Acute or persistent diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (or other medication side effects)
  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 causes by parasites)
  12. Lactose intolerance
  13. Norovirus infection
  14. Medicines, such as antacids containing magnesium and some cancer treatments
  15. Rotavirus
  16. Salmonella infection (or other infections that may occur from bacteria)
  17. Shigella infection
  18. Stomach surgery
  19. Traveler's diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Celiac disease
  2. Colon cancer
  3. Crohn's disease
  4. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  5. Irritable bowel syndrome
  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 type of inflammatory bowel disease)
  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

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  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
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  17. C. difficile infection
  18. Carcinoid syndrome
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  20. Celiac disease
  21. Cholera
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  24. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  25. Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
  26. Colon cancer screening
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  28. Colorectal Cancer
  29. Crohn's Crisis
  30. Crohn's disease
  31. Crohn's disease and the gut microbiome
  32. What is Crohn's disease? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  33. Crohn's or Colitis
  34. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  35. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
  36. Diabetes insipidus
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  48. Endometriosis FAQs
  49. Fecal incontinence
  50. Flu masks
  51. Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
  52. Food poisoning
  53. Gastroenteritis: First aid
  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. Infographic: Innovative Rectal Cancer Treatments
  64. Intestinal ischemia
  65. Intestinal obstruction
  66. Intussusception
  67. Irritable bowel syndrome
  68. Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?
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  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
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  78. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
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  104. Reye's syndrome
  105. Roseola
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  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
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  116. Spastic colon: What does it mean?
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  118. Sulfa allergy
  119. Tapeworm infection
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  121. Toxic shock syndrome
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  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 is MERS-CoV?
  130. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  131. Wheat allergy
  132. Where can I learn more about living with Crohn's disease?
  133. Whipple's disease
  134. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  135. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  136. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome