What is the Cause of Frequent Diarrhea?

What Causes Frequent Diarrhea?

Frequent 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.

Diagnose your symptoms now!

check your overall health status
have a doctor review your case (optional)
identify any nutritional deficiencies

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose frequent diarrhea, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "frequent diarrhea" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):

Ulcerative Colitis
Bacterial Dysbiosis
Blastocystosis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Gallbladder Disease
Pancreatitis
Epstein-Barr Virus
Rapid Stool Passage

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

unexplained fevers that hit hard

moderate unexplained weight loss

moderate epigastric pain

past PPI antacid use

significant meal-induced pain

anal itching at night

major unexplained weight loss

meals worsen epigastric pain

high sensitivity to bright light

abdominal pain relieved by BM

severe left iliac pain after meals

poor bodily coordination

... and more than 120 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of frequent diarrhea:

Cause	Probability	Status
Gallbladder Disease	90%	Confirm
Epstein-Barr Virus	18%	Unlikely
Irritable Bowel Syndrome	17%	Unlikely
Rapid Stool Passage	1%	Ruled out
Ulcerative Colitis	0%	Ruled out
Bacterial Dysbiosis	0%	Ruled out
Blastocystosis	0%	Ruled out
Pancreatitis	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Bowel Movement Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about frequency of diarrhea episodes:

Approximately how often do you suffer from diarrhea?

Possible responses:

→ Very rarely / it is not a problem / don't know
→ Occasionally - a few times a year
→ Regularly - once a month or more
→ Often - once a week or more
→ Frequently / several times a day

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate not suffering from diarrhea, occasional episodes of diarrhea, regular episodes of diarrhea or frequent episodes of diarrhea, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

(Prescription) Drug Side-Effects

Allergy to Foods (Hidden)

Bacterial Dysbiosis

Blastocystosis (Blastocystis hominis)

Consequences of Gallbladder Surgery

Crohn's Disease

Diverticular Disease

Ectopic Pregnancy

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Food Poisoning

Gallbladder Disease

Gastroenteritis

Giardiasis Infection

Gluten Sensitivity / Celiac Disease

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

IBS is a condition affecting the colon, which normally absorbs water from stool. IBS can cause rapid stool transit, less water absorption, and therefore loose and watery stool with frequent 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.

It should be noted, however, that some suffers (especially those with IBS-C – Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation) will suffer from the opposite problem: stool remains for a longer time in the intestines, more water is absorbed, stool becomes hard and dry, and constipation results. Many patients suffer from both diarrhea and constipation.

Intestinal Malabsorption Syndrome

Intestinal Obstruction

Lactose Intolerance

Magnesium Toxicity

Malaria

Mesenteric Ischemia

Pancreatitis

Rapid Intestinal Transit

Short Bowel Syndrome

Stomach Cancer

Ulcerative Colitis

Vitamin B12 Requirement