Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition

Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition 3(2+1)

Lesson 22:Diarrhoea- causes, complications

Physiological Changes in the body

• Water constitutes about 75% at birth and 60% in later age of body weight.
• Diarrhoea losses comes from ECF and replacement should be with sodium rich and low potassium solutions
• Loss of the water from the body causes a reduction or shrinkage in the volume of extracellular compartment

1. Excessive loss of sodium in diarrhoeal stools
• Causes decline in serum and ECF sodium level (hyponatremia)
• Osmolality of ECF fall causing movement of water from extra cellular to intracellular compartment
• Decrease in blood volume due to depletion of extracellular compartment
• Results in weak thready pulse and fall in blood pressure
• Extremities appear cold due to low hydrostatic pressure in the renal glomeruli
• Filtration of urine reduced
• The quantity and frequency of urination falls down
2. Excessive potassium lost through stools
• Abdominal distension and hypotonicity of muscles
3. Excessive bicarbonates loss
• Breathing will be deep and rapid if base level of bicarbonates fall to 12m mol/l
4. Diarrhoea with malnutrition:(Figure)


5. Malabsorption of nutrients in viral diarrhea:(Figure)

Acute diarrhoea