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module menu icon Defining diarrhoea

Defining diarrhoea

Customers with diarrhoea may describe having a tummy bug, food poisoning or traveller's diarrhoea. Lifestyle pressures, infection or medical conditions can all be triggers of diarrhoea,3 which can be a real inconvenience for your customers, interfering with their daily activities, or leading to dehydration.

Diarrhoea can be defined as acute, persistent or chronic. Customers with persistent/chronic diarrhoea should be referred to their GP.

ACUTE
Lasts less than 14 days1
Usually comes on suddenly and clears within a few days3
PERSISTENT
Lasts longer than 14 days, but less than 4 weeks1
CHRONIC
Lasts more than 4 weeks1
Continuous/prolonged diarrhoea

Causes of acute diarrhoea include:1,3

  • Viral infection, e.g. norovirus. This is the most common infectious cause
  • Bacterial infection, e.g. Salmonella or E.coli food poisoning
  • Parasitic infection e.g. from the protozoa Giardia or Cryptosporidium. Giardiasis, for example, can be transmitted though untreated drinking water or through contaminated surfaces
  • Medications such as magnesium-containing antacids, allopurinol, metformin, NSAIDs, proton pump inhibitors; Clostridium difficile can cause diarrhoea in those who have taken antibiotics
  • Anxiety, which can cause the bowel contents to move too rapidly through the gut
  • Food intolerance (particularly lactose intolerance) or foods containing artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol
  • Other medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), coeliac disease or an overactive thyroid
  • Local food hygiene and sanitation when travelling