What Causes Intermittent Diarrhea For Three Weeks?

Diarrhea is a common condition characterized by loose, watery stools passing at least three times a day. It can be caused by various factors such as irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerance, stress, anxiety, medications like metformin, proton pump inhibitors, and laxative abuse, and excessive gastro-colic reflex. Chronic diarrhea, which lasts for four weeks or longer, is often caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection. Common causes include infections, food allergies, and food poisoning.

Persistent diarrhea can be a sign of allergies or chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can also occur after an infection. Gastroenteritis, a common cause in both adults and children, is a common cause of diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea can last longer and can be a sign of an infection, food poisoning, lactose intolerance, or gastroenteritis.

Bowel infections, such as gastroenteritis, can occur in local epidemics and can last anywhere from 2 to 3 days. Diarrhea episodes are often caused by a stomach bug and clear up on their own in a few days. Other causes of diarrhea include diabetes, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, endocrinal disease, rare intestinal diseases, and colorectal cancer.

Why have I had diarrhea on and off for 3 weeks?

• Short-term (acute). Diarrhea that lasts 1 or 2 days and goes away. This may be caused by having food or water that was made unsafe by a bacterial infection. Or it may happen if you get sick from a virus.
• Long-term (chronic). Diarrhea that lasts several weeks. This may be caused by another health problem such as irritable bowel syndrome. It can also be caused by an intestinal disease such as Crohn’s disease or celiac disease. Some infections such as parasites can cause chronic diarrhea.

What causes diarrhea?. Diarrhea may be caused by many things, including:

• A bacterial infection
• A virus
• Trouble digesting certain things (food intolerance)
• Food allergy (such as celiac disease, gluten allergy)
• Parasites that enter the body through food or water
• A reaction to medicines
• An intestinal disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease
• A problem with how your stomach and bowels work (functional bowel disorder), such as irritable bowel syndrome
• A result of surgery on the stomach or gall bladder
• Recent antibiotic use
• Metabolic conditions such as thyroid problems
• Other less common reasons such as damage from radiation treatments or tumors that make too many hormones

What is diarrhea that lasts for more than 14 days called?

Etiology. Diarrhea is categorized into acute or chronic and infectious or non-infectious based on the duration and type of symptoms. Acute diarrhea is defined as an episode lasting less than 2 weeks. Infection most commonly causes acute diarrhea. Most cases result from a viral infection, and the course is self-limited. Chronic diarrhea is defined as a duration lasting longer than 2 weeks and tends to be non-infectious. Common causes include malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease, and medication side effects. Following are some important considerations to be made while diagnosing and managing diarrhea, as the identification of the etiological agent is very important:

Stool characteristics vary between different causes, such as consistency, color, volume, and frequency.

The presence or absence of associated intestinal symptoms, such as nausea/vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain.

Why have I had diarrhea for a few days but not sick?

Diarrhea not related to an infection can occur as a side effect of antibiotics or other drugs, food allergies, gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, and other diseases. In addition, there are many less common causes of diarrhea.

How do I know if diarrhea is serious?

Call your healthcare provider if you have diarrhea that doesn’t improve or go away within a few days. Reach out if you have a fever, severe pain and a bloody stool in addition to diarrhea. See a healthcare provider if you’re experiencing symptoms of dehydration, which can be serious without treatment.

How is diarrhea treated?. Usually, you can get rid of diarrhea at home. Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for diarrhea, like bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol® or Kaopectate®), often help people feel better quickly. You’ll need to see a healthcare provider for diarrhea that doesn’t improve or that happens alongside symptoms of severe diarrhea.

• Antibiotics or antiparasitics. These drugs kill infection-causing germs.
• Medications that treat chronic conditions. Treating underlying conditions that cause diarrhea, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and IBS, can help.
• Probiotics. Probiotics introduce good bacteria into your gut to combat diarrhea. Your healthcare provider may suggest you try them. Always talk to your provider before starting a probiotic or any supplement.

Can I stop diarrhea without taking anti-diarrhea medicine?. You can often get rid of acute diarrhea through lifestyle changes you can make at home.

Can a virus cause diarrhea for 3 weeks?

Acute diarrhea lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks. Persistent diarrhea lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Acute and persistent diarrhea are typically caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of some sort.

What infection causes diarrhea for weeks?

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.

Is it normal for diarrhea to come and go?

Many people get diarrhea a few times a year. It normally lasts 2 to 3 days. Some people get it more often. That could be because they have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or other conditions.

This most common type lasts a couple of days at the most and usually gets better without treatment.

This kind lasts for a couple of weeks up to a month.

What does IBS diarrhea look like?

• If you have IBS with diarrhea, you will have frequent, loose, watery stools. You may have an urgent need to have a bowel movement, which may be hard to control.
• If you have IBS with constipation, you will have a hard time passing stool, as well as fewer bowel movements. You may need to strain with a bowel movement and have cramps. Often, only a small amount or no stool at all will pass.

The symptoms may get worse for a few weeks or a month, and then decrease for a while. In other cases, symptoms are present most of the time.

You may also lose your appetite if you have IBS. However, blood in stools and unintentional weight loss are not a part of IBS.

Is it normal for a stomach virus to last 3 weeks?

The symptoms usually appear up to a day after becoming infected. They typically last less than a week, but can sometimes last longer.

What to do if you have gastroenteritis. If you experience sudden diarrhoea and vomiting, the best thing to do is stay at home until you’re feeling better. There’s not always a specific treatment, so you have to let the illness run its course.

You don’t usually need to get medical advice, unless your symptoms don’t improve or there’s a risk of a more serious problem.

Why does my diarrhea keep coming back?

Some infections from bacteria and parasites that cause diarrhea do not go away quickly without treatment. Also, after an infection, people may have problems digesting carbohydrates such as lactose or proteins in foods such as cow’s milk, milk products, or soy. Problems digesting carbohydrates or proteins can prolong diarrhea.

Allergies to foods such as cow’s milk, soy, cereal grains, eggs, and seafood may cause chronic diarrhea.

Lactose intolerance is a common condition that may cause diarrhea after eating foods or drinking liquids that contain milk or milk products.

What should I do if my diarrhea lasts more than 2 weeks?

How long is too long with diarrhea? If diarrhea lasts more than a couple of daysTrusted Source without signs of dehydration, blood, or fever, a person should consider speaking with a healthcare professional. If it lasts longer than 7 days, they should consider seeking more urgent care.

Diarrhea usually resolves in a couple of days, but it can sometimes continue for weeks. Persistent diarrhea can be a sign of an allergy or a chronic condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It may also occur after an infection.

Diarrhea is the medical term for passing loose, watery stools at least three times a day. Acute, or short-term diarrhea may have different causes from chronic or persistent diarrhea. They may need different treatments.

This article provides information on how long diarrhea usually lasts and explores what causes this condition to persist for more than a week. We also outline home and medical treatments for diarrhea and offer advice on when to see a doctor.