What I need to know about

Diarrhea

National Digestive Diseases

Information Clearinghouse
What I need to know about
Diarrhea
Contents
What is diarrhea? .................................................... 1
What causes diarrhea?............................................ 2
What other symptoms might I have
with diarrhea?.......................................................... 3
When should I see a health care provider
for diarrhea? ............................................................ 6 �
When should I take my child to a health
care provider for diarrhea? .................................... 7 �
How is the cause of diarrhea diagnosed?.............. 8 �
How is diarrhea treated? ........................................ 9 �
Can diarrhea be prevented?................................. 12 �
Points to Remember ............................................. 14 �
Hope through Research ....................................... 15 �
Pronunciation Guide............................................. 16 �
For More Information .......................................... 17 �
Acknowledgments ................................................. 18 �
What is diarrhea?
Diarrhea* is frequent, loose, and watery bowel
movements. Bowel movements, also called
stools, are body wastes passed through the rectum
and anus. Stools contain what is left after your
digestive system absorbs nutrients and fluids
from what you eat and drink. If your body does
not absorb the fluids, or if your digestive system
produces extra fluids, stools will be loose and
watery. Loose stools contain more water, salts, and
minerals and weigh more than solid stools.
Diarrhea that lasts a
short time is called
acute diarrhea. Acute
diarrhea is a common
Esophagus
problem and usually
lasts only 1 or 2 days,
Stomach
but it may last longer. Gallbladder

Diarrhea that lasts Liver Pancreas

for at least 4 weeks is Duodenum

called chronic diarrhea.
Chronic diarrhea Large
symptoms may be Small
intestine
intestine

continual or they may Appendix

Rectum
come and go. Anus

The digestive system

*See page 16 for tips on how to say the words in

bold type.
1
What causes diarrhea?
Causes of diarrhea include
● bacteria from contaminated food or water
● viruses that cause illnesses such as the flu
● parasites, which are tiny organisms found in
contaminated food or water
● medicines such as antibiotics
● problems digesting certain foods
● diseases that affect the stomach, small intestine,
or colon, such as Crohn’s disease
● problems with how the colon functions, caused
by disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome
Sometimes no cause can be found. As long as
diarrhea goes away within 1 to 2 days, finding the
cause is not usually necessary.

2
What other symptoms might I have
with diarrhea?
In addition to passing frequent, loose stools, other
possible symptoms include
● cramps or pain in the abdomen––the area
between the chest and hips
● an urgent need to use the bathroom
● loss of bowel control
You may feel sick to your stomach or become
dehydrated. If a virus or bacteria is the cause of
your diarrhea, you may have fever and chills and
bloody stools.

3
Dehydration
Being dehydrated means your body does not have
enough fluid to work properly. Every time you
have a bowel movement, you lose fluids. Diarrhea
causes you to lose even more fluids. You also lose
salts and minerals such as sodium, chloride, and
potassium. These salts and minerals affect the
amount of water that stays in your body.
Dehydration can be serious, especially for children,
older adults, and people with weakened immune
systems.
Signs of dehydration in adults are
● being thirsty
● urinating less often than usual
● having dark-colored urine
● having dry skin
● feeling tired
● feeling dizzy or fainting

4
Signs of dehydration in babies and young children
are
● having a dry mouth and tongue
● crying without tears
● having no wet diapers for 3 hours or more
● having sunken eyes, cheeks, or soft spot in the
skull
● having a high fever
● being more cranky or drowsy than usual
Also, when people are dehydrated, their skin does
not flatten back to normal right away after being
gently pinched and released.

5
When should I see a health care
provider for diarrhea?
You should see a health care provider if you have
any of the following symptoms:
● signs of dehydration
● diarrhea for more than 2 days
● severe pain in your abdomen or rectum
● a fever of 102 degrees or higher
● stools containing blood or pus
● stools that are black and tarry
Diarrhea often goes away by itself, but it may be a
sign of a more serious problem.

6
When should I take my child to a
health care provider for diarrhea?
Take your child to a health care provider right away
if your child has any of the following symptoms:
● signs of dehydration
● diarrhea for more than 24 hours
● a fever of 102 degrees or higher
● stools containing blood or pus
● stools that are black and tarry
Children with diarrhea become dehydrated much
more easily than adults. Getting treatment quickly
is most important if your baby is 6 months old or
younger.

