Updates on diarrhea

What isn't absorbed by the intestines continues along the digestive tract and is expelled as stool during a bowel movement. Diarrhea can be present due to abnormalities in the small intestine or the large intestine. Diarrhea — loose, watery and possibly more-frequent bowel movements — is a common problem.

It may be present alone or be associated with other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or weight loss. Luckily, diarrhea is usually short-lived, lasting no more than a few days. But when diarrhea lasts beyond a few days into weeks, it usually indicates that there's another problem — such as irritable bowel syndrome IBS or a more serious disorder, including persistent infection, celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease IBD.

In children, particularly young children, diarrhea can quickly lead to dehydration. Call your doctor if your child's diarrhea doesn't improve within 24 hours or if your child:. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, which can be life-threatening if untreated.

Dehydration is particularly dangerous in children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems.

You can help protect your infant from rotavirus, the most common cause of viral diarrhea in children, with one of two approved vaccines. Ask your baby's doctor about having your baby vaccinated. Diarrhea commonly affects people who travel to countries where there's inadequate sanitation and contaminated food. To reduce your risk:. You do not currently have access to this content. Comments Icon Comments 0. View full article. Sign in Don't already have an account?

Individual Login. Institutional Login. Sign in via OpenAthens. Pay-Per-View Access. Buy This Article. View Your Tokens. View Metrics. Citing articles via Web Of Science 4. Email alerts Article Activity Alert. Latest Issue Alert. Carbonated drinks or commercial juices with a high concentration of simple carbohydrates should be avoided.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Natural Disasters and Severe Weather. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Infants and Toddlers. Refer infants and toddlers with acute diarrhea for medical evaluation if any of the following are present: Young age e. Oral rehydration should be taken by patient in small, frequent volumes spoonfuls or small sips for toddlers; small volumes in bottles for infants, paced to mimic sipping ; see attached table for recommended volumes and time period.

For rapid realimentation, an age-appropriate, unrestricted diet is recommended as soon as dehydration is corrected For breastfed infants, nursing should be continued Additional ORS or other rehydration solutions should be administered for ongoing diarrheal losses No routine laboratory tests or medications are recommended However, if a patient is living in conditions that are crowded or otherwise conducive to outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease, providers should consider testing for bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogens www.

If an outbreak is suspected, testing a subset of patients may be sufficient to confirm of the outbreak e. Even when a bacterial cause is suspected in an outpatient setting, antimicrobial therapy is not usually indicated among children because most cases of acute diarrhea are self-limited and their duration is not shortened by the use of antimicrobial agents. Exceptions to these rules may involve: Special needs of individual children e. Although hand hygiene is the mainstay of prevention, antimicrobial treatment can eliminate carriage and help to control an outbreak if rigorous hand hygiene measures are also observed.

Care-takers should be counseled in appropriate hand hygiene practices Anti-emetic medications and antimotility agents should generally be avoided. Older Children and Adults.