Diarrhea: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''Diarrhea''', also spelled '''diarrhoea''' or '''diarrhœa''' in British English, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery [[defecation|bowel movement]]s each day.<ref name=WHO2013>{{cite web|date=2 May 2017|title=Diarrhoeal disease Factsheet|url=https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease|access-date=29 October 2020|website=World Health Organization}}</ref> It often lasts for a few days and can result in [[dehydration]] due to fluid loss.<ref name=WHO2013/> Signs of dehydration often begin with loss of the normal stretchiness of the skin and irritable behaviour.<ref name=WHO2013/> This can progress to decreased [[urination]], [[pallor|loss of skin color]], a [[tachycardia|fast heart rate]], and a [[Altered level of consciousness|decrease in responsiveness]] as it becomes more severe.<ref name=WHO2013/> Loose but non-watery [[feces|stool]]s in babies who are exclusively [[Breastfeeding|breastfed]], however, are normal.<ref name=WHO2013/>

The most common cause is an infection of the [[intestine]]s due to either a [[virus]], [[bacterium]], or [[parasite]]—a condition also known as [[gastroenteritis]].<ref name=WHO2013/> These infections are often acquired from food or water that has been contaminated by [[Human feces|feces]], or directly from another person who is infected.<ref name=WHO2013/> The three types of diarrhea are: short duration watery diarrhea, short duration bloody diarrhea, and persistent diarrhea (lasting more than two weeks, which can be either watery or bloody).<ref name=WHO2013/> The short duration watery diarrhea may be due to [[cholera]], although this is rare in the developed world.<ref name=WHO2013/> If blood is present, it is also known as [[dysentery]].<ref name=WHO2013/> A number of non-infectious causes can result in diarrhea.<ref name=CEM2013/> These include [[lactose intolerance]], [[irritable bowel syndrome]], [[non-celiac gluten sensitivity]], [[Coeliac disease|celiac disease]], [[inflammatory bowel disease]] such as [[ulcerative colitis]], [[hyperthyroidism]], [[bile acid diarrhea]], and a number of medications.<ref name=CEM2013>{{cite book | veditors = Abdelmalak B, Doyle J |title=Anesthesia for otolaryngologic surgery |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-01867-9 |pages=282–287}}</ref><ref name=SaponeBai>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sapone A, Bai JC, Ciacci C, Dolinsek J, Green PH, Hadjivassiliou M, Kaukinen K, Rostami K, Sanders DS, Schumann M, Ullrich R, Villalta D, Volta U, Catassi C, Fasano A | display-authors = 6 | title = Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification | journal = BMC Medicine | volume = 10 | pages = 13 | date = February 2012 | pmid = 22313950 | pmc = 3292448 | doi = 10.1186/1741-7015-10-13 | type = Review | doi-access = free }} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Slattery SA, Niaz O, Aziz Q, Ford AC, Farmer AD | title = Systematic review with meta-analysis: the prevalence of bile acid malabsorption in the irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea | journal = Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics | volume = 42 | issue = 1 | pages = 3–11 | date = July 2015 | pmid = 25913530 | doi = 10.1111/apt.13227 | s2cid = 34603226 | url = http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/86190/3/MANUSCRIPT-REVISED%5B1%5D.pdf | doi-access = free }}</ref> In most cases, [[Stool test|stool cultures]] to confirm the exact cause are not required.<ref name=NEJM2014/>