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Diarrhea (cont.)

When to Seek Medical Care

Diarrhea can usually be treated well with home care. In come cases, it may become more severe. A person should go to a hospital emergency department in the following situations:

if the person has had diarrhea along with high fever, moderate-to-severe abdominal pain, or dehydration that cannot be managed by drinking fluids;
if the diarrhea appears to contain blood (it may be bright red or may look like black, thick tar); or
If the person is very sleepy and is not acting like their usual selves (others may notice this and take the person to the emergency department).

Call a health care practitioner if a person has any of these complications:

he or she is vomiting and unable to tolerate any food or drink;
he or she shows signs of dehydration;
he or she has a high fever, significant abdominal pain, very frequent loose bowel movements, or bloody diarrhea;
if he or she is elderly or has serious underlying medical problems, particularly diabetes, heart, kidney, or liver disease, or HIV or AIDS (contact a health care practitioner when diarrhea first begins as the person may be at higher risk for developing complications);
a parent or caregiver needs advice about preventing dehydration in newborns and infants;
his or her symptoms do not improve in two to three days or appear to become worse; or
he or she develops diarrhea after travel in their home country, or foreign travel.