Chronic diarrhea can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'minor' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose chronic diarrhea, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Intestinal Obstruction | 98% | Confirm |
Gastroenteritis | 19% | Unlikely |
Lactose Intolerance | 12% | Unlikely |
Drug Side-Effects | 0% | Ruled out |
Epstein-Barr Virus | 0% | Ruled out |
Short Bowel Syndrome | 0% | Ruled out |
West Nile Virus | 0% | Ruled out |
Pancreatitis | 0% | Ruled out |
If you suffer significantly from diarrhea (at least once per week), for how long has this been a problem?
Possible responses:
→ It is not a problem / don't know→ It started within the last week → It started within the last month → I've had it for 1 to 3 months → I've had it for over 3 months |
Most people with IBS have intermittent bouts of diarrhea. IBS often reduces the amount of time that stool remains in the intestines, and therefore also the amount of water that is absorbed. This results in very loose and watery stool, and frequent episodes of diarrhea. Not having diarrhea as a symptom therefore strongly suggests that IBS may not be the problem.
Rapid passage (or transit) of stool is one of the most common causes of diarrhea. Stool that leaves the large intestine too quickly is watery: there is not enough time for fluid and nutrients to be absorbed from the contents of the gastrointestinal tract.
Intermittent diarrhea can be a sign of B12 deficiency.