Your body needs water to maintain proper functions and create bodily fluids such as blood. If you have a fluid imbalance, such as dehydration caused by diarrhea, your body's ability to maintain optimum health is compromised. Seek medical care if you are experiencing ongoing diarrhea as dehydration can result in serious complications.
Diarrhea And Causes
Diarrhea is the medical condition in which people have a frequent, watery and loose stool. The condition can arise from a variety of causes and typically goes away quickly and without further complications. Diarrhea in young children, however, can cause significant fluid loss and dehydration fairly quickly, as can prolonged diarrhea in adults. According to Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, diarrhea is typically caused by a virus that usually goes away on its own, though it can also be caused by more serious conditions such as food poisoning, celiac disease and lactose intolerance.
Diarrhea and Fliud Balance
As diarrhea causes the body to lose more fluids and to do so rapidly, this causes a fluid imbalance in the body that can lead to dehydration. Your body is constantly using water as a means to maintain body temperature and ensure proper body functions. If you do not ingest enough water to replace the water you use or expel, your body has a fluid imbalance. This is typically easily remedied by drinking fluids, but people with diarrhea may not be able to drink enough to maintain a balance.
Diarrhea and Dehydration
Though occasional diarrhea may not cause dehydration, extended periods of the condition as well as severe case in infants and small children, can result in the prolonged or sudden loss of fluids and cause dehydration. Dehydration is, according to Medline Plus, categorized as mild, moderate and severe. While mild dehydration has side effects such as headache or dry mouth, severe dehydration can lead to severe problems such as severe lethargy, coma, organ failure and death.
Treatment
While you should always consult a health care provider if you need medical advice, you can treat mild cases of fluid loss due to diarrhea with a variety of home remedies. Drinks with electrolyte solutions, but not those containing caffeine, are good for moderate or more severe cases of diarrhea, while milk is a good drink for mild cases, according to Medline Plus. Eating foods such as rice, dry toast and bananas can also be effective treatments.
