BODY SIGNAL ALERT DIARRHEA, ACUTE AND BLOODY: TREATMENT
If you have bloody diarrhea, the doctor will do a physical exam, a blood test, and a digital rectal exam to help determine the cause. He may also need to use a sigmoidoscope in order to examine the intestine visually.
Sometimes, however, bloody diarrhea can be caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite, frequently resulting from foreign travel and strange food and water. If your doctor suspects that this is the case, he will probably run a series of blood tests as well as a stool test. If the bloody diarrhea is caused by a viral infection, your doctor will advise you to drink plenty of fluids; I advise soup, with additional salt to replace the potassium lost in diarrhea, or Gatorade. For a bacterial infection, he will prescribe antibiotics.
Special Mention for the Elderly
In elderly people, if the blood supply to the bowel is suddenly reduced or even cut off completely, a condition known as ischemic colitis can develop. In this case, the stool will be foul, smelly, and maroon in color. An elderly person with ischemic colitis will also have a fever, and she may quickly go into a state of shock. However, diarrhea can also be caused by a course of antibiotic therapy that has lasted for several weeks, usually after a period of hospitalization, since it can be spread quite easily in hospital wards and nursing homes. This type of diarrhea is caused by the C difficile bacterium, and requires another course of specialized antibiotic therapy.
For this reason, if the bowel habits of an elderly person suddenly change, it’s essential that she see her doctor immediately.
*423\167\8*
Related Posts:
Tags: General health