Diarrhea
Loose, watery stools often settle in a few days. The priority is replacing fluids, noticing warning signs, and knowing when the pattern needs medical advice.
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Quick Reference Facts
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In simple words
Diarrhoea means loose or watery stools more often than is normal for you. A short episode is common and often improves on its own, but it can lead to dehydration—especially in children, older adults and people with other health conditions.
What matters most is how long it has lasted, whether fluids are staying down, and whether there are warning signs such as blood, fever, severe pain, dehydration or a recent medicine change. Most cases do not need tests, but a clinician may investigate a persistent, severe or unusual pattern.
Common Causes
- A stomach bug, food poisoning, or contaminated food or water
- A medicine side effect, including antibiotics, or a food intolerance
- Irritable bowel syndrome or anxiety-related bowel changes
- Inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease or another long-term digestive condition when symptoms keep returning
Clinical Red Flags
Seek urgent medical attention at an emergency department or primary care clinic if you present with any of the following symptoms:
- Get urgent help for blood or pus in stool, black tarry stool, severe abdominal or rectal pain, a high fever, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening.
- Seek prompt advice for dehydration: very little or dark urine, dizziness, unusual sleepiness, confusion, dry mouth, or inability to keep fluids down.
- Get medical advice early for a baby or young child, an older adult, pregnancy, a weakened immune system, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer treatment, or diarrhoea lasting more than two days in an adult or 24 hours in a child.
Lifestyle & Diet Support
Take frequent small drinks of water or an oral rehydration solution. Eat when you feel able, starting with simple foods, and avoid alcohol, rich foods, fruit juice and fizzy drinks if they make symptoms worse. Rest, wash hands carefully with soap and water, and do not prepare food for others while you are unwell. Ask a pharmacist or clinician before using medicine to stop diarrhoea, especially for a child or when there is fever or blood in stool.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Differential Diagnosis Matrix
A clinician may ask about recent travel, food, sick contacts, antibiotics or other medicines, and whether there is fever, blood, pain or weight loss. Stool or blood tests are considered when symptoms are severe, persistent or suggest a specific infection or underlying condition.
Reference Citations & Evidence Sources
Clinical Reviews & Textbooks
- CIT-0135Clinical Review pending verification
- CIT-0136Clinical Review pending verification
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