5 common causes of Chronic Diarrhea

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), around 179 million people experience diarrhoea each year. That's a lot of diarrhoea, which is characterised by loose, watery stools.

The vast majority of us will, at some point in our lives, experience diarrhoea, and the kind that lasts for just a few days is what medical professionals refer to as acute diarrhoea. On the other hand, diarrhoea might be a more persistent problem for certain individuals. Chronic diarrhoea is defined as diarrhoea that either does not go away after 14 days or returns after that amount of time has passed.

What are the Root Causes of  Chronic Diarrhea?

On the other hand, diarrhoea that lasts for a long time is not normally brought on by an infection. Diarrhoea that lasts for an extended period of time can be brought on by a variety of factors, including the unwanted effects of some medications or the manifestations of an underlying condition. The good news is that most forms of diarrhoea may be treated or healed, and this is true regardless of the underlying reason.

Intolerance of certain foods

The severity of diarrhoea that results from food intolerance is directly proportional to how promptly the condition is recognised and treated. The difference between food intolerance and food poisoning or foodborne sickness is that food intolerance is not caused by a virus or bacteria and only results in a single episode of diarrhoea.

If you suffer from lactose intolerance, which is probably the most prevalent form of food intolerance, you may experience diarrhoea as a result of drinking or eating dairy products like milk, yoghurt, or cheese. This occurs because lactose is a type of sugar that is found in dairy products. Dr De Latour provides the following hypothetical scenario: "Let's imagine you know you're lactose intolerant and someone mistakenly adds milk to your coffee." The diarrhoea that occurs only once as a result of this condition is referred to as acute diarrhoea. Yet lactose intolerance will cause you to have chronic diarrhoea before you realise that the milk you put in your coffee every day is the source of your recurrent diarrhoea.

The majority of the time, diarrhoea brought on by food is due to malabsorption, which means that your body does not have enough enzymes to properly break down the food. According to Dr Ganjhu, this means that the meal is going straight through the body.

Fructose, sorbitol, and mannitol are examples of artificial sweeteners, while intolerance to gluten is another potential food intolerance. Fructose is a natural sugar found in honey and fruits. People who have Celiac disease typically experience diarrhoea after eating gluten, which is a protein that may be found in wheat, barley, and rye. Celiac illness is officially an autoimmune disease; nonetheless, people who have Celiac disease commonly experience diarrhoea after eating gluten.

Although it's not exactly a food intolerance, there are several foods and drinks that, if consumed in large enough quantities, can cause diarrhoea in anyone. According to Dr. De Latour, individuals who consume large amounts of caffeine run the risk of developing persistent diarrhoea. Even while we don't have a perfect explanation for why coffee stimulates bowel movement, we do know that it does. Drinking too much wine or liquorice can also cause diarrhoea in certain people.

As you begin to avoid any foods that are giving you problems, diarrhoea and any other symptoms that you are experiencing should go away.

Syndrome of the Irritable Bowel

According to Dr Ganjhu, irritable bowel syndrome (often known as IBS for its acronym in full), is one of the most common causes of persistent diarrhoea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition of the digestive tract that is characterised by a collection of symptoms that frequently occur together. These symptoms include bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, and general discomfort. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterised by alternating periods of diarrhoea and constipation. Although some persons with IBS have diarrhoea more frequently than others, the more usual pattern is to alternate between the two.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic digestive disorder that has no known cause but may be linked to changes in the composition of gut bacteria and the way the brain communicates with the digestive tract.

If you have a doctor's diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhoea as a symptom, he or she may propose that you keep a food diary and subsequently modify your diet to exclude foods that bring on your symptoms. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can also be managed with the use of some drugs. Home remedies for irritable bowel syndrome can help ease your symptoms.

Disorder of the Inflammatory Bowel

Irritable bowel disease, often known as IBD, is sometimes mistaken with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), however, the two conditions are not the same thing at all. Essentially, we're talking about two separate conditions here: Crohn's disease on the one hand, and ulcerative colitis on the other. In both cases, inflammation develops in the digestive tract, which in turn decreases the body's capacity to absorb and distribute nutrients. According to Dr Ganjhu, the small intestine is part of the body that is most commonly affected by the chronic inflammation caused by Crohn's disease.

The colon's lining is the only target of ulcerative colitis, which only affects the colon. Nonetheless, diarrhoea is a symptom that is shared by both of these conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medical professionals are unsure of what causes the two illnesses; nonetheless, it appears that genetics and the immune system are involved in their development (CDC).

Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis do not have a therapy that is certain to be successful, nor do they have a cure. Instead, your physician will most likely recommend that you experiment with various diets and drugs in order to find the combination that works best for you. If you and your physician are unable to get the inflammation under control, the severity of the condition may require surgical intervention.

Endocrine Diseases

In addition to the aforementioned conditions, diarrhoea can also be brought on by endocrine problems, which are also sometimes more frequently known as hormone imbalances.

Diabetes is a significant factor in the development of chronic diarrhoea. According to Dr Schiller, "[up to] 25% of persons with long-standing diabetes have chronic diarrhoea, particularly if they don't take appropriate care of [their diabetes]." According to Dr Ganjhu, certain diabetic drugs can cause diarrhoea, and bacterial overgrowth connected to diabetes can also cause diarrhoea.

Another prevalent reason for diarrhoea is a condition known as hyperthyroidism, which refers to an overactive thyroid. According to Dr Drake, the thyroid gland, which is located in the front of the neck, plays a role in the regulation of metabolism. "[An overactive thyroid] can result in symptoms such as tremors, heart palpitations, and a loss of weight. Moreover, it causes an acceleration of movement throughout the gastrointestinal tract."

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Addison's disease, which occurs when your body does not produce enough cortisol and other hormones from the adrenal gland, can also cause persistent diarrhoea.

Dr Drake explains that the good news is that there are medicines available for all of these disorders and that these medications should relieve not only the diarrhoea but also the accompanying symptoms.

Medications

Antibiotics, which are commonly prescribed for cases of bacterial diarrhoea, have been shown to have the unintended side effect of causing diarrhoea in certain patients. According to the Mayo Clinic, the issue is that antibiotics can not always differentiate between "bad" bacteria (which may be causing an infection) and "good" bacteria (which are necessary to gut health). Antibiotics can alter the flora in your gut, which increases your risk of becoming infected with the Clostridium difficile bacterium, which can lead to diarrhoea that lasts for a longer period of time.

According to Dr De Latour, several other drugs can produce diarrhoea, which, if used for an extended period of time, might eventually develop into chronic diarrhoea. "Even over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, Motrin, and Aleve can cause diarrhoea, but most people are unaware of this risk because they don't read the small print before taking the medication," she explains. "They just put one in."

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), some blood pressure medications, cancer drugs, antacids that contain magnesium (and anything that contains magnesium, which is used to treat constipation), and many other medications might induce gastrointestinal issues, including diarrhoea.