One less common health problem that can strike when temperatures rise isdiarrhea.
Various conditions can cause diarrhea during extreme heat, experts said.
What Causes Diarrhea During Extreme Heat?
Tfilm / Getty Image
Eating food with too much bacteria can give you gastroenteritis, which makes you sick and can cause diarrhea.
Warmer temperatures are why bacterial gastroenteritis is more common in summer, Zalkin added.
Different types of bacteria can cause bacterial gastroenteritis, includingE.
The diets people typically consume in warmer temperatures may also play a role, Sethi said.
If these foods arent handled right, they can have bacteria that cause food poisoning, leading to diarrhea.
Dehydration
Other health issues that are common in summernamelydehydrationand heat-related illnessescan also contribute, Sethi said.
When youre dehydrated, it can affect your stomach and cause diarrhea.
Diarrhea linked to warm temperatures may be more likely to affect some than others.
This includes people with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), she added.
If you experience heat-related diarrhea it may be difficultor impossibleto determine the exact cause, experts said.
However, you may be able totreat your symptomsat home by drinking plenty of water.
Specific related symptomslike fever or blood in the stoolshould prompt you to see a healthcare provider, Zalkin said.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Bacterial gastroenteritis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): what is it?.
2013;108(9):1480-1485. doi:10.1038/ajg.2013.186
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diarrhea.
