What is diarrhea (or diarrhoea)?

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Diarrhea is a condition that involves the frequent passing of loose or watery stools - it is the opposite of constipation and can have many causes, which may be infectious or non-infectious.

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Diarrhea comes from the Greek word diarrhoia. Dia means "flow" and rrhoia means "through". The term "flowing through" was coined by Hippocrates.

Spelling: In American English it is spelled "diarrhea", and in British English it is "diarrhoea".

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Acute diarrhea, meaning diarrhea that is not long-term, is a very common cause death in developing nations, especially among young children and babies. It usually appears rapidly and may last from between five to ten days.

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Chronic diarrhea, meaning long-term diarrhea is the second cause of death among children in developing countries.

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People with diarrhea often have fever and/or stomachache (abdominal cramps). Diarrhea may be caused by inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, an allergy, or an infection.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 3.5 million deaths each year are attributable to diarrhea. 80% of those deaths occur in children under the age of 5 years. Children are more susceptible to the complications of diarrhea because a smaller amount of fluid loss leads to dehydration, compared to adults.

A bacterium called enteroaggregative E. coli, is responsible for 10 percent of cases of diarrhea in children, researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA, found.

[Gopa B. Caesar]

meh :/

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