Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012 Jun;87(6):596-602.
doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.02.015.

Evaluating the patient with diarrhea: a case-based approach

Seth Sweetser  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Evaluating the patient with diarrhea: a case-based approach

Seth Sweetser. Mayo Clin Proc. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

The evaluation of the patient with diarrhea can be complex and the treatment challenging. In this article, the definition of diarrhea and the pathophysiologic mechanisms that lead to diarrhea are reviewed. A simplified 5-step approach to the patient with diarrhea is provided and applied in a case-oriented manner applicable to everyday clinical practice. On completion of this article, you should be able to (1) define diarrhea, (2) outline various pathophysiologic mechanisms of diarrhea, and (3) describe a simplified 5-step approach to facilitate the evaluation of diarrhea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE
FIGURE
Categorization of diarrhea. CT = computed tomography; EUS = endoscopic ultrasonography; SIBO = small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Talley N.J., Zinsmeister A.R., Van Dyke C., Melton L.J., III Epidemiology of colonic symptoms and irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology. 1991;101(4):927–934. - PubMed
    1. Talley N.J., Weaver A.F., Zinsmeister A.R., Melton L.J., III Self-reported diarrhea: what does it mean? Am J Gastroenterol. 1994;89(8):1160–1164. - PubMed
    1. Davies G.J., Crowder M., Reid B., Dickerson J.W. Bowel function measurements of individuals with different eating patterns. Gut. 1986;27(2):164–169. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schiller L.R. Diarrhea. Med Clin North Am. 2000;84(5):1259–1274. - PubMed
    1. Leigh R.J., Turnberg L.A. Faecal incontinence: the unvoiced symptom. Lancet. 1982;1(8285):1349–1351. - PubMed

Publication types