Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0022104 (irritable bowel syndrome)
 8,033 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chronic diarrhea, defined as a decrease in stool consistency for more than four weeks, is a common but challenging clinical scenario. It can be divided into three basic categories: watery, fatty (malabsorption), and inflammatory. Watery diarrhea may be subdivided into osmotic, secretory, and functional types. Watery diarrhea includes irritable bowel syndrome, which is the most common cause of functional diarrhea. Another example of watery diarrhea is microscopic colitis, which is a secretory diarrhea affecting older persons. Laxative-induced diarrhea is often osmotic. Malabsorptive diarrhea is characterized by excess gas, steatorrhea, or weight loss; giardiasis is a classic infectious example. Celiac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is also malabsorptive, and typically results in weight loss and iron deficiency anemia. Inflammatory diarrhea, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease, is characterized by blood and pus in the stool and an elevated fecal calprotectin level. Invasive bacteria and parasites also produce inflammation. Infections caused by Clostridium difficile subsequent to antibiotic use have become increasingly common and virulent. Not all chronic diarrhea is strictly watery, malabsorptive, or inflammatory, because some categories overlap. Still, the most practical diagnostic approach is to attempt to categorize the diarrhea by type before testing and treating. This narrows the list of diagnostic possibilities and reduces unnecessary testing. Empiric therapy is justified when a specific diagnosis is strongly suspected and follow-up is available.
 ...
PMID:Evaluation of chronic diarrhea. 2208 67

Chronic diarrhea is defined as a predominantly loose stool lasting longer than four weeks. A patient history and physical examination with a complete blood count, C-reactive protein, anti-tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A (IgA), total IgA, and a basic metabolic panel are useful to evaluate for pathologies such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. More targeted testing should be based on the differential diagnosis. When the differential diagnosis is broad, stool studies should be used to categorize diarrhea as watery, fatty, or inflammatory. Some disorders can cause more than one type of diarrhea. Watery diarrhea includes secretory, osmotic, and functional types. Functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional diarrhea are common causes of chronic diarrhea. Secretory diarrhea can be caused by bile acid malabsorption, microscopic colitis, endocrine disorders, and some postsurgical states. Osmotic diarrhea can present with carbohydrate malabsorption syndromes and laxative abuse. Fatty diarrhea can be caused by malabsorption or maldigestion and includes disorders such as celiac disease, giardiasis, and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Inflammatory diarrhea warrants further evaluation and can be caused by disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, Clostridioides difficile, colitis, and colorectal cancer.
 ...
PMID:Chronic Diarrhea in Adults: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis. 3229 42