Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a symptom that occurs quite frequently in the population. It is, in fact, one of the reasons for consulting primary care physician more frequently. In many cases, appears in the so-called epidemics or “pass.” We speak of an epidemic when the number of patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis (or any other disease in which presupposes an infectious cause) is higher than by chance to hit. To understand this term, perhaps the most illustrative is the epidemic of influenza: Few if any cases during the year except the month, or month and a half in which it appears (approximately December to February). And during that time, a high percentage of the population is affected.
In the case of diarrhea, these epidemics or raisins, which used to be in the hot summer months, more and more frequently we see out of them. The reason is the mildness of our climate and, of course, global warming, which now makes for more months, we benefit from a temperature typical of summer months. By itself, diarrhea continues to be a symptom rather nonspecific, in that it may be a reflection of many pathologies, from very different backgrounds. However, nature is wise, and protective, in the sense that the vast majority of cases of diarrhea seen in health centers have a viral origin, and therefore quite benign.
What evolution is usually a picture of viral cause of acute gastroenteritis? The duration is usually between 24 hours and up to 5-7 days in uncomplicated cases. If it lasts more than 7 days, as we shall see, we should consult our primary care physician.
When we go to our health center? If you have diarrhea medicine are what are called pathological products, and include: presence of blood in stools, or presence of mucus or “blobs” of pus. In these cases, the cause may not be viral, and must be evaluated by a medical table. Also consult in all those cases lasting more than a week. Likewise, the presence of fever (temperature> 38 º C) so persistent, should be another reason for visiting your doctor. In all other cases there should be an astringent diet (see section Diarrhea (acute gastroenteritis)).