Last Updated : 12/25/2010
Font-size :  
Dr Sanjay Prabhu
What is diarrhea?
It is the

passage of liquid or watery stools more than 3 times a day

. A recent change in character of stool is more important.

What is



Gross blood in the stool

is the hallmark of dysentery and may be accompanied by abdominal cramps and fever.

What is not diarrhea?
- Passage of frequently formed stools
- Passage of pasty stools in breast fed infants
- Passage of stool during or immediately after feeding due to gastrocolic reflex
- Passage of frequent loose greenish yellow stools on the 3rd and 4th day of life called as transitional stools.

What are the common causes of diarrhoea?
Rotavirus is the
commonest cause of dehydrating diarrhoea in children
. Cholera is seen in epidemics. Shigella is the most common cause of dysentery. Giardia and Amoebiasis are uncommon causes of acute diarrhoea.

Contributor Information and Disclosures Dr Sanjay Prabhu
Consultant Pediatrician, Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Borivali, Mumbai, India

First Created : 2/21/2001