Everyone occasionally has diarrhea — loose, watery and more-frequent bowel movements. You might also have abdominal cramps and produce a greater volume of stool. The duration of diarrhea symptoms can provide a clue to the underlying cause.

Acute diarrhea lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks. Persistent diarrhea lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Acute and persistent diarrhea are typically caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of some sort.

Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than does acute or persistent diarrhea, generally more than four weeks. Chronic diarrhea can indicate a serious disorder, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, or a less serious condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

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Aug. 11, 2023

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  3. Agoraphobia
  4. Amyloidosis
  5. Anaphylaxis
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  23. Churg-Strauss syndrome
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  25. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  26. Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
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  28. Colon polyps
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  30. Crohn's Crisis
  31. Crohn's disease
  32. Crohn's disease and the gut microbiome
  33. What is Crohn's disease? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  34. Crohn's or Colitis
  35. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  36. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
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  43. E. coli
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  45. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
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  47. Endometriosis
  48. What is endometriosis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
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  50. Fecal incontinence
  51. Flu masks
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  53. Food poisoning
  54. GI Stents
  55. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  56. Graves' disease
  57. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  58. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  59. Hirschsprung's disease
  60. HIV/AIDS
  61. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  62. Inflammatory bowel disease FAQs
  63. Intestinal ischemia
  64. Intestinal obstruction
  65. Intussusception
  66. Irritable bowel syndrome
  67. Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?
  68. Ischemic colitis
  69. Jet lag disorder
  70. Kawasaki disease
  71. Lactose intolerance
  72. Legionnaires' disease
  73. Listeria infection
  74. Living better with Crohn's disease
  75. Maintain your social life with Crohn's disease
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  77. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
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  80. Mesenteric lymphadenitis
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  109. Serotonin syndrome
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  118. Tapeworm infection
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  120. Toxic shock syndrome
  121. Trichinosis
  122. Typhoid fever
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  124. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them
  125. Vesicoureteral reflux
  126. How irritable bowel syndrome affects you
  127. Vitamin deficiency anemia
  128. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  129. Wheat allergy
  130. Where can I learn more about living with Crohn's disease?
  131. Whipple's disease
  132. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  133. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  134. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome