MBOMBELA – Did you that dehydration is one of the many cause of stomach pains and diarrhoea?
“If your body losses a lot of water, you become tired and feel muscle pains.
This may lead to stomach pains and diarrhoea,” says Dr Bongi Baloi, a locally based medical practitioner.
“Rehydration sackets and drinks could be bought from shops and pharmacies as well,” she said.
Baloi advises patients to immediately consult a doctor if the diarrhoea is accompanied by a fever.
Common signs of diarrhoea
• Abdominal cramps
• Abdominal pains
• Urgency to go to the toilet
• Frequent passing of loose, watery faeces
• Nausea
• Vomiting.
How to prevent diarrhoea
• Drink more fluids (3 to 4 litres a day), preferably containing sugar and salts. Ready-mixed rehydration sachets (eg Dioralyte, Rehidrat)
can be bought from pharmacists and added to drinking water.
• Eat something containing salt, such as crisps or soup
• Maintain good standards of hygiene
•Eat normally as soon as your appetite returns. But if you have suffered an acute attack of diarrhoea, avoid foods containing milk for a couple of days.
