Current Paediatrics
Volume 13, Issue 2 , Pages 89-94, April 2003

The investigation of chronic diarrhoea

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8BJ, UK

Abstract 

Chronic diarrhoea can present a major diagnostic and management problem, particularly in infants. It is an important cause of anxiety and frustration for the parents of affected children. In this article, we set out a logical approach to the investigation of chronic diarrhoea, from basic first-line investigations to more specialized tests. There is a wide range of aetiologies, from the harmless toddler diarrhoea, the most common cause of chronic diarrhoea in more developed countries, to severe protracted diarrhoea of infancy. In this latter group, several new diarrhoeal syndromes have been identified, although in a significant number of cases (up to 30%), no specific cause may be identified and the prognosis may be poor.

Keywords: chronic diarrhoea, infant, child

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  • f1 Correspondence to: BKS. Tel: +44 (0) 117 3428828; E-mail: bhupunder.sandhu@ubht.swest.nhs.uk

PII: S0957-5839(02)90420-3

doi:10.1054/cupe.2002.0420

Current Paediatrics
Volume 13, Issue 2 , Pages 89-94, April 2003

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