What is the Cause of Frequent Stools?

What Causes Frequent Stools?

Frequent stools can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'critical'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose frequent stools, 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 stools" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):

Hyperthyroidism
Lactose Intolerance
HIV/AIDS
Vitamin D Need
Crohn's Disease
Ulcerative Colitis
Gastritis
Food Allergies

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:

regular unexplained vomiting

elevated ESR

moderate left iliac pain after meals

inner trembling

regular aspirin use

major unexplained weight loss

low lymphocyte count

chronic productive cough

irritated eyes

ovarian cysts

recent onset vomiting

resolved atypical recent headaches

... and more than 150 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 stools:

Cause	Probability	Status
Crohn's Disease	95%	Confirm
Ulcerative Colitis	28%	Unlikely
Hyperthyroidism	28%	Unlikely
Vitamin D Need	4%	Ruled out
Gastritis	1%	Ruled out
Lactose Intolerance	1%	Ruled out
Food Allergies	1%	Ruled out
HIV/AIDS	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.

If you indicate irregular stools, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you have a tendency toward frequent bowel movements / stools?

Possible responses:

→ No / not applicable / don't know
→ Somewhat, have 2-3 stools per day
→ Yes, have 4-5 stools per day
→ Yes, have 6-7 stools per day
→ Yes, 8 or more stools per day

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either frequent stools or very frequent stools, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Allergy to Foods (Hidden)

Bacterial Dysbiosis

Crohn's Disease

Diarrhea

Gastritis

HIV/AIDS

Hyperthyroidism

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

IBS-D (Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea) leads to increased stool water content, softer/looser stools, and more frequent urges to defecate.

Lactose Intolerance

Loose, watery stools are signs of lactose malabsorption / lactase deficiency.

Ulcerative Colitis