A clear distinction should be made between acute diarrhea and chronic diarrhea. Acute means “of recent onset and of short duration”. It has nothing to do with the intensity of the symptoms. Chronic means, in the case of diarrhea, 4 weeks or more.

The majority of acute diarrhea is harmless and can be treated very well with the advice mentioned in this sheet. However, there is a caveat: acute diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics can be serious. Certain acute diarrhea caused by the bacteria E. coli (“Hamburger disease”) too.

In case of chronic diarrhea, a medical consultation is recommended.

D^r Dominic Larose, M.D.