Diarrhea Health Article

Chronic diarrhea

Diarrhea sometimes persists over an extended period of time, with the child having several loose stools every day. It is not uncommon for infants and children between the ages of six months and three years to have chronic diarrhea for which no apparent medical cause can be found. This condition, which some equate with irritable bowel syndrome in older children and adults, is known as nonspecific diarrhea of infancy and childhood. The gastroinestinal tract of a child suffering from this condition appears to continue functioning normally in spite of the loose stools. As long as medical causes are ruled out by a physician and the child continues to thrive, this type of diarrhea is not considered dangerous to a child's health.

Chronic diarrhea may also be caused by malabsorptive conditions, which interfere with the normal digestive function of the intestines and threaten the child's health, primarily through various manifestations of malnutrition. These conditions include celiac disease, in which the intestinal lining is damaged by foods containing the protein gluten; cystic fibrosis, in which the absorption problem is caused by a lack of digestive enzymes normally produced by the pancreas; secondary lactose intolerance; and disaccharidase deficiency, which prevents the digestion of some sugars. Another cause of chronic diarrhea is multiplication of the bacterium Clostridium difficule when a child is taking antibiotics. This bacterium, which is usually present in small amounts, can produce a toxin that damages the lining of the colon and causes mild to severe diarrhea. Fortunately, Clostridium difficule can itself be eradicated by various antibiotics, including Vancomycin, metronidazole, and bacitracin. Infection by the parasite Giardia lamblia is another cause of chronic diarrhea.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease—together known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—also cause chronic diarrhea. In ulcerative colitis, inflammation of the mucosal lining of the colon prevents proper absorption of water, causing diarrhea, abdominal pain, and often blood in the stool. Other symptoms include loss of appetite and weight loss. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disorder that can involve any portion of the gastroinestinal tract. When it affects the colon, it produces symptoms similar to those of ulcerative colitis.