What To Know About Explosive Diarrhea

"Explosive diarrhea" is a severe type of diarrhea that causes you to pass loose, watery stools three or more times per day. Some of the most common causes of explosive diarrhea include health conditions, such as celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and viruses. You can typically treat explosive diarrhea by eating a bland diet and staying hydrated. A healthcare provider might prescribe an antibiotic if you have a bacterial infection.

Explosive diarrhea can increase your risk of complications, such as dehydration, due to severe symptoms. Read on to learn more about explosive diarrhea, including what causes it and treatment.

What Causes Explosive Diarrhea?

Germs commonly cause acute explosive diarrhea, which lasts a few days. Chronic explosive diarrhea, in contrast, lasts four weeks or longer and may come and go. Certain health conditions and medications might cause chronic diarrhea, including the following:

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory condition. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diabetes, and chronic diarrhea.

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance is when you are unable to fully digest the sugar (lactose) in milk. This condition can result in abdominal pain or discomfort and chronic diarrhea. Symptoms can be managed by avoiding foods that contain lactose.

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Bacteria

Bacteria may cause explosive diarrhea if you consume contaminated food or water. Examples include:

• Campylobacter: You may contract this bacteria from consuming raw or uncooked poultry, drinking contaminated raw milk or water, or touching animal feces. Symptoms typically begin two to five days after infection.
• Escherichia coli (E. coli): This is a common cause of travelers' diarrhea, usually occurring after travel to a developing country. Symptoms typically get better on their own within five to 10 days.
• Salmonella: This bacteria can be found in raw animal products, unwashed fruits and vegetables, pets, and reptiles. Symptoms typically go away after four to seven days.
• Shigella: This bacteria, which affects the intestinal lining, commonly spreads in crowded areas with poor sanitation. People often develop symptoms three days after infection.

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Health Conditions

Health conditions that affect the digestive tract and cause chronic explosive diarrhea include:

• Celiac disease: This autoimmune disorder causes an overreaction to gluten, a protein in barley, rye, and wheat.
• Crohn's disease: This inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causes inflammation and irritation in your gut.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): People with IBS typically have abdominal pain and diarrhea, constipation, or both.
• Small bowel bacterial overgrowth: This causes too much bacteria to grow in the small intestine, resulting in abdominal pain, bloating, and watery diarrhea.
• Ulcerative colitis: This is an IBD that causes inflammation of the large intestine.

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Medications

Chronic explosive diarrhea may occur if you take certain medications, including antibiotics and chemotherapy, for long periods. Those medications can affect the balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in your gut, increasing your risk of bacterial illness that causes explosive diarrhea.

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Parasites

Parasites can spread through infected food and water or animal feces. Some of the most common parasitic illnesses that cause explosive diarrhea include:

• Amebiasis, caused by Entamoeba histolytica
• Cryptosporidium enteritis, caused by Cryptosporidium enteritis
• Giardiasis, caused by Giardia lamblia 

Explosive Diarrhea Caused by Viruses

Viral gastroenteritis, typically known as the "stomach flu," is a common cause of explosive diarrhea. Viruses that cause the stomach flu include:

• Adenovirus
• Astrovirus
• Norovirus
• Rotavirus

Risk Factors for Explosive Diarrhea

Anyone can develop explosive diarrhea, but some people might be likelier than others. Risk factors include:

• Changes to your diet
• Eating and drinking raw and undercooked foods and drinks
• Exposure to infectious bacteria, parasites, and viruses 
• Improper handwashing
• Taking certain medications (e.g., antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs)
• Travel to a developing country

Possible Complications of Explosive Diarrhea

Explosive diarrhea causes more severe symptoms than a typical bout of diarrhea. Severe symptoms may result in complications like malabsorption and dehydration. Malabsorption occurs if your body does not get enough nutrients. You may develop symptoms like bloating, loose and greasy stool that smells foul, and weight loss.

Dehydration, which happens if your body does not get enough fluids and electrolytes, can be life-threatening if untreated. Symptoms include:

• Dark-colored urine
• Dry mouth
• Extreme thirst
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Feeling lightheaded
• Low urine output
• Reduced skin turgor (i.e., skin that does not flatten right away after you pinch it)
• Sunken eyes and cheeks 

Treatment for Explosive Diarrhea 

A healthcare provider might want to take a stool sample to figure out what's causing your diarrhea. It often takes time to get test results back, so they'll likely prescribe an antibiotic in case you have a bacterial or parasitic infection.

A healthcare provider can prescribe medications to help manage health conditions that cause explosive diarrhea. Some evidence suggests that probiotics, or live microbes similar to those in your gut, may treat diarrhea. A healthcare provider may advise taking probiotics to manage explosive diarrhea.

Home Remedies

It's essential to take care of yourself while you recover from explosive diarrhea. At-home remedies include:

• Eat a bland diet: You may also benefit from eating a bland diet until your symptoms clear up. Opt for bland foods low in fiber, which will firm up stool. Just make sure that you transition back to a normal diet to get enough nutrients once your symptoms clear up.
• Hydrate: To avoid dehydration, replenish lost fluids and electrolytes. Choose fruit juices, salty broths, sports drinks with electrolytes, and water.
• Take anti-diarrheal medication: These medications, such as Imodium (loperamide), slow down gut movement to reduce diarrhea. Avoid taking one of those medications, however, if you have severe symptoms like a fever and bloody stool.

Prevention of Explosive Diarrhea 

Explosive diarrhea is not always possible to prevent, especially if the underlying cause is a health condition. Talk to a healthcare provider about changes you can make to your treatment to manage your bowel movements.

Ways to prevent infectious causes of explosive diarrhea include:

• Avoid eating raw fish, fruit, meat, shellfish, and vegetables. Make sure you properly handle and cook raw food.
• Do not drink tap water if you are traveling to a developing country. Only use bottled water to brush your teeth, drink, make ice cubes, and prepare food and drinks.
• Make sure juice and dairy products are pasteurized, or heated to get rid of germs
• Make sure your children are vaccinated against rotavirus
• Talk to a healthcare provider about early treatment with antibiotics before traveling
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider

You can treat explosive diarrhea at home if you otherwise feel OK. It's essential to see a healthcare provider, though, if you suspect you have an infection. You may have giardiasis, for example, if you recently swam in a lake, river, or pool that's not chlorinated. It's possible to spread giardiasis to others if untreated.

Contact a healthcare provider right away if you have:

• Black and tar-like stool
• Diarrhea that persists longer than two days (in adults) or 24 hours (in children)
• Fever (i.e., 102 degrees or higher)
• Severe abdominal and rectal pain
• Signs of dehydration (e.g., dark-colored urine, dry mouth and skin, and extreme thirst)
• Stool that's bloody or has pus

Call a healthcare provider right away if you have a health condition (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) or a weak immune system. You may have a high risk of complications from explosive diarrhea.

A Quick Review

Explosive diarrhea can be uncomfortable and may result in complications like dehydration if untreated. Common causes of explosive diarrhea include bacteria, parasites, viruses, and health conditions like celiac disease and IBS.

It's important to support your body as you recover by eating a bland diet and staying hydrated with a lot of fluids. See a healthcare provider right away if your symptoms include a fever, abdominal pain, bloody stool, and dark-colored urine.