Diarrhea - Specifics, Origins, Complications
Mateusz Pawlak
2026-03-25
6 min. read
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Diarrhea is one of the most common ailments of the digestive system, along with constipation, bloating, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Although it may seem harmless and sometimes even embarrassing, it can pose a serious threat to health and life in certain circumstances. How should it be treated and avoided? What are its causes? How can diarrhea be defined?
Diarrhea - description and classification
Diarrhea that affects adults is defined as the condition of giving at least one liquid stool per day. In the group of newborns and infants, this disorder is defined somewhat differently, due to the possibility of giving up to seven stools per day with an abnormal consistency, which is related to the method of feeding. Diarrhea can be classified based on the duration, mechanism of occurrence, and etiological factor. Classification based on the duration of the disorder allows for the distinction of acute diarrhea that lasts from 7 to 14 days, chronic diarrhea that lasts from 14 to 30 days, and chronic persistent diarrhea that lasts over 30 days. The mechanism of occurrence enables the differentiation of osmotic diarrhea, which subsides after limiting fluid and food intake, secretory diarrhea, which does not respond to the cessation of oral intake, and diarrhea related to disturbances in bowel motility. The last classification, dependent on the etiological factor, allows for the differentiation of infectious diarrhea, which can occur together with fever, blood in the stool, nausea or vomiting and can be associated with antibiotic therapy, and non-infectious diarrhea.
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