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.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

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