7
How is the cause of diarrhea
diagnosed?
To find the cause of diarrhea, the health care
provider may
● perform a physical exam
● ask about any medicines you are taking
● test your stool or blood to look for bacteria,
parasites, or other signs of disease or infection
● ask you to stop eating certain foods to see
whether your diarrhea goes away
If you have chronic diarrhea, your health care
provider may perform other tests to look for signs
of disease.

8
How is diarrhea treated?
Diarrhea is treated by replacing lost fluids, salts,
and minerals to prevent dehydration.
Taking medicine to stop diarrhea can be helpful
in some cases. Medicines you can buy over
the counter without a prescription include
loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate
(Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate). Stop taking these
medicines if symptoms get worse or if the diarrhea
lasts more than 2 days. If you have bloody
diarrhea, you should not use over-the-counter
diarrhea medicines. These medicines may make
diarrhea last longer. The health care provider will
usually prescribe antibiotics instead.
Over-the-counter medicines for diarrhea may be
dangerous for babies and children. Talk with the
health care provider before giving your child these
medicines.

9
Eating, Diet, and Nutrition
To prevent dehydration when you have diarrhea, it
is important to drink plenty of water, but you also
need to drink fluids that contain sodium, chloride,
and potassium.
● Adults should drink water, fruit juices, sports
drinks, sodas without caffeine, and salty broths.
● Children should drink oral rehydration
solutions—special drinks that contain salts and
minerals to prevent dehydration. These drinks
include Pedialyte, Naturalyte, Infalyte, and
CeraLyte. These drinks are sold in most grocery
stores and drugstores.
If you have diarrhea, eat soft, bland foods such as
● bananas
● plain rice
● boiled potatoes
● toast
● crackers
● cooked carrots
● baked chicken without the skin or fat
Once the diarrhea stops, you can go back to eating
your regular foods.
If a certain food is the cause of diarrhea, try to
avoid it.
10
While you wait for the diarrhea to end, avoid foods
that can make it worse:
● drinks with caffeine, such as coffee and cola
● high-fat or greasy foods, such as fried foods
● foods with a lot of fiber, such as citrus fruits
● sweet foods, such as cakes and cookies
During or after an episode of diarrhea, some
people have trouble digesting lactose, the sugar
in milk and milk products. However, you may be
able to digest yogurt. Eating yogurt with active,
live bacterial cultures may even help you feel better
faster.
When babies have diarrhea, continue breastfeeding
or formula feeding as usual.
After you have had diarrhea caused by a virus,
problems digesting lactose may last up to 4 to
6 weeks. You may have diarrhea for a short time
after you eat or drink milk or milk products.

11
Can diarrhea be prevented?
Two types of diarrhea can be prevented—rotavirus
diarrhea and traveler’s diarrhea.
Rotavirus Diarrhea
Two vaccines, RotaTeq and Rotarix, protect against
rotavirus—a common virus that causes diarrhea in
babies and children. RotaTeq is given to babies in
three doses at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Rotarix is
given in two doses. The first dose is given when the
baby is 6 weeks old, and the second is given at least
4 weeks later but before the baby is 24 weeks old.
To learn more about rotavirus vaccines, talk with
your child’s health care provider. You can also
find more information at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention rotavirus vaccination
webpage at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus.
RotaTeq and Rotarix only prevent diarrhea caused
by rotavirus. Children who have been vaccinated
may still get diarrhea from another cause.
Traveler’s Diarrhea
People may develop traveler’s diarrhea while
visiting developing areas of the world such as Latin
America, Africa, and southern Asia. Traveler’s
diarrhea is caused by eating food or drinking water
that contains harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

12 �
You can prevent traveler’s diarrhea by being
careful:
● Do not drink tap water, use tap water to brush
your teeth, or use ice cubes made from tap
water.
● Do not eat or drink unpasteurized milk or milk
products.
● Do not eat raw fruits and vegetables unless they
can be peeled and you peel them yourself.
● Do not eat raw or rare meat and fish.
● Do not eat meat or shellfish that is not hot when
served to you.
● Do not eat food sold by street vendors.
You can drink bottled water, carbonated soft
drinks, and hot drinks such as coffee and tea.
Before traveling outside the United States, talk
with your health care provider.
Your health care provider may
suggest taking medicine with
you. In some cases, taking
antibiotics before traveling
can help prevent traveler’s
diarrhea. And early treatment
with antibiotics can shorten an
episode of traveler’s diarrhea.

