Diarrhoea See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About diarrhoea 2. Symptoms of diarrhoea 3. Causes of diarrhoea 4. Diagnosing diarrhoea 5. Treating diarrhoea 6. Preventing diarrhoea. About diarrhoea Diarrhoea is passing looser or more frequent stools than is normal for you. What causes diarrhoea? Gastroenteritis can be caused by: a virus — such as norovirus or rotavirus bacteria — such as campylobacter and Escherichia coli E.
What to do if you have diarrhoea Most cases of diarrhoea clear up after a few days without treatment, and you may not need to see your GP. Diarrhoea self-help guide Complete this guide to assess your symptoms and find out if you should visit your GP, pharmacist or treat your condition at home. It's important to see your GP if the diarrhoea is particularly frequent or severe, or associated with other symptoms, such as: blood in your or your child's stool persistent vomiting a severe or continuous stomach ache weight loss signs of dehydration — including drowsiness, passing urine infrequently, and feeling lightheaded or dizzy your stool is dark or black — this may be a sign of bleeding inside your stomach You should also contact your GP if your or your child's diarrhoea is particularly persistent, as this may be a sign of a more serious problem.
Preventing diarrhoea Diarrhoea is often caused by an infection. For example, you should: wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after going to the toilet and before eating or preparing food clean the toilet, including the handle and the seat, with disinfectant after each bout of diarrhoea avoid sharing towels, flannels, cutlery, or utensils with other household members It's also important to practise good food and water hygiene while travelling abroad, such as avoiding potentially unsafe tap water and undercooked food.
Symptoms of diarrhoea Diarrhoea is where you frequently pass watery or loose poo. Associated symptoms can include: stomach cramps nausea and vomiting headache loss of appetite The excessive loss of water in your poo can also sometimes lead to dehydration , which can be serious if it's not recognised and treated quickly.
Signs of dehydration Signs of dehydration in children can include: irritability or drowsiness passing urine infrequently pale or mottled skin cold hands and feet they look or feel increasingly unwell Signs of dehydration in adults can include: tiredness and a lack of energy loss of appetite nausea feeling lightheaded dizziness dry tongue sunken eyes muscle cramps rapid heartbeat Read more about the symptoms of dehydration.
When to seek medical advice Contact your GP or call NHS 24's service for advice if you are concerned about yourself or your child. Babies You should contact your GP or health visitor urgently if your baby has had 6 or more episodes of diarrhoea in the past 24 hours, or if they have vomited 3 times or more in the past 24 hours.
You should also seek advice if your baby has any symptoms of dehydration. Children Contact your GP if your child has: had 6 or more episodes of diarrhoea in the past 24 hours diarrhoea and vomiting at the same time watery poo blood in their poo a severe or continuous stomach ache symptoms of dehydration You should also contact your GP if your child has persistent diarrhoea.
Adults Contact your GP if you have diarrhoea and: there is blood in your poo you are vomiting persistently you've lost a lot of weight you have passed a large amount of very watery diarrhoea it occurs at night and is disturbing your sleep you have recently taken antibiotics or been treated in hospital you have symptoms of dehydration your poo is dark or black — this may be a sign of bleeding inside your stomach You should also contact your GP if you have persistent diarrhoea.
Causes of diarrhoea Diarrhoea usually occurs when fluid cannot be absorbed from the contents of your bowel, or when extra fluid is secreted into your bowel, causing watery poo. Short-term diarrhoea Diarrhoea is usually a symptom of a bowel infection gastroenteritis , which can be caused by: a virus — such as norovirus or rotavirus bacteria — such as campylobacter, Clostridium difficile C.
Long-term diarrhoea Conditions that can cause persistent diarrhoea include: irritable bowel syndrome IBS — a poorly understood condition that affects the normal functions of the bowel inflammatory bowel disease — conditions that cause the gut to become inflamed, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis coeliac disease — a digestive condition where you have an adverse reaction to gluten bile acid malabsorption — where bile produced by the liver builds up in the digestive system chronic pancreatitis — inflammation of the pancreas diverticular disease — where small bulges or pockets develop in the lining of the intestine bowel cancer — this can cause diarrhoea and blood in your stools Persistent diarrhoea can also sometimes occur after surgery on the stomach, such as a gastrectomy.
Diagnosing diarrhoea Most cases of diarrhoea get better within a week and you may not need to visit your GP. The information below explains what will happen if you need to see your GP. Rectal examination Your GP may recommend a digital rectal examination DRE if you have unexplained persistent diarrhoea, particularly if you're over Further investigations If you have persistent diarrhoea and your GP is unable to find the cause, they may refer you to your local hospital for further investigation.
You may have: a sigmoidoscopy — an instrument called a sigmoidoscope a thin, flexible tube with a small camera and light on one end is inserted into your bottom and up into your bowel a colonoscopy — a similar procedure that uses a larger tube called a colonoscope to examine your entire bowel.
Treating diarrhoea Diarrhoea will usually clear up without treatment after a few days, particularly if it's caused by an infection. Drink fluids It's important to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration , particularly if you're also vomiting. Fruit juice or fizzy drinks should be avoided as they can make diarrhoea worse in children.
Oral rehydration solutions Your GP or pharmacist may suggest using an oral rehydration solution ORS to prevent dehydration if you're at risk — for example, if you're frail or elderly. Children Your GP or pharmacist may recommend giving your child an ORS if they are dehydrated or at risk of becoming dehydrated. Eating Opinion is divided over when and what you should eat if you have diarrhoea. Children If your child is dehydrated, do not give them any solid food until they have drunk enough fluids.
