ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the medical condition of diarrhoea. Diarrhoea refers to the passage of more than three unformed stools in 24 hours. Spurious diarrhoea, due to faecal impaction, is mainly a profuse watery mucoid discharge. Steatorrhoea is characterised by offensive stools that are pale, fatty and difficult to flush away. It is worth noting that diarrhoea due to either Shigella or Clostridium difficile may be exacerbated by opioids. It is interesting to note that colestyramine, when used to treat pruritus resulting from obstructive jaundice, can actually cause diarrhoea. Opioid drugs are the mainstay of symptomatic management of diarrhoea. Most cases of infectious diarrhoea are viral and will resolve before the organism has been isolated. Bowel flora can be altered and diarrhoea will settle when the antibiotic course is completed, but it excludes Clostridium difficile.