13
Points to Remember
● Diarrhea is frequent, loose, and watery bowel
movements.
● Acute diarrhea is a common problem. It usually
lasts only 1 or 2 days, but it may last longer.
● Being dehydrated means your body does
not have enough fluid to work properly.
Dehydration can be serious, especially for
children, older adults, and people with weakened
immune systems.
● Diarrhea is treated by replacing lost fluids, salts,
and minerals.
● See your health care provider if you have signs
of dehydration, diarrhea for more than 2 days,
severe pain in your abdomen or rectum, a fever
of 102 degrees or higher, stools containing blood
or pus, or stools that are black and tarry.
● Take your child to a health care provider right
away if your child has signs of dehydration,
diarrhea for more than 24 hours, a fever of
102 degrees or higher, stools containing blood or
pus, or stools that are black and tarry.
● Two types of diarrhea can be prevented—
rotavirus diarrhea and traveler’s diarrhea.

14 �
Hope through Research
The Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition
at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) supports research
on conditions such as diarrhea. Researchers are
studying the causes of diarrhea and finding new
ways to prevent and treat this condition.
Participants in clinical trials can play a more
active role in their own health care, gain access to
new research treatments before they are widely
available, and help others by contributing to
medical research. For information about current
studies, visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

15
Pronunciation Guide
abdomen (AB-doh-men) �
antibiotics (AN-tee-by-OT-iks)
anus (AY-nuhss) �
bacteria (bak-TIHR-EE-uh) �
chloride (KLOR-eyed) �
colon (KOH-lon) �
dehydrated (dee-HY-dray-ted) �
diarrhea (DY-uh-REE-uh) �
intestine (in-TESS-tin) �
parasites (PAIR-uh-syts) �
potassium (poh-TASS-ee-uhm) �
rectum (REK-tuhm) �
rotavirus (ROH-tuh-VY-ruhs) �
sodium (SOH-dee-uhm) �
unpasteurized (uhn-PASS-tyoor-eyezd) �
vaccines (vak-SEENZ) �
viruses (VY-ruhss-ez) �

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For More Information
American College of Gastroenterology
P.O. Box 342260
Bethesda, MD 20827–2260
Phone: 301–263–9000
Internet: www.acg.gi.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1–800–311–3435
or 404–498–1515
Internet: www.cdc.gov
International Foundation for Functional
Gastrointestinal Disorders
P.O. Box 170864
Milwaukee, WI 53217–8076
Phone: 1–888–964–2001
or 414–964–1799
Fax: 414–964–7176
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.iffgd.org
North American Society for Pediatric
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
P.O. Box 6
Flourtown, PA 19031
Phone: 215–233–0808
Fax: 215–233–3918
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.naspghan.org
17
Acknowledgments
Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are
carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and
outside experts. The National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse would like to thank the
following individuals for assisting with the scientific
and editorial review of this publication:
Mark Donowitz, M.D. �
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine �
John S. Fordtran, M.D. �
Baylor University Medical Center �
Thank you also to Joe Surratt at the Digestive
Center of Excellence, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, for facilitating field-testing of the
original version of this publication.

The U.S. Government does not endorse or favor any specific

commercial product or company. Trade, proprietary, or company
names appearing in this document are used only because they are
considered necessary in the context of the information provided.
If a product is not mentioned, the omission does not mean or imply
that the product is unsatisfactory.

18 �
National Digestive Diseases
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Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
(NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of
the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. Established in 1980, the Clearinghouse
provides information about digestive diseases to people with
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This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse

encourages users of this publication to duplicate and distribute
as many copies as desired.
This publication is available at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov.

This publication may contain information about medications.

When prepared, this publication included the most current
information available. For updates or for questions about any
medications, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
toll-free at 1–888–INFO–FDA (1–888–463–6332) or visit
www.fda.gov. Consult your health care provider for more
information.
NIH Publication No. 11–5176
April 2011

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