Medication Antidiarrhoeal medicines Antidiarrhoeal medicines may help reduce your diarrhoea and slightly shorten how long it lasts. Painkillers Painkillers will not treat diarrhoea, but paracetamol or ibuprofen can help relieve a fever and a headache. Antibiotics Treatment with antibiotics is not recommended for diarrhoea if the cause is unknown. This is because antibiotics: will not work if the diarrhoea is caused by a virus can cause unpleasant side effects can become less effective at treating more serious conditions if they're repeatedly used to treat mild conditions Antibiotics may be recommended if you have severe diarrhoea and a specific type of bacteria has been identified as the cause.
Hospital treatment Occasionally, hospital treatment may be needed if you or your child are seriously dehydrated. Treating the underlying cause If you've been diagnosed with a specific condition that's causing your diarrhoea, treating this may help improve your symptoms.
For example: irritable bowel syndrome IBS can be treated with changes to your diet and medications — read more about treating IBS inflammatory bowel disease can be treated with medications that help reduce inflammation in the bowel coeliac disease can be treated by excluding foods containing gluten from your diet — read more about treating coeliac disease bile acid malabsorption can be treated with medication that helps stop bile building up in the digestive system Read more about common causes of diarrhoea.
Preventing diarrhoea To prevent the spread of infections that cause diarrhoea, you should always maintain high standards of hygiene. You should: wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after going to the toilet and before eating or preparing food clean the toilet, including the handle and the seat, with disinfectant after each bout of diarrhoea avoid sharing towels, flannels, cutlery or utensils with others wash soiled clothing and bed linen separately from other clothes and at the highest temperature possible — for example, 60C or higher for linen — after first removing any poo into the toilet avoid returning to work or school until at least 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea You or your child should also avoid swimming pools for 2 weeks after the last episode of diarrhoea.
Food hygiene Practising good food hygiene will help avoid getting diarrhoea as a result of food poisoning. You can do this by: regularly washing your hands, surfaces and utensils with hot, soapy water never storing raw and cooked foods together making sure food is kept properly refrigerated always cooking your food thoroughly never eating food past its use-by date Read more about preventing food poisoning.
Rotavirus vaccination Rotavirus is a virus that commonly causes diarrhoea in children. Travellers' diarrhoea There is no vaccination that can protect you from all possible causes of travellers' diarrhoea. If you're travelling in a country where standards of public hygiene are low, you should avoid: tap water — water should be boiled for at least one minute if you're not sure whether it's safe to drink ice cubes and ice cream raw or undercooked seafood, meat, and chicken foods that might contain uncooked eggs, such as mayonnaise unpasteurised milk and dairy products, such as cheese fruit and vegetables with damaged skins salads It's generally safe to eat or drink: food that has been thoroughly cooked and is served piping hot sealed bottles or cans of water, fizzy drinks, and alcohol fruit and vegetables you peel yourself tea or coffee If you're planning a trip abroad, check health advice for the countries you will be travelling to.
Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window. Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Message Maximum of characters. Send feedback. Also on NHS inform. Other health sites. Rotavirus is a common cause of childhood diarrhea. Bacterial infections due to salmonella or E.
Chronic diarrhea may be a symptom of a more serious condition such as irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease.
Frequent and severe diarrhea could be a sign of intestinal disease or a functional bowel disorder. There are many different symptoms of diarrhea. You may experience only one of these or any combination of all of them. The symptoms depend on the cause. Diarrhea can cause you to lose fluids quickly and put you at risk for dehydration.
The symptoms of dehydration include:. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you think your diarrhea is causing you to become dehydrated. Diarrhea is a serious condition in very young people. It can cause severe dehydration in an infant in just one day. Your doctor will complete a physical examination and consider your medical history when determining the cause of your diarrhea.
They may also request laboratory tests to examine urine and blood samples. Additional tests your doctor may order to determine the cause of diarrhea and other related conditions can include:. A colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy is especially helpful for determining if you have an intestinal disease if you have severe or chronic diarrhea. The treatment for diarrhea usually requires replacing lost fluids. This simply means you need to drink more water or electrolyte replacement beverages, such as sports drinks.
In more serious cases, you may get fluids through intravenous therapy. If a bacterial infection is the cause of your diarrhea, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Although diarrhea can occur for various reasons, there are actions that you can take to prevent it:. Infections in the digestive tract that spread through foods or drinks are called foodborne illnesses. However, some parasites cause diarrhea that lasts longer. Many medicines may cause diarrhea. Medicines that may cause diarrhea include antibiotics , antacids containing magnesium, and medicines used to treat cancer.
Some infections, food allergies and intolerances, digestive tract problems, abdominal surgery, and long-term use of medicines can cause chronic diarrhea. Some infections from bacteria and parasites that cause diarrhea do not go away quickly without treatment. Problems digesting carbohydrates or proteins can prolong diarrhea. Lactose intolerance is a common condition that may cause diarrhea after eating foods or drinking liquids that contain milk or milk products.
Fructose intolerance is a condition that may cause diarrhea after eating foods or drinking liquids that contain fructose, a sugar found in fruits, fruit juices, and honey.
Fructose is added to many foods and soft drinks as a sweetener called high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol may cause diarrhea in some people. Sugar-free candies and gum often include these sugar alcohols. You may develop chronic diarrhea after abdominal surgery. Abdominal surgery is an operation on the appendix , gallbladder , large intestine , liver , pancreas , small intestine , spleen , or stomach.
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