Causes of Acute Diarrhea

In this article, we will discuss various Causes of Acute Diarrhea. So, let’s get started.

Causes

Infective cause (90% cases) include:

• Virus e.g. rotavirus, norovirus, cytomegalovirus, viral hepatitis.
• Bacterial e.g. Enterotoxin-induced i.e. Staphylococcus aureus, B.cereus, C. perfringens, E.coli, V.cholera. Cytotoxin-induced i.e. E.coli, toxic shock syndrome. Mucosal invasion i.e. Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, Traveller’s diarrhea.
• Parasitic i.e. Giardia, E.histolytica, Cryptosporidium, Cyclophora.

Non-infective causes (10% cases) include:

• Drugs e.g. laxative, digitalis, ampicillin.
• Ischemic colitis
• Pseudomembranous colitis
• Diverticulitis
• Graft vs host disease
• Toxin-induced diarrhea i.e. organophosphorus, insecticide, amanita, mushroom, and seafood.
• Food allergy/intolerance