Definition
Everyone occasionally has diarrhea loose, watery and more-frequent bowel movements. You might also have abdominal cramps and produce a greater volume of stool. Diarrhea varies in specific symptoms, severity and duration.
Acute diarrhea, which lasts from two days to two weeks, is typically caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of some sort.
Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than does acute diarrhea, generally more than four weeks. Chronic diarrhea can indicate a serious disorder, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, or a less serious condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Causes
Acute diarrhea causes may include:
- Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- C. difficile infection
- Cryptosporidium infection
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
- E. coli
- Food intolerances
- Food poisoning
- Fructose intolerance
- Artificial sweeteners
- Giardiasis (Giardia infection)
- Lactose intolerance
- Norovirus infection
- Medicines, such as antacids containing magnesium and some cancer treatments
- Rotavirus
- Salmonella infection
- Shigella infection
- Stomach surgery
- Traveler’s diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea causes may include:
- Celiac disease
- Colon cancer
- Crohn’s disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Medications used to treat heartburn, such as proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists
- Ulcerative colitis
- Whipple’s disease
