4 symptoms of diarrhea when you have an infectious disease

We often have diarrhea when we have a cold or feel unwell. I think this kind of diarrhea will always go away lightly. But the problem is that diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms of an infectious disease. Remember the incident where a man in his 60s who was on a business trip to the Middle East tested positive for MERS? The confirmed patient said at the airport quarantine that he had diarrhea before returning home.

If you have an infectious disease and walk around without knowing it, you risk spreading it to others. Let's take a look at 4 tips to distinguish diarrhea when you have an infectious disease.

First, I had vomiting before diarrhea

If vomiting is preceded by diarrhea, in most cases there is a high risk of an infectious disease. Norovirus and rotavirus enteritis are usually preceded by vomiting.

If it is not preceded by vomiting and only diarrhea appears, it is likely that it is temporary diarrhea caused by poor bowel movement due to a cold or the destruction of intestinal bacteria due to taking antibiotics.

Second, the fever rises

A fever in the body is, in many cases, an infection of bacteria or viruses. This is because the body's immune system kills bacteria and viruses, and its metabolism inevitably goes up. Like vomiting, diarrhea mediated by most infectious diseases, such as salmonella and dysentery, is accompanied by fever. You can also measure it through a thermometer, but you should also be careful if you subjectively feel hot.

Third, there is severe abdominal pain with bloody stools

If you have bloody stools that come with blood when you have diarrhea, it is likely that you have bacterial colitis. Bloody stools are seen in more than 90% of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections, and shigella infections are observed in about half of cases. Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia infections are also present in less than 30% of cases. On the other hand, abdominal pain is mainly severe in Shigella, Campylobacter, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections, and is seen in 50-70% of cases in Salmonella and Yersinia infections.

Fourth, there is diarrhea like rice water

Diarrhea that comes out like white rice water is called watery diarrhea. As diarrhea intensifies, it is caused by the loss of a lot of fluid in the stool. In the case of watery diarrhea, cholera or rotavirus may be suspected.