Diarrhea Underlying Cause
Muscles in the intestinal wall push the food through the intestine. Normally, the body absorbs nutrients and water from the food as it passes through the intestine. Diarrhea occurs when the amount of fluid in the stool increases.
The amount of fluid in the stool can increase by three mechanisms:
- The intestine becomes irritated or swollen, which causes water, mucus or blood to leak from the wall of the intestine.
- The muscles push food through the intestine too quickly. The intestine does not have enough time to remove the fluid from the digested food.
- The digested food acts as a sponge, drawing extra water from the intestine, into the stool.
Causes of diarrhea are separated into two groups:
- Infections that cause diarrhea
- Other illnesses that cause diarrhea
Diarrhea Infectious
Organisms that cause diarrhea invade the wall of the intestine or produce toxins. The infection causes swelling and irritation of the lining to the intestine. These infections spread through contaminated food or water.
Infectious causes for diarrhea include:
- Bacterial gastroenteritis:
- Cholera
- Salmonella infection
- Shigella gastroenteritis
- E. coli gastroenteritis
- Campylobacter enteritis
- Pseudomembranous colitis
- Food poisoning
- Traveler's diarrhea
- Viral gastroenteritis:
- Parasites:
- Giardiasis
- Entamoeba infection
- Cryptosporidium enterocolitis
- Pinworms
- Trichinosis
- Ciguatera poisoning
- Toxic shock syndrome
Diarrhea Non-Infectious
Non-infectious illnesses that cause diarrhea include:
- Addison's disease
- Alcohol
- Anxiety
- Anxiety disorder
- Arsenic poisoning
- Celiac sprue
- Chemotherapy side effect
- Colorectal cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Diabetes
- Diverticulitis
- Drug side effect causing diarrhea
- Dumping syndrome
- Folate deficiency
- Food allergies
- Food intolerance
- Gallbladder disease
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Ischemic bowel disease
- Kidney failure
- Lactose intolerance
- Laxative overuse
- Malabsorption
- Otitis media:
- Usually in children
- Pancreatic cancer
- Pancreatitis
- Panic attacks
- Pernicious anemia
- Radiation therapy side effect
- Stress
- Theophylline toxicity
- Tropical sprue
- Ulcerative colitis
- Vitamin B3 deficiency
Last Updated: Dec 19, 2006 References
Authors: Stephen J. Schueler, MD; John H. Beckett, MD; D. Scott Gettings, MD
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