7.5.1
Acute Diarrhoea
Malawi Standard Treatment Guidelines, 6th Edition, 2023. Chapter 7, Gastrointestinal Conditions.
Clinical Description
Passage of 3 or more watery stools per day for less than 14 days.
Signs and Symptoms
- Watery diarrhea +/- abdominal pain
Investigations
- Full Blood Count
- Stool analysis
- Urea, Electrolytes +creatinine
Non-pharmacological
- Hygiene; washing hands regularly
- Avoid taking foods that seem spoiled/contaminated
- Take a lot water when passing loose stool to rehydrate
- Seek medical intervention when passing loose stool more than three times a day as well as when passing blood stool
- Take a solution of sugar and salt to retain lost minerals salts (more especially for
Children)
- Eat heated foods
- Drink boiled or chlorine treated water
Pharmacological
- Doxycycline 300mg PO STAT
- Mild dehydration/not vomiting: Give ORS
- Moderate/severe dehydration/ vomiting/hypovolaemia: IV fluids
- preferably Ringer’s Lactate
- use Normal Saline if Ringer’s Lactate unavailable
- Dysentery (fever/bloody stools/systemically unwell): Ciprofloxacin 500mg 12 hourly PO x 5 days
Check doses against the printed guideline and your clinical judgement before treating a patient. Spotted an error? Report it from the contact links below.
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