Editing Diarrhea (section)

==Health effects==

Diarrheal disease may have a negative impact on both physical fitness and mental development. "Early childhood malnutrition resulting from any cause reduces physical fitness and work productivity in adults",<ref name='d'>{{cite web | author = Disease Control Priorities Project |title=Public Health Significance of Diarrheal Illnesses |url= http://www.dcp2.org/pubs/DCP/19/Section/2531 |publisher=The World Bank Group |access-date=12 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125100705/http://www.dcp2.org/pubs/DCP/19/Section/2531 |archive-date=25 January 2014 }}</ref> and diarrhea is a primary cause of childhood malnutrition.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Guerrant RL, Schorling JB, McAuliffe JF, de Souza MA | title = Diarrhea as a cause and an effect of malnutrition: diarrhea prevents catch-up growth and malnutrition increases diarrhea frequency and duration | journal = The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | volume = 47 | issue = 1 Pt 2 | pages = 28–35 | date = July 1992 | pmid = 1632474 | doi = 10.4269/ajtmh.1992.47.28 }}</ref> Further, evidence suggests that diarrheal disease has significant impacts on mental development and health; it has been shown that, even when controlling for [[helminth]] infection and early breastfeeding, children who had experienced severe diarrhea had significantly lower scores on a series of tests of intelligence.<ref name='d' /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Grantham-McGregor SM, Walker SP, Chang S | title = Nutritional deficiencies and later behavioural development | journal = The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society | volume = 59 | issue = 1 | pages = 47–54 | date = February 2000 | pmid = 10828173 | doi = 10.1017/S0029665100000069 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Diarrhea can cause [[electrolyte imbalance]]s, [[renal impairment|kidney impairment]], [[dehydration]], and defective [[immune system]] responses. When oral drugs are administered, the efficiency of the drug is to produce a [[therapeutic effect]] and the lack of this effect may be due to the medication travelling too quickly through the digestive system, limiting the time that it can be absorbed. Clinicians try to treat the diarrheas by reducing the dosage of medication, changing the dosing schedule, discontinuation of the drug, and rehydration. The interventions to control the diarrhea are not often effective. Diarrhea can have a profound effect on the quality of life because fecal incontinence is one of the leading factors for placing older adults in [[long term care facilities]] (nursing homes).<ref name="MoonZhang2015"/>
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