Chronic Diarrhea: Causes, Treatments, and Complications

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When and if you make more frequent trips than usual to use the toilet, then you are experiencing diarrhea.  That is without having your diet changed.  The gastrointestinal disorder involves excreting more than usual volume of stool that is loose and watery.  Diarrhea is something that practically everyone experiences.  The chronic type (come and go, slowly get worse, and last for a long period of time) involves it occurring without having a change in your diet.  Seeing a doctor is imperative if a person either becomes dehydrated or blood is passed in the stool.

Causes of Chronic Diarrhea

Endocrine disorders may cause chronic diarrhea.  One type of such disorder is hyperthyroidism, which is an overactive thyroid that also may cause weight loss.  Diabetes, which also involves abnormal amount of hormones, can lead to the nerves that furnish the digestive tract being impaired.

Food allergies and hypersensitivity can cause chronic diarrhea.

Surgical procedures that injure the muscle that controls the passing of stool may lead to chronic diarrhea.  You also may experience it after having surgery performed on your stomach or bowel.

People can get chronic diarrhea by having their own intestinal infected with bacteria.  These infections can be developed after drinking contaminated water or raw milk or eating contaminated food.  Being infected may cause irritable bowel syndrome.

Any of the inflammatory bowel diseases could eventually develop when the body’s immune system attacks parts of the digestive system.

Taking some precautions could be beneficial when taking either dietary supplements, herbs, or medications (prescription and nonprescription) because they all could cause a side effect.  It is possible that diarrhea is one of them.  Pertinent information including side effects about any of your medications may be found on papers received from your pharmacist or on any of your medicine bottles.  If you are experiencing diarrhea, it would be a good idea to go over your list of medications with your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to decide if any of them may be the cause of it.

Treating Chronic Diarrhea

People absolutely should see a doctor if their watery or loose stools have been occurring for more than three weeks.  When you are at the doctor’s office, you will be asked if you have any recent changes regarding your medical disorders or medicines, when did your diarrhea commenced, and if you had any accidents on your underwear – smearing or leaking of stool.  Moreover, your doctor will order stool, blood, and urine tests to assist in determining the cause of diarrhea, which is not guaranteed that a cause will be established.  There are other alternatives that a gastroenterologist will consider:  have X-ray films be taken on you or order colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy to be done.

After finding out what is causing chronic diarrhea, the next object is to get rid of it.  Antibiotics will be prescribed to treat infections long-term treatment and follow-up care is needed to get rid of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.  However, taking antibiotics may lead to the disorder, especially if they are taken for a long time.  Sometimes taking a certain medication (antacids and laxatives) or eating a particular food can cause chronic diarrhea.  People take laxatives to constipation, which is dry, hard stool.  Some types of heart medicines and mineral supplements, such as magnesium, may be culprits of the problem.  There are a number of people who need to avoid drinks or food that contain lactose because they are unable to tolerate it.  Sugar-free products that are made with sorbitol and foods made with fat replacements also can cause diarrhea.  The inability to fully digest certain foods, which may include those with carbohydrates or fats, may lead to diarrhea. Lastly, drinking an enormous amount of drinks containing alcohol may cause diarrhea.

Trying to get individuals to have fewer diarrhea is an approach usually used if it happens to be caused by a chronic medical problem.  The same approach is also utilized when the test results doesn’t show abnormality or doesn’t help the doctors.

To increase the mass of the stools, individuals are informed that fiber is important to have in their system.  Thus, fiber supplement or a high-fiber diet is a tool to treat diarrhea.  It is possible that people are told to take Bismuth (sold as Pepto-Bismol or Kaopectate).

An antidiarrheal medicine such as Ioperamide that is sold as Imodium is available without a prescription.  Diphenoxylate (Lomotil) is one medication that needs to be prescribed in order to take it.  People with severe diarrhea might be given Octreotide as prescribed by their doctors.  Some of the antidiarrheal drugs coat the intestine that makes the stool less watery. Some other medications work by slowing down the speed of the food moving through the bowel.

Doctors or nurses may suggest to patients to try a treatment trial after the results of their initial tests are seen.  It is offered so the list of possible causes can be narrow down.  Patients may be told to stop taking a medication.  If there’s an infection, a trial of antibiotics will be done.  There are other treatment trials to be offered including changing one’s diet that may conclude there is some trouble absorbing nutrition or a possibility of food allergy.

Treating Complications of Chronic Diarrhea

Serious complications (dehydration and malnutrition) may occur while experiencing severe or chronic diarrhea.  When a patient is being evaluated, he or she should assure that plenty of fluids are consumed.  Having light yellow colored urine is an indication that there is sufficient fluid in your body.  If a patient becomes dehydrated because he or she is unable to drink enough fluids, one possible action to take would be to give fluids via an intravenous (IV) tube into a vein.  IV fluids have mineral salts, protein, water, and sugar to keep the body fluid at an appropriate level to replace the lost ones.  This technique may also be used if the diarrhea doesn’t stop after two days. That is done to preclude more serious complications.

To replace lost body fluids and minerals when passing stools, you should drink more liquid than usual.  It would be a good idea to also drink an oral rehydration solution (ORS).  It has the correct amount of salt, sugar, and water that is needed to replace body fluids.

Resources About Chronic Diarrhea

Digestive Plus.com:  Intestinal Balance – The Key to Holistic Health

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)

Patient Information About Chronic Diarrhea in Adults

Drug Information Online for Chronic Diarrhea

Resource by S.Lee

I like to read, write, draw, paint, and use computers.

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