classification of chronic diarrhoea

Last reviewed 01/2018

classification of chronic diarrhea

Chronic diarrhoea can be divided pathophysiologically into six broad categories.

• osmotic
• medications e.g. - laxatives
• undigested sugars e.g - diet foods/drinks/gum
  
  
• secretory
  
• medications e.g. - non-osmotic laxatives, antibiotics etc
• small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
• endocrine e.g. -  carcinoid, gastrinoma, adrenal insufficiency, hyperthyroidism
• bile salt malabsorption e.g. - ileal resection, idiopathic, post   cholecystectomy
• non-invasive infections e.g. - giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis
  
  
• steatorrhoea
• maldigestion
• decreased bile salts - cirrhosis, bile duct obstruction, ileal resection
• pancreatic dysfunction - chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis
• malabsorption e.g. - Coeliac sprue, tropical sprue, Chronic mesenteric ischaemia, short bowel syndrome
  
  
• inflammatory
• inflammatory bowel disease e.g. - ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease,
• malignancy e.g. - colon cancer, lymphoma
• radiation colitis
  
  
• motility
• post-surgical (vagotomy, dumping)
• scleroderma
• diabetes
• hyperthyroidism
  
  
• miscellaneous
• irritable bowel syndrome
• factitious (1)

Reference:

• (1) Schiller LR et al. Gastro 2013 APDW/WCOG Shanghai working party report: chronic diarrhea: definition, classification, diagnosis. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014;29(1):6-25.