Why do some people get diarrhea after suffering from COVID-19? During the Spring Festival, eating and drinking too much may also cause diarrhea. How to distinguish the two types of diarrhea? To what extent does diarrhea occur and should I take medication or seek medical treatment? Song Zhiqiang, deputy medical director and chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking University Third Hospital, said there is no need to panic about diarrhea, but it cannot be ignored. Most diarrhea can heal on its own. In special cases, you need to master the principles, standardize medication, and be careful not to abuse drugs to cause other discomforts.
Why does the new coronavirus cause diarrhea in some people?
Diarrhea when infected by the new coronavirus is a comprehensive cause and is not necessarily caused by the virus. The following three reasons are possible -
1. Direct invasion of the new coronavirus
As a pathogen, the new coronavirus infects the human body through the S protein of the new coronavirus and human tissue cells. ACE2 binds, allowing the virus to enter cells and then cause damage to the human body. If there are ACE2 receptors in the digestive tract of patients infected with the new coronavirus, when the body is infected by the virus, it will affect the digestive tract, leading to gastrointestinal dysfunction and diarrhea.
This is similar to many common clinical causes of viral gastroenteritis, such as rotavirus.
2. Drug stimulation
During the period of COVID-19, many people will take drugs. Some drugs themselves may also stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and cause diarrhea.
3. Functional disorders
During the COVID-19 disease, some people have experienced major changes in their life, diet, mentality, etc., including psychological panic, restricted exercise, and emotional instability. It may affect gastrointestinal function through the brain-gut axis, which is also a common cause of diarrhea.
How to treat COVID-19 diarrhea
According to different causes of diarrhea and the physical condition of the person with diarrhea, it can be treated through self-regulation, safe medication, and timely medical treatment.
1. Symptomatic medication
Mild cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia can heal themselves. When the body’s own resistance clears the virus, diarrhea will also heal without treatment.
If the diarrhea is severe during the self-healing process, symptomatic medication can also be used to relieve the symptoms. For example, taking montmorillonite powder has an astringent effect; taking probiotics inhibits harmful bacteria and regulates intestinal flora; taking rifaximin to regulate intestinal flora can not only inhibit harmful bacteria but also help the replication of beneficial bacteria. It only acts in the intestines and is not likely to cause other diseases, making it a safer choice. The common antidiarrheal drug berberine can also inhibit bacteria and regulate intestinal flora, and can be used symptomatically when necessary.
However, norfloxacin (norfloxacin), which has attracted much attention recently, is not suitable for treating diarrhea caused by the new coronavirus.
Norfloxacin is an antibiotic. The role of antibiotics is to kill bacteria, and the new coronavirus is a virus. Only when you are infected with the new coronavirus and have a secondary bacterial infection, you need to use norfloxacin as directed by your doctor. .
In general, there is no absolute standard for whether to take medication or seek medical treatment. If you have a lot of diarrhea a day, severe thirst, fatigue, dehydration, weakness, malaise, etc., you should seek medical treatment in time. If there is no serious problem, you can wait for it to heal on its own.
2. Adjust medication
For diarrhea caused by drug treatment, it is necessary to judge whether the medication needs to be changed or discontinued according to the body's needs. If the diarrhea caused by medication has a great impact on the body and causes more harm than good, the medication needs to be changed or discontinued. If an individual is allergic to this drug and causes diarrhea, the drug must be stopped as soon as possible to avoid other symptoms.
3. Comprehensive adjustment
Diarrhea caused by the changes in life caused by the new coronavirus can be adjusted through regular work and rest, appropriate exercise, healthy diet, and maintaining a peaceful and relaxed attitude to improve digestion. The recovery of Tao function is stable, which is also more conducive to the recovery of the body.
Eat well during the Spring Festival to avoid diarrhea
The Spring Festival holiday is coming soon. If you like to overeat or eat spicy food, you may also suffer from diarrhea.
The most common cause of holiday diarrhea is bacterial infection caused by eating unclean food. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to dietary hygiene during holidays, eat fresh food, eat less overnight meals, and pay attention to hygiene habits such as washing hands before meals. .
Bacterial infection usually causes acute diarrhea, with pus in the stool, but recovery is quick and usually heals on its own in about two days. If many people eating together have diarrhea, pay attention to whether they have food poisoning.
Improper diet is also a common cause of holiday diarrhea. The work and rest time during holidays are different from those on weekdays, which can easily lead to body dysfunction. If you continue to eat haphazardly, have excessive nutrition, go hot and cold, or eat too greasy or spicy food, etc., it is easy to cause symptoms due to excessive intake of food that exceeds the body's absorption capacity. diarrhea. Therefore, during holidays, you should also take time to live, eat moderately, and enjoy life healthily.