Diarrhea is commonplace in the hospital setting, we have all heard poop 💩 jokes galore. A chronic diarrhea can often be a head-scratcher. Most of the common etiologies of diarrhea conveniently begin with an ‘I’ and make it easier to remember.
(The ones marked with a ‘*’ often cause a chronic diarrhea)
I – Infection (bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal)
I – Infestation (bacterial overgrowth, worms) *
I – Inflammation (Macroscopic : Crohn’s, UC | Microscopic : Collagenous, Lymphocytic) *
I – Ischemic colitis
I – Indigestion (eg. malabsorption due to chronic pancreatitis)*
I – Intolerance (lactose, fructose, sorbitol, etc)*
I – Immune response (Celiac disease)*
I – Irradiation (radiation colitis)*
I – Irritation (spicy food for some people)
I – Iatrogenic (medications and surgical e.g dumping symdrome) *
I – IBS / Idiopathic *
P.S: Here’s an interesting article on the reason why drinking coffee makes some people wanna poop 💩💩
