Apart from antibiotics which may affect the normal bowel bacteria which are necessary for bowel health, other drugs can also irritate the bowel wall, impair water reabsorption in the colon and even speed up movement through the bowels. Various drugs can cause diarrhea as a side effect. Read more on loss of appetite in the elderly. Gallbladder problems may also affect food digestion and absorption, especialy of fats. Lactose intolerance is one such example where the body’s ability to digest milk sugars is impaired.

However, with the elderly there may also be disturbances in normal digestion of food ( maldigestion) and absorption of nutrients ( malabsorption).Īs a result the undigested food and unabsorbed nutrients affects water reabsorption and leads to diarrhea.

FoodsĪ change in diet can cause gastrointestinal upset and may lead to acute diarrhea. The elderly may be more prone to infections due to a weakened immune system. This is more likely to occur after antibiotic use or some other distrbance to the normal “good” bowel bacteria. Sometimes certain microorganisms may grow uncontrollably in the bowels like with the bacterium Clostridium difficile. These microorganisms irritate and damage the bowel lining and may also disrupt the water content in the bowels. Most of these pathogens are contracted through contaminated food or water but can also be passed through airborne particles and even through particles on inanimate objects (fomites). Infectionsīacteria, viruses and parasites are some of the common causes of infectious diarrhea. This prevents stool from becoming firm and solid. In addition, water reabsorption may be affected thereby resulting in excessive fluid within the bowels. It is defined as having three or more bowel movements within a 24 hour period where the stool is typically watery.ĭiarrhea is usually due to faster than normal bowel motility (movement through the bowels) which may occur for various reasons. Diarrhea is a symptom of various conditions. It is important to understand what diarrhea is and how it can occur. Sometimes chronic medication may be the cause, which the elderly are more likely to use since these chronic ailments are more common in the senior years. Chronic diarrhea is more likely associated with certain chronic diseases of the bowel or sometimes with other organs and systems. This is not uncommon to any age group but the elderly may be prone to infectious diarrhea and dietary-related diarrhea for several reasons. Most of the time acute diarrhea is due to infections and certain foods. However, recurrent diarrhea (diarrhea that comes and goes) may also be considered as chronic. Usually this is defined as diarrhea that persist for more than 4 weeks. Chronic diarrhea persists for long periods of time. It may require medical treatment or resolve on its own without ay treatment. The causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea can differ significantly and some of these causes may not be easily treated.Īcute diarrhea refers to diarrhea that arises suddenly, is intense but for a short period of time and resolves thereafter. When diarrhea does arise, it has to be established whether it is acute or chronic. