What types of diarrhoeas are there and how to treat them?

What are the types of diarrhoeas?

Diarrhoea, or frequent defecation of thin and unformed stools, can be divided into several types. According to the duration of the disease, we distinguish chronic and acute diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can also be divided based on its cause into infectious diarrhea, viral diarrhoea, bacterial diarrhoea, and parasitic diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can also be divided according to the color of the stool, namely yellow, green, and black diarrhoea. Let's take a closer look at some of these types of diarrheas.

Constant diarrhoea

While some people struggle with diarrhoea only occasionally, others suffer from diarrhea for a long time. In this case, we're talking about so-called chronic diarrhoea, which is defined as loose stools that persist for more than four weeks. Experts estimate that chronic diarrhoea affects around 1 to 3% of the population worldwide.

What are the possible causes of chronic diarrhoea?

What is constant diarrhoea a sign of? Chronic diarrhoea can be a reaction to certain foods or drinks to which you are particularly sensitive (coffee, tea, alcohol, foods with high sugar content, etc.), it can also be a sign of food intolerance, or it can be triggered by taking certain medications.

Treatment of chronic diarrhoea

Acute diarrhoea

The most common type of diarrhoea is acute diarrhoea, which lasts one to two days. This type of diarrhoea usually does not require treatment and resolves on its own. If you experience sudden diarrhoea and no other symptoms, follow an adequate drinking regime, and eat easily digestible food. If your diarrhoea is severe or explosive, or accompanied by vomiting or fever, seek medical help to rule out more serious causes.

Watery diarrhoea

Watery diarrhoea is manifested by very thin to watery stools. In most cases, liquid diarrhoea is of infectious origin; in adults it can be caused by, for example, salmonella, and in children the most common causes of watery diarrhoea are noroviruses and rotaviruses. Other causes include lactose intolerance or ingestion of large amounts of artificial sweeteners.

Yellow diarrhoea

When you have diarrhoea, it is a good idea to pay attention to the colour of the stool, which will tell you what is causing the diarrhoea. Yellow liquid or mucous diarrhoea is related to the composition of the diet. If yellow diarrhoea appears after eating, it may indicate that your diet contains too much fat.

Light-coloured, orange, or yellow diarrhoea can also indicate pancreatic problems or poor liver and gallbladder function; it is common after gallbladder removal. Last but not least, yellow watery diarrhoea in adults occurs with excessive alcohol consumption and associated liver problems.  

If your stool is colored green, most likely the cause of diarrhea is an infection. However, in some cases, foods that are rich in chlorophyll can also cause the green colour of the stool. Some medications can also cause green diarrhoea.

Black and dark brown diarrhoea

The cause of dark diarrhoea can be trivial, such as eating food or supplements with a high iron content. However, black diarrhoea may also indicate the presence of digested blood from an esophageal or gastric ulcer. As in the previous cases, the treatment of diarrhea depends on what is causing it.

Traveler's diarrhoea

Did you know that so-called traveler's diarrhoea affects approximately 50% of all people travelling to exotic destinations? The most common causes of traveler's diarrhoea are E. coli, viruses, and protozoa. Travel-related factors such as stress, fatigue, unusual food, etc. can also be to blame. 

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