Diarrhea

See all Pictures & Images

Diarrhea: Common Causes

The most common cause of diarrhea is a mild viral infection that resolves on its own within a few days. This is called viral gastroenteritis or "stomach flu." Viral gastroenteritis often appears in mini-epidemics in schools, neighborhoods, or families.

Food poisoning and traveler's diarrhea are two other common causes of diarrhea. They occur from eating food or drinking water contaminated with organisms like bacteria and parasites.

• Malabsorption syndromes -- conditions in which you are unable to absorb or digest certain nutrients. Common examples include lactose intolerance, celiac disease (also called sprue or gluten malabsorption), cystic fibrosis, and intolerance to the protein in cows milk or other specific foods like beans or fruit.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases which include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis -- two recurring types of diarrhea that are generally bloody and accompanied by abdominal pain.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) -- a chronic form of stomach upset that gets worse from stress; if you have IBS, you generally have alternating diarrhea and constipation.
• Immune deficiency.

Medications can also cause diarrhea, especially antibiotics, laxatives containing magnesium, and chemotherapy for cancer treatment.