By Nana Ama Gyapong
Dr. Mordecai Owusu from the Family Medicine Department at Korlebu Teaching hospital has revealed that HIV can cause one to have diarrhea because the immune system of the person gets weakened.
He said this on the GTV Breakfast Show December 22, 2021.
Diarrhea is usually caused by a virus, or sometimes, contaminated food. Less frequently, it can be a sign of another disorder, such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome.
Describing how diarrhea kills, Dr. Modecai said “apart from passing out stools, you will start having abdominal pains and then cramps.
A minute or two you have to rush to the washroom and once you start passing more watery stools you begin to feel a bit weak or tired, getting to the dehydrated state and that’s when the complications begin to set in and kidneys may shut down”.
He added that some causes of diarrhea have to do with environmental hygiene.
Purchasing of street food could also expose one to diarrhea because the sanitary conditions may not be clear or known.
Dr. Owusu advised Ghanaians during this festive season to have ORS at home whenever they passed watery stool more than three times as a first aid and be safe out there.