Abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements
Diarrhea
Related terms · loose stools · watery diarrhea
Diarrhea is a condition of having looser stools more frequently than usual. The causes that need to be checked differ between diarrhea that appears suddenly for a few days and diarrhea that continues for several weeks.
Overview
Diarrhea: Please check these three things first
- For diarrhea, you must look at the onset, dehydration, and bleeding, in addition to the consistency and frequency.
- Diarrhea that wakes you up at night, weight loss, or bloody stools Irritable Bowel Syndromeare not dismissed as simple symptoms.
- In Korean medicine treatment, after necessary evaluations for infection and inflammation, we examine how diarrhea changes according to food, cold exposure, tension, and fatigue.
Definitions and Distinctions
What is diarrhea?
Infections and medications, Food intolerance, gut-brain interactions, and inflammatory diseases are among the various causes. We look at the duration, dehydration, pain, and bleeding, as well as the shape of the stool. Diarrhea is a state of having looser stools more frequently than usual. Diarrhea that appears suddenly for a few days and diarrhea that lasts for several weeks require checking for different causes.
- Easily Confused Terms
- The diarrhea-predominant type of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is abdominal paina pattern of recurring bowel movement changes. If you wake up at night with diarrhea, or if there is bloody stool, fever, or weight loss, other causes are checked first.
- Why this is checked during the medical evaluation
- We narrow down the range of causes by examining the start date, daily frequency, the urgency of the urge to defecate, recent antibiotic use and travel, and recurring relationships with specific foods.
- Information to prepare
- If you experience dehydration where urine output decreases, you feel dizzy, or it is difficult to even drink water, or if there is bloody stoolBlack stools, high fever, and severe abdominal pain, seek medical evaluation without waiting.
More details
Connecting diarrhea to my symptoms
Check the consistency, duration, and whether it wakes you up at night
Diarrhea that occurs suddenly within a few days and diarrhea that recurs over several weeks have different causes to verify. Please record the daily frequency, stool shape, whether it starts immediately after meals, and whether you go to the bathroom during sleep. Also, include recent antibiotic use, travel, and changes in diet.
Do not delay identifying the cause if there is dehydration or bleeding
If urine output decreases, you feel dizzy, or it is difficult to drink water, dehydration may be progressing. If bloody stools, black stools, high fever, severe abdominal pain, or weight loss occur together, seek medical evaluation immediately rather than waiting for it to be IBS. Once the condition is stable, we examine the recurring patterns and the scope of Korean herbal medicine treatment.
Acute diarrhea and recurring diarrhea have different recording periods and questions
If it started suddenly, first check for travel, eating out, contact with infected persons, antibiotics, and fluid intake. If it has recurred for several weeks, record nocturnal diarrhea, weight, menstruation, medications, and the amount of food consumed. Before repeatedly taking antidiarrheals on your own, you must check for bloody stools, high fever, severe abdominal pain, and dehydration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions when looking into diarrhea
Does it require treatment if I have diarrhea when I am nervous?
If these symptoms recur before going out or giving presentations and limit your daily life, medical evaluation is necessary. We determine treatment goals by examining the sequence in which abdominal pain, urgency, sleep disturbances, and throbbing sensations begin, including the gut-brain interaction.
Can I take antidiarrheals first when I have diarrhea?
It depends on the cause and condition. If you have a high fever, bloody stools, severe abdominal pain, or suspect an infection, seek medical evaluation before taking medication on your own. If you have previously prescribed medication, check the guidelines for its use.
Gastrointestinal Glossary
Compare similar terms here
You can proceed to a detailed explanation after confirming the simple meaning.Read More
Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideChronic DiarrheaIf loose stools persist for more than 4 weeks or fluctuate between improving and worsening, it is time to identify the cause rather than simply reducing the frequency with antidiarrheals. Organizing the start date, whether you wake up at night, foods eaten, medications taken, weight changes, and stool shape will help determine whether to first check for food intolerance, medication side effects, infection, inflammatory diseases, or functional diarrhea.→
- Condition GuideIrritable Bowel SyndromeThe core of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms is the simultaneous occurrence of recurrent abdominal pain related to bowel movements and changes in the frequency and form of stool. There is the diarrhea-predominant type, characterized by loose stools and sudden urgency; the constipation-predominant type, characterized by hard stools, straining, and a strong feeling of incomplete evacuation; and the mixed type, where both patterns alternate. Abdominal bloating and white mucus may accompany these, and symptoms may fluctuate after meals, in the morning, or due to sleep or tension, but diarrhea or gas alone is not diagnosed as IBS. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a different condition where intestinal inflammation and damage are confirmed; therefore, if there is bloody stool, black stool, anemia, unexplained weight loss, fever, or diarrhea that wakes you up at night, it is not dismissed as IBS. Severe dehydration or persistent vomiting requires prompt gastrointestinal or emergency evaluation first.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat should I record for a week when diarrhea and constipation alternate?Rather than recording only the food eaten, please write the time of bowel movement, the Bristol Stool Scale type, and the degree of abdominal pain and urgency before and after the movement on the same line. Recording good days is also necessary to compare what was different. If you have bloody stools, black stools, dehydration, or a high fever, do not wait until you finish your records.→
- Digestive Health ColumnDiarrhea-predominant, constipation-predominant, and mixed-type Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What are the differences?→
Evidence and Update Information
The definitions and safety standards in the materials below were referenced.
- NIDDK: DiarrheaThe causes of acute and persistent diarrhea, as well as symptoms of dehydration and bleeding, have been verified.
- NIDDK: Symptoms and Causes of DiarrheaThis was referenced to distinguish between acute and chronic diarrhea and symptoms of dehydration and bleeding.