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. Early-onset colon cancer
  50. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis
  51. Endometriosis
  52. What is endometriosis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  53. Endometriosis FAQs
  54. Fecal incontinence
  55. Flu masks
  56. Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
  57. Food poisoning
  58. GI Stents
  59. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  60. Graves' disease
  61. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  62. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  63. Hirschsprung's disease
  64. HIV/AIDS
  65. Hookah smoking
  66. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  67. Inflammatory bowel disease FAQs
  68. Intestinal ischemia
  69. Intestinal obstruction
  70. Intussusception
  71. Irritable bowel syndrome
  72. Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?
  73. Ischemic colitis
  74. Jet lag disorder
  75. Kawasaki disease
  76. Lactose intolerance
  77. Legionnaires' disease
  78. Listeria infection
  79. Living better with Crohn's disease
  80. Maintain your social life with Crohn's disease
  81. Malaria
  82. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
  83. Mayo Clinic Minute: What you need to know about polyps in your colon
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  85. Mesenteric lymphadenitis
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  87. Myocarditis
  88. What is ulcerative colitis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
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  91. He's the bravest kid I've ever seen
  92. Living with an ostomy
  93. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  94. Peanut allergy
  95. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  96. Peritonitis
  97. Plague
  98. Porphyria
  99. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  100. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  101. Preterm labor
  102. Primary biliary cholangitis
  103. Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  104. Proctitis
  105. Pseudomembranous colitis
  106. Quit-smoking products
  107. Tobacco cravings
  108. Radiation sickness
  109. Rectal cancer
  110. Reye's syndrome
  111. Roseola
  112. Rotavirus
  113. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease?
  114. Scleroderma
  115. Self-care for the flu
  116. Serotonin syndrome
  117. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
  118. Shellfish allergy
  119. Shigella infection
  120. Smallpox
  121. Chewing tobacco
  122. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
  123. Spastic colon: What does it mean?
  124. Staying active with Crohn's disease
  125. Sulfa allergy
  126. Tapeworm infection
  127. Tips for easing stress when you have Crohn's disease
  128. Toxic shock syndrome
  129. Trichinosis
  130. Typhoid fever
  131. Ulcerative colitis
  132. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them
  133. Vesicoureteral reflux
  134. How irritable bowel syndrome affects you
  135. Nicotine addiction
  136. Vitamin deficiency anemia
  137. What is thirdhand smoke, and why is it a concern?
  138. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  139. Wheat allergy
  140. Where can I learn more about living with Crohn's disease?
  141. Whipple's disease
  142. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  143. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  144. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome