pathogens, you should pay attention to strict hygiene when visiting a doctor. In this way, other patients and medical staff can be protected from potential infections.
What additional symptoms can I experience?
Watery diarrhea is often associated with other abdominal discomfort. This often leads to abdominal pain and cramps in the stomach and / or intestines. A particularly lively activity of the intestine can also occur in diarrhea such as water. This manifests itself in loud bowel noises or a bubbling or gurgling in the stomach.
It is not uncommon for other accompanying symptoms such as nausea and vomiting to occur. In addition, there is usually a loss of appetite, affected people are exhausted and tired. Sudden, severe diarrhea is often accompanied by a pronounced feeling of illness.
General symptoms such as fever and headaches can also occur, particularly in the case of infectious diarrheal diseases, but also in the case of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
Abdominal cramps and diarrhea like water
Abdominal cramps are a common symptom of watery diarrhea. Due to the high water content in stool, the functioning of the intestine is greatly changed. This can manifest itself as unusually strong peristalsis (movements of the bowel). This can lead to cramping of the smooth muscles in the intestinal wall, which can manifest itself in the form of severe abdominal cramps and abdominal pain. Often the symptoms have an inflammatory component that can be caused by bacteria, viruses or chronic inflammatory processes.
Read more on our page: Abdominal cramps and diarrhea
Stomach cramps and dysentery like water
Stomach cramps, like abdominal cramps with diarrhea like water, are not uncommon. If the cramp-like pain can clearly be attributed to the stomach, the disease is often a bacterial infection, as can occur, for example, with spoiled food. The immune system begins to fight the foreign germs in the stomach at the latest, so that strong cramps occur in the stomach area.
In order to flush the causative pathogens out of the body as quickly as possible, the time it takes for the spoiled food to pass through the intestine is greatly shortened so that little fluid can be absorbed from the intestinal contents, which causes watery diarrhea.
Read more on our page: Stomach cramps with diarrhea
Bubbling in your stomach and diarrhea like water
A bubbling in the stomach is in most cases an indication of a strong bowel movement (peristalsis). In diarrheal diseases, the intestine works particularly hard in contrast to healthy phases. This leads to more frequent and stronger tension in the intestinal muscles, which can manifest itself in the form of abdominal cramps. This pronounced peristalsis of the intestine quickly sets the very liquid contents of the intestine in motion, causing the typical gurgling and bubbling in the stomach. The more watery the diarrhea, the more pronounced these intestinal noises can be in the context of the diarrheal illness.
Diarrhea like water without pain
In most cases, diarrheal diseases without pain speak against an inflammatory disease. Inflammatory diseases include infectious diarrheal diseases as well as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. The inflammation usually leads to abdominal pain. If, on the other hand, diarrhea occurs without pain, it is usually a creeping process that interferes with the mechanics of the intestine. Metabolic diseases, food intolerances and some medications can lead to a strong influx of fluids into the intestines without an inflammatory component of the disease being present. Watery diarrhea occurs due to the high fluid content in stool.
How is diarrhea treated like water?
The most important component of treating watery diarrhea is maintaining adequate hydration. The diarrhea causes the body to lose a lot of water, and many electrolytes (blood salts) such as sodium and potassium are also flushed out of the body. These losses must be compensated for by drinking enough, if necessary by eating particularly liquid foods (e.g. soup) and, in the case of severe diarrhea, by infusions via the vein.
With mild diarrhea, drinking sugar-sweetened tea and salty broth is enough. In severe cases of diarrhea such as water, certain preparations containing glucose (sugar), sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride and sodium citrate can also be drunk. It may also be necessary to supply this solution via the vein.
Antibiotics can also be used in severe cases of bacterial diarrhea. If there is also nausea and vomiting, drugs are also used to reduce the nausea.
In addition, if you have diarrhea, you should start slowly with a careful diet. For this, foods such as pretzel sticks and rusks are useful. On the other hand, particularly fatty foods should be avoided, as well as soft drinks and caffeine.
