Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Acute or persistent diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea or other problems caused by medicines.
  2. Artificial sweeteners
  3. C. difficile infection
  4. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  5. Cryptosporidium infection
  6. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
  7. E. coli
  8. Food intolerances
  9. Food poisoning
  10. Fructose intolerance
  11. Giardia infection (giardiasis) or other infections caused by parasites.
  12. Lactose intolerance
  13. Norovirus infection
  14. Medicines, such as antacids containing magnesium and some cancer treatments
  15. Rotavirus or infections caused by other viruses.
  16. Salmonella infection or other infections that may be caused by bacteria.
  17. Shigella infection
  18. Stomach surgery
  19. Traveler's diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea causes may include:

  1. Celiac disease
  2. Colon cancer — cancer that starts in the part of the large intestine called the colon.
  3. Crohn's disease — which causes tissues in the digestive tract to become inflamed.
  4. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  5. Irritable bowel syndrome — a group of symptoms that affect the stomach and intestines.
  6. Medications used to treat heartburn, such as proton pump inhibitors and H-2 receptor antagonists
  7. Radiation therapy
  8. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
  9. Ulcerative colitis — a disease that causes ulcers and swelling called inflammation in the lining of the large intestine.
  10. Whipple's disease

Some infections, such as giardia or C. difficile infection, may lead to chronic diarrhea if not treated.

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

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Aug. 11, 2023

See also

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  2. Adrenal fatigue: What causes it?
  3. Agoraphobia
  4. Amyloidosis
  5. Anaphylaxis
  6. Anaphylaxis: First aid
  7. Anthrax
  8. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
  9. Appendicitis
  10. Ascariasis
  11. AskMayoMom Pediatric Urology
  12. Aspirin allergy
  13. Bee sting
  14. Behcet's disease
  15. Bird flu (avian influenza)
  16. Blastocystis hominis
  17. C. difficile infection
  18. Carcinoid syndrome
  19. Carcinoid tumors
  20. Celiac disease
  21. Chagas disease
  22. Cholera
  23. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  24. Colon cancer
  25. Colon Cancer Family Registry
  26. Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
  27. Colon cancer screening
  28. Colon polyps
  29. Colorectal Cancer
  30. Crohn's Crisis
  31. Crohn's disease
  32. Crohn's disease and the gut microbiome
  33. What is Crohn's disease? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  34. Crohn's or Colitis
  35. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  36. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
  37. Diabetes insipidus
  38. Diabetic neuropathy
  39. Diabetic neuropathy and dietary supplements
  40. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  41. Diverticulitis
  42. Drug allergy
  43. E. coli
  44. Ear infection (middle ear)
  45. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
  46. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis
  47. Endometriosis
  48. What is endometriosis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  49. Endometriosis FAQs
  50. Fecal incontinence
  51. Flu masks
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  53. Food poisoning
  54. GI Stents
  55. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  56. Graves' disease
  57. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  58. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  59. Hirschsprung's disease
  60. HIV/AIDS
  61. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  62. Inflammatory bowel disease FAQs
  63. Intestinal ischemia
  64. Intestinal obstruction
  65. Intussusception
  66. Irritable bowel syndrome
  67. Is there a special diet for Crohn's disease?
  68. Ischemic colitis
  69. Jet lag disorder
  70. Kawasaki disease
  71. Lactose intolerance
  72. Legionnaires' disease
  73. Listeria infection
  74. Living better with Crohn's disease
  75. Maintain your social life with Crohn's disease
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  77. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
  78. Mayo Clinic Minute: What you need to know about polyps in your colon
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  80. Mesenteric lymphadenitis
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  90. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  91. Peritonitis
  92. Plague
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  94. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  95. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  96. Preterm labor
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  98. Primary sclerosing cholangitis
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  100. Pseudomembranous colitis
  101. Radiation sickness
  102. Rectal cancer
  103. Reye's syndrome
  104. Roseola
  105. Rotavirus
  106. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease?
  107. Scleroderma
  108. Self-care for the flu
  109. Serotonin syndrome
  110. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
  111. Shellfish allergy
  112. Shigella infection
  113. Smallpox
  114. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
  115. Spastic colon: What does it mean?
  116. Staying active with Crohn's disease
  117. Sulfa allergy
  118. Tapeworm infection
  119. Tips for easing stress when you have Crohn's disease
  120. Toxic shock syndrome
  121. Trichinosis
  122. Typhoid fever
  123. Ulcerative colitis
  124. Ulcerative colitis flare-ups: 5 tips to manage them
  125. Vesicoureteral reflux
  126. How irritable bowel syndrome affects you
  127. Vitamin deficiency anemia
  128. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  129. Wheat allergy
  130. Where can I learn more about living with Crohn's disease?
  131. Whipple's disease
  132. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  133. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  134. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome