Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Acute or persistent diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea or other problems caused by medicines.
  2. Artificial sweeteners
  3. C. difficile infection
  4. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  5. Cryptosporidium infection
  6. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
  7. E. coli
  8. Food intolerances
  9. Food poisoning
  10. Fructose intolerance
  11. Giardia infection (giardiasis) or other infections caused by parasites.
  12. Lactose intolerance
  13. Norovirus infection
  14. Medicines, such as antacids containing magnesium and some cancer treatments
  15. Rotavirus or infections caused by other viruses.
  16. Salmonella infection or other infections that may be caused by bacteria.
  17. Shigella infection
  18. Stomach surgery
  19. Traveler's diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Celiac disease
  2. Colon cancer — cancer that starts in the part of the large intestine called the colon.
  3. Crohn's disease — which causes tissues in the digestive tract to become inflamed.
  4. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  5. Irritable bowel syndrome — a group of symptoms that affect the stomach and intestines.
  6. Medications used to treat heartburn, such as proton pump inhibitors and H-2 receptor antagonists
  7. Radiation therapy
  8. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
  9. Ulcerative colitis — a disease that causes ulcers and swelling called inflammation in the lining of the large intestine.
  10. Whipple's disease

Some infections, such as giardia or C. difficile infection, may lead to chronic diarrhea if not treated.

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

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Aug. 11, 2023

See also

  1. Addison's disease
  2. Adrenal fatigue: What causes it?
  3. Agoraphobia
  4. Amyloidosis
  5. Anaphylaxis
  6. Anaphylaxis: First aid
  7. Anthrax
  8. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
  9. Appendicitis
  10. Ascariasis
  11. #AskMayoMom Pediatric Urology
  12. Aspirin allergy
  13. Bee sting
  14. Behcet disease
  15. Bird flu (avian influenza)
  16. Blastocystis hominis
  17. C. difficile infection
  18. Carcinoid syndrome
  19. Carcinoid tumors
  20. Celiac disease
  21. Chagas disease
  22. Cholera
  23. Chronic granulomatous disease
  24. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  25. Cigar smoking
  26. Colon cancer
  27. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  28. Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
  29. Colon cancer screening
  30. Colon polyps
  31. Colorectal Cancer
  32. Coughing more after quitting smoking: What's the deal?
  33. Crohn's Crisis
  34. Crohn's disease
  35. Crohn's disease and the gut microbiome
  36. What is Crohn's disease? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  37. Crohn's or Colitis
  38. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  39. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
  40. Diabetes insipidus
  41. Diabetic neuropathy
  42. Diabetic neuropathy and dietary supplements
  43. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  44. Diverticulitis
  45. Drug allergy
  46. E. coli
  47. Ear infection (middle ear)
  48. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
  49. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis
  50. Endometriosis
  51. What is endometriosis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  52. Endometriosis FAQs
  53. Fecal incontinence
  54. Flu masks
  55. Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
  56. Food poisoning
  57. GI Stents
  58. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  59. Graves' disease
  60. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  61. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  62. Hirschsprung's disease
  63. HIV/AIDS
  64. Hookah smoking
  65. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  66. Inflammatory bowel disease FAQs
  67. Intestinal ischemia
  68. Intestinal obstruction
  69. Intussusception
  70. Irritable bowel syndrome
  71. Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?
  72. Ischemic colitis
  73. Jet lag disorder
  74. Kawasaki disease
  75. Lactose intolerance
  76. Legionnaires' disease
  77. Listeria infection
  78. Living better with Crohn's disease
  79. Maintain your social life with Crohn's disease
  80. Malaria
  81. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
  82. Mayo Clinic Minute: What you need to know about polyps in your colon
  83. Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS)
  84. Mesenteric lymphadenitis
  85. Milk allergy
  86. Myocarditis
  87. What is ulcerative colitis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  88. Nicotine dependence
  89. Norovirus infection
  90. He's the bravest kid I've ever seen
  91. Living with an ostomy
  92. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  93. Peanut allergy
  94. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  95. Peritonitis
  96. Plague
  97. Porphyria
  98. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  99. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  100. Preterm labor
  101. Primary biliary cholangitis
  102. Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  103. Proctitis
  104. Pseudomembranous colitis
  105. Quit-smoking products
  106. Tobacco cravings
  107. Radiation sickness
  108. Rectal cancer
  109. Reye's syndrome
  110. Roseola
  111. Rotavirus
  112. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease?
  113. Scleroderma
  114. Self-care for the flu
  115. Serotonin syndrome
  116. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
  117. Shellfish allergy
  118. Shigella infection
  119. Smallpox
  120. Chewing tobacco
  121. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
  122. Spastic colon: What does it mean?
  123. Staying active with Crohn's disease
  124. Sulfa allergy
  125. Tapeworm infection
  126. Tips for easing stress when you have Crohn's disease
  127. Toxic shock syndrome
  128. Trichinosis
  129. Typhoid fever
  130. Ulcerative colitis
  131. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them
  132. Vesicoureteral reflux
  133. How irritable bowel syndrome affects you
  134. Nicotine addiction
  135. Vitamin deficiency anemia
  136. What is thirdhand smoke, and why is it a concern?
  137. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  138. Wheat allergy
  139. Where can I learn more about living with Crohn's disease?
  140. Whipple's disease
  141. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  142. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  143. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome