Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Everyone occasionally has diarrhea — loose, watery and more-frequent bowel movements. You might also have abdominal cramps and produce a greater volume of stool. Diarrhea varies in specific symptoms, severity and duration.

Acute diarrhea, which lasts from two days to two weeks, is typically caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of some sort.

Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than does acute 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.

June 16, 2020

See also

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  3. Agoraphobia
  4. Amyloidosis
  5. Anaphylaxis
  6. Anthrax
  7. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
  8. Appendicitis
  9. Ascariasis
  10. AskMayoMom Pediatric Urology
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  17. C. difficile infection
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  23. Chagas disease
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  25. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  26. Colon cancer
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  29. Colon cancer screening
  30. Colon polyps
  31. Crohn's Crisis
  32. Crohn's disease
  33. Crohn's disease symptom: Is fatigue common?
  34. Crohn's or Colitis
  35. Cryptosporidium infection
  36. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  37. Cyclospora infection
  38. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
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  40. Diabetic neuropathy
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  45. E. coli
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  48. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
  49. Ebola transmission: Can Ebola spread through the air?
  50. Ebola virus and Marburg virus
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  52. Endometriosis
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  54. Fecal incontinence
  55. Flu masks
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  57. Food poisoning
  58. Gastroenteritis: First aid
  59. GI Stents
  60. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  61. Graves' dermopathy: How is it treated?
  62. Graves' disease
  63. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  64. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  65. Hirschsprung's disease
  66. HIV/AIDS
  67. Hunter syndrome
  68. IBD and colon cancer: How often do you need screening?
  69. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  70. Infographic: Innovative Rectal Cancer Treatments
  71. Intestinal ischemia
  72. Intestinal obstruction
  73. Intussusception
  74. Irritable bowel syndrome
  75. Ischemic colitis
  76. Jet lag disorder
  77. Kawasaki disease
  78. Lactose intolerance
  79. Legionnaires' disease
  80. Listeria infection
  81. Malaria
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  102. Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  103. Proctitis
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  108. Reye's syndrome
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  113. Serotonin syndrome
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  115. Shellfish allergy
  116. Shigella infection
  117. Smallpox
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  121. Sulfa allergy
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  123. Toxic shock syndrome
  124. Trichinosis
  125. Tularemia
  126. Typhoid fever
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  128. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them
  129. Vesicoureteral reflux
  130. How irritable bowel syndrome affects you
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  132. What is MERS-CoV?
  133. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  134. Wheat allergy
  135. Whipple's disease
  136. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  137. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  138. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome