There are a wide variety of possible causes for both throwing up and diarrhea, the most common of which include viruses, food poisoning, and drugs. It is possible that the individual has a food intolerance or allergy if the symptoms recur frequently and are triggered by meals.

On the other hand, there are more dangerous reasons of both vomiting and diarrhea.

Diarrhea is a symptom of a disease characterized by the passing of an excessive amount of more than three semi-liquid or liquid stools a day. Taking into account the speed of symptom development, diarrhea can be divided into acute and chronic.

A person is considered to have diarrhea if they have three or more stools a day that are loose or watery in consistency, as stated by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Vomiting and diarrhea are typically transitory symptoms that get better without the need for medical treatment in the majority of cases. However, chronic vomiting or diarrhea may point to a more serious underlying disease.

The causes of diarrhea

Under physiological conditions, the stomach empties food within 2-3 hours. By the time the intestinal contents reach the caecum, the vast majority of food elements are absorbed in the small intestine, mainly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. In the initial part of the large intestine, the content is subjected to segmental contractions of the intestine, which from time to time perform peristaltic movements, moving the stool towards the sigmoid colon and rectum. These cramps usually start after meals (gastrointestinal reflex). In the large intestine, semi-liquid stool becomes thickened by the absorption of water and electrolytes.

At least seven different mechanisms underlie the pathogenesis of diarrhea, including:

1. the presence of osmotically active substances in the digestive mass, causing excessive hydration of the stool,
2. the presence in the intestines of bacterial toxins or hormonal substances secreted by cancerous tumors, which force the intestinal epithelium to continuously secrete water into the intestinal lumen,
3. increased gastrointestinal motility (hormonal and neurogenic factors),
4. damage to the intestinal mucosa as a result of an inflammatory (less often cancerous) process with subsequent exudation and impaired water resorption,
5. reduction of the resorptive surface of the small intestine (atrophy of intestinal villi),
6. filling the intestine with digestive mass due to constriction, which hinders intestinal passage with excessive development of bacterial flora (hydrolysis of bile salts),
7. impairment of digestion and fat absorption (steatorrhea).

Some dietary supplements have anti-diarrheal effects.

Diarrhea diagnosis

The medical history of patients suffering from diarrhea should be focused on determining the number of bowel movements and the time of day of the greatest intensity of symptoms. Night-time diarrhea indicates an organic rather than functional basis of the disease. It is also important to determine the color and consistency of the stools.

The presence of mucus and blood indicates aninflammatory or neoplastic etiology of the bowel disease. A loose black tarry stool is a symptomof upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Vomiting that accompanies diarrhea suggestsgastritis. The absence of dyspeptic symptoms indicates the location of theinfection / inflammation in the small or large intestine.

The development of diarrhea after or during the use of antibiotics requires a test for Clostridium difficile toxin. In turn, the return from countries with low socioeconomic standards indicates theso-called traveler’s diarrhea, most often caused by E. coli or Giardia lamblia. The association of diarrhea with the consumption of milk is a symptomof lactase deficiency, and with the consumption of nuts, fruit, chocolate, or mussels,a symptom of an allergic reaction of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Vomiting (throwing up)

Throwing up is a symptom of the mouth having to empty the stomach automatically. They can appear in the course of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and for reasons beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

The reasons

The pathogenesis of vomiting is complex and based on a multi-component reflex, the most important element of which is the emetic center, located in the medulla (at the bottom of the 4th ventricle). Via the fibers of the autonomic system, this center receives impulses from visceral receptors, sensitive to nutrients and toxins, and receptors located in the brainstem, which respond to changes in the chemical composition of blood. The act of vomiting is preceded by a deep inhalation which lowers the position of the diaphragm, followed by closure of the glottis, contraction of the pylorus and relaxation of the stomach and lower esophageal sphincter. Vomiting is the result of cyclic contractions of the abdominal muscles, which increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity, which is transferred to the walls of a flaccid stomach.

Vomiting diagnosis

First, a distinction must be made between vomiting and regurgitation (regurgitatio) and from drooling. Coexistence of nausea indicatesgastric or duodenal disease. In the case of vomiting due to a disease of the central nervous system, nausea may be absent.

In the medical history, it is important to establish the temporal relationship between the occurrence of vomiting and the intake of food (fasted, with or after a meal) and the frequency of this symptom (cyclic vomiting). The volume of vomit as well as the appearance and smell of its contents should also be determined. For example, vomiting that looks like coffee grounds, the so-called “dusty vomit” with a sour or mushroom odor suggests upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Vomiting may be related to the consumption of alcohol or the use of medications (e.g., digitalis preparations). They can also be a symptom of low potassium levels in your blood. In many cases, the correct diagnosis suggests the coexistence of abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhea, fever, or jaundice with vomiting.