In this guide
6 min readIntestine Care
Diarrhea lasting more than a few weeks should be evaluated, especially if it causes weight loss, weakness, blood in stool or night-time symptoms. Causes range from infection and food intolerance to IBS, IBD and malabsorption.
Key Takeaways
- Post-infection bowel sensitivity
- IBS with diarrhea
- Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
- Celiac disease or malabsorption
- Medicine-related diarrhea
Common causes of chronic diarrhea
The pattern of diarrhea, stool frequency, pain, blood, fever and weight loss helps guide diagnosis.
- Post-infection bowel sensitivity
- IBS with diarrhea
- Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
- Celiac disease or malabsorption
- Medicine-related diarrhea
- Chronic infection or parasites
Warning signs
These symptoms need specialist evaluation and should not be managed only with repeated antibiotics or home remedies.
- Blood or mucus in stool
- Fever or night-time diarrhea
- Weight loss or anemia
- Severe dehydration
- Persistent pain
- Diarrhea in elderly or immunocompromised patients
Tests that may be advised
The doctor may advise stool tests, CBC, thyroid test, celiac testing, inflammatory markers, ultrasound, colonoscopy or biopsy depending on symptoms.
Treatment planning
Treatment depends on cause. Unnecessary antibiotics can worsen some conditions, so recurrent diarrhea should be diagnosed properly.