What is acute diarrhea?

Diarrhea is frequent watery bowel movements. Acute diarrhea starts suddenly and lasts a short time.

How does it occur?

Acute diarrhea may be caused by:

• Infection by bacteria, viruses, or parasites
• Food poisoning
• Antibiotics
• Food sensitivities.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may include:

• Watery bowel movements
• More frequent bowel movements
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Fever.

When should I call the doctor?

If you have cramps or abdominal pain that lasts more than a few days, becomes intense, or affects only one area of your abdomen, tell your doctor. In addition, if you are lightheaded, have blood or mucus in your bowel movements, or have a high fever, call your doctor.

How is it diagnosed?

Your doctor will review your symptoms and examine you. If your symptoms are severe, the doctor will ask for a sample of your bowel movements (a stool sample). If food poisoning is a possibility, your doctor may ask you to identify a suspected food. The stool and food samples may be sent to a lab for tests to identify what is causing the diarrhea and which treatment might be most effective.

A stool sample may not be necessary if your doctor expects your diarrhea to stop without antibiotic treatment.

How is it treated?

Diarrhea may be treated with rest and a diet of clear liquids until the diarrhea has stopped.

Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. It is important to take all of the antibiotic your doctor prescribes. If you stop taking the medicine as soon as your symptoms are gone but before you have taken all of the medicine, symptoms of the infection may return.

If an antibiotic taken for another illness is causing the diarrhea, the doctor may ask you to stop taking that antibiotic.

How long will the effects last?

The symptoms of acute diarrhea usually last less than 3 days. Sometimes the diarrhea is gone after just a few hours, but sometimes it lasts as long as 2 weeks.

How can I take care of myself?

If you have a temperature over 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), rest as much as you can. After your temperature falls below 100 degrees F, moderate activity is OK. Ask your doctor if you can take aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to control your fever. (Anyone under age 21 who may have a viral illness should not take aspirin because aspirin increases the risk of Reye's syndrome.) Keep a daily record of your temperature.

If you have cramps or abdominal pain, it may help to put a hot water bottle or can take antispasmodics.

Let your bowel rest by drinking only clear liquids such as water, juice, weak tea, and electral. It is important to drink often so that you do not become dehydrated. Suck on ice chips if you feel too nauseated to drink fluids. Try and avoid solid foods because they can cause cramps.

When your symptoms are gone, add soft starchy foods--such as cooked cereal, rice, potatoes, toast or bread and carbonated drinks to your diet. Avoid milk products for a few days. Return to your normal diet after 2 or 3 days of the soft-food diet, but avoid fresh fruit and vegetables, alcohol, greasy or fatty foods and highly seasoned or spicy foods for several days.

What can be done to help prevent acute diarrhea?

To prevent other people from getting infected by you, avoid unnecessary contact with others until your symptoms are gone.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and very warm water after you use the toilet.

Do not prepare food for other people. If you must prepare or serve food, wash your hands thoroughly before you cook or serve food and before you eat.

 Do not work as a food handler in restaurants, dining halls, or grocery stores until your diarrhea is completely gone.

Make sure the dairy products you eat and drink have been pasteurized.

Serve or refrigerate food right after it has been cooked or reheated.