aetiology
Last reviewed 01/2018
Aetiology varies with the region and socio-economic status.
- in developed countries - irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption syndrome, and chronic infections predominate
- in developing countries - chronic bacterial, mycobacterial, and parasitic infections are the most common causes (1)
The causes of chronic diarrhoea can be divided into:
- colonic pathology such as
- inflammatory bowel disease
- diverticular disease of the colon
- carcinoma of the colon
- small bowel pathology
- coeliac disease
- crohn's disease
- other small bowel enteropathies (e.g. Whipple's disease, tropical sprue, amyloid, intestinal lymphgiectasia)
- small bowel bacterial overgrowth
- mesenteric Ischaemia
- giardiasis and other chronic infection
- pancreatic disease including
- chronic pancreatitis
- carcinoma of the pancreas
- systemic disease, including
- thyrotoxicosis
- uraemia
- carcinoid syndrome
- Whipple's disease
- other
- drug reactions including
- antibiotics
- purgatives
- magnesium-containing indigestion medication
- digoxin
- surgery - post-gastrectomy
- factitious diarrhoea
- anxiety
- laxatives
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