Diarrhea is the passage of loose, watery stools three or more times a day. This leaves the body without the necessary fluids and electrolyte for survival.
It is one of the major killers of children in Africa. Amongst the causes of death children diarrhea stands as the second cause of death.
Hundreds of thousands of children under five die from diarrhea each year. Dairrhea can be prevented with good sanitary practices.
Due to the electrolyte lost due diarrhea the patient usually suffers from malnutrition. Diarrhoeal diseases may be acute(lasting days to weeks), chronic (lasting between weeks to months) or persistent (occuring frequently within a long period usually years)
Oral rehydration for diarrhea
Home made oral rehydration
This is the most cost effective and proficient way to manage the dehydration that is brought about by diarrhea. This solution is made using salt, sugar and water. The solution can also be made with breastmilk, coconut water, carrot soup, rice water, fresh fruits and garri water
The mechanism of ORS
The problem in diarrheal diseases is the loss of water and elecrolyte(such as sodium, potassium, glucose etc) which is important in maintening a balance in the body.
ORS alone is proficient for 90-95% of patients who have acute diarrhoea. Fluid infusion is only necessary for severe cases of diarrhea
Procedure
- wash hands
- put half teaspoon of salt and six teaspoon of sugar in clean bowl
Or one packet of premade ORS in fifty centilitres of water.
3)if patient is an infant make sure your hands are clean before giving solution.
give the patient as much of solution as is necessary
If symptoms persist visit a health care facility for expert care
I hope this post was helpful
My references were
http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease
http://rehydrate.org/solutions/
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diarrhea/definition-facts