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 (called osmotic diarrhoea), 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 (called secretive diarrhoea) as may happen in infection, or as a result of inflammation in conditions such as ulcerative colitis. Most cases of diarrhoea in childhood are mild and self-limiting and require no treatment other than replacement of the fluid and salts that are lost. Persistent diarrhoea, in a child who is failing to gain weight, or diarrhoea which contains blood or pus or is associated with fever, requires investigation.
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