Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea may be defined as an increase in either the fluidity or frequency of bowel action, or both. In general it is a result either of the contents of the large bowel holding in excessive amounts of water, as happens, for example, in coeliac disease when there is malabsorption of fats and proteins, or it is the result of the bowel wall secreting excessive amounts of fluid as may happen in infection, as a result of inflammation in conditions such as ulcerative colitis, or due to the presence of a tumour. Most cases of diarrhoea are mild and self-limiting and require no treatment other than replacement of the fluid and salts that are lost. Diarrhoea which is persistent, or contains blood or pus, or is associated with abdominal pain and weight loss, requires investigation to exclude inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. In the elderly and in some children the diarrhoea may in fact be due to constipation - the rectum becomes blocked by a bolus of faeces and liquid stool leaks around it, causing so-called spurious diarrhoea. Treatment requires the use of laxatives and re education of the bowel to establish a normal bowel habit.
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