If one assumes an infectious cause of the diarrhea such as water, strict adherence to hygienic measures should also be ensured so that contact persons do not become infected.
If, on the other hand, there is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, drugs that affect the immune system may be used.
Home remedies for diarrhea such as water
Just like the medical therapy for diarrhea such as water, the home remedies also aim to make the affected person drink as much fluids as possible. Here, sweetened tea is particularly useful, as it means that a lot of fluids are drunk, and those affected also absorb sugar again, which is flushed out of the body in large quantities by the diarrhea.
Water can also be drunk to compensate for the loss of fluids. Salty broth (vegetable broth, beef broth, chicken broth, etc.) is suitable to restore the balance of blood salts. In addition, a low-fiber diet makes sense for a few days. It is best to start with pretzel sticks and rusks, dry bread (baguette) is also an option. Depending on how strong the hunger and appetite of the sick person is, rice and / or jacket potatoes can also be used. Food that is particularly fatty should initially be avoided. Whole grain products and fruit are also only useful in small quantities in the first few days in the case of diarrhea.
If additional symptoms such as abdominal cramps occur, a hot water bottle can also be used to relieve the symptoms. It is important to fill the hot water bottle no more than halfway with hot water, then the air should be pressed out of the hot water bottle before the lid is tightly closed.
If you have an additional fever, you can also use a calf compress or a cool, damp cloth on your forehead.
Read more on the subject at: Home remedies to treat diarrhea
Homeopathy for diarrhea like water
A variety of homeopathic remedies can be used against diarrhea. However, a distinction should be made between the underlying cause of the diarrhea. It is also advisable to consult a doctor.
In the case of diarrhea such as water, one can assume that the disease was triggered in most cases by pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. Food intolerance or spoiled dishes can also be the cause of the disease. In this case, homeopathic remedies such as Arsenicum album and Veratrum album will help.
Ipecacuanha can also be taken if the cause cannot be identified or if severe nausea occurs.
If food poisoning can be assumed to be the cause of the diarrhea like water, Mercurius may also help. Most of the remedies are best used in the potency D6 or C6, the potency D12 is also possible.
Read more on the subject at: Homeopathy for diarrhea
How long does diarrhea last like water?
How long the diarrhea lasts like water depends on the cause of the disease.
Infectious diarrheal diseases are usually over after a few days to a week. In the case of an infection with the norovirus, an improvement in the symptoms can be expected after a maximum of 48 hours. Rotavirus diseases are usually over after a few days. Bacterial diarrheal diseases often heal within seven to ten days. In severe cases, antibiotics must be used to shorten the course of the disease. Even with food poisoning, diarrhea usually only lasts a few days. Infectious diarrheal diseases usually run smoothly with sufficient fluids.
On the other hand, inflammatory bowel diseases can take a protracted course; although they can be treated symptomatically with medication, they can always lead to symptoms.
Read more on the subject at: How long does diarrhea last?
How contagious is diarrhea like water?
Diarrhea, like water, is particularly contagious in most cases because it is caused by bacteria or viruses. The pathogens can be transmitted through contaminated water or food. Infection through a smear infection is also possible, so strict adherence to hygienic measures is particularly important in the case of infectious diarrheal diseases. This includes frequent hand washing and, if necessary, disinfecting the hands. Affected persons are not allowed to go to community facilities (kindergarten, school, nursing homes), they have to be isolated in the hospital. In many cases, this can prevent the pathogens from spreading.
Read more on the subject at: Which diarrhea is contagious?
Diarrhea like water in pregnancy
In principle, most infectious diarrheal diseases in which diarrhea occurs like water are not particularly dangerous for the mother during pregnancy as long as there is an adequate supply of fluids, sugar and electrolytes (blood salts). An infection of the unborn child does not usually occur either. Diarrhea can be dangerous during pregnancy if a lot of fluid is lost through diarrhea. This can lead to circulatory problems in particular for the mother and thus to poor care for the child.
Read more on this topic at: Diarrhea in pregnancy
