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. The duration of diarrhea symptoms can provide a clue to the underlying cause.

Acute diarrhea lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks. Persistent diarrhea lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Acute and persistent diarrhea are typically caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of some sort.

Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than does acute or persistent 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.

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