What is the cause of abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting? Can I take antidiarrheal medicine?

In addition to abdominal pain and diarrhea, patients with gastroenteritis also have vomiting symptoms. Mild cases will only cause discomfort and inconvenience in work and life, but as the condition worsens, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, high fever, shock, etc. may occur. Especially for weak children and the elderly with low resistance, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting may be life-threatening and should be treated promptly.

There are two common types of diarrhea in summer. One is infectious diarrhea caused by eating rotten, spoiled, or bacterially contaminated food, such as bacterial dysentery caused by Shigella dysenteriae and acute diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli; the other is diarrhea caused by eating spicy, raw, or cold food, which accelerates gastrointestinal motility.

The most typical symptoms of infectious diarrhea are vomiting and diarrhea. Patients generally have bowel movements three or more times a day, and the nature of their stools changes. Common diseases such as dysentery, food poisoning and cholera will all cause vomiting to varying degrees. Food poisoning usually presents with vomiting first and then diarrhea, and the vomiting symptoms are more obvious. The symptoms may improve after vomiting and diarrhea. Most cholera patients experience "diarrhea first and then vomiting". Generally, severe diarrhea occurs first, and vomiting is mostly projectile, while nausea symptoms are not prominent. In case of dysentery, since the lesions occur in the lower part of the intestine, the vomiting symptoms are generally mild.

Don't rush to take antidiarrheal medicine if you have diarrhea

Many people think that if diarrhea occurs, they can take antidiarrheal medicine immediately. In fact, this wrong approach not only fails to stop diarrhea, but will delay the disease. Diarrhea is actually a manifestation of the body's self-protection. Taking antidiarrhea drugs too early will disrupt the body's excretion balance, cut off the body's self-protection signals, and result in the inability to excrete waste in the body in a timely manner, which in turn will damage the gastrointestinal function.

To treat diarrhea, the specific cause must be found and then targeted treatment must be given. Simply taking antidiarrheal drugs can easily mask the condition and delay treatment. Generally speaking, diarrhea may be caused by gastrointestinal cold, poor gastrointestinal function, etc. If it is caused by a gastrointestinal cold, the cold should be treated. As the cold recovers, the diarrhea will generally stop. If it is caused by poor gastrointestinal function, the gastrointestinal function needs to be adjusted, so you should go to the hospital and take medication under the guidance of a doctor.

Actively prevent gastrointestinal diseases in summer

The food mold index is highest in July and August. Eating moldy food can cause vomiting and diarrhea at the mildest, or infection with toxins at the worst. Therefore, you should reduce your intake of raw food at this time to avoid gastrointestinal diseases.

In addition, you must be careful not to eat rotten or spoiled food. Raw fruits and vegetables must be washed with running water. Seafood and meat must be fully heated and cooked, and raw and cooked food must be separated during processing.

In addition, your home should store less rice, beans, peanuts, potatoes, ginger, bananas, peaches, etc. These foods are prone to mold, especially rice and peanuts, which are prone to mold in a humid environment and produce aflatoxin, a strong carcinogen. Try to buy them as you eat them.