Approach to Diarrhea

Allison Ferris; Polina Gaisinskaya; Neilanjan Nandi

doi:10.1016/j.pop.2023.03.010

Approach to Diarrhea

Prim Care. 2023 Sep;50(3):447-459. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2023.03.010. Epub 2023 May 15.

Authors

Allison Ferris¹, Polina Gaisinskaya², Neilanjan Nandi³

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, 800 Meadows Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486, USA. Electronic address: ferrisa@health.fau.edu.
² Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Graduate Medical Education Consortium, Bethesda Hospital, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Delray Medical Center, Florida Atlantic University, 800 Meadows Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486, USA.
³ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3737 Market Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

PMID: 37516513
DOI: 10.1016/j.pop.2023.03.010

Abstract

Diarrhea is a common complaint in primary care offices. It affects the patient's quality of life and increases health care resource utilization. Although most cases of diarrhea are acute and self-limiting, there are multiple causes that can lead to serious morbidity and mortality. Likewise, chronic diarrhea can be a sign of a more serious condition and requires thoughtful evaluation. Ultimately, primary care physicians must take an evidence-based and comprehensive approach to diarrhea to appropriately apply health care resources in the interest of patient care.

Keywords: Acute diarrhea; Chronic diarrhea; Diarrhea; Primary care.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Chronic Disease
Diarrhea* / diagnosis
Diarrhea* / etiology
Diarrhea* / therapy
Humans
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Quality of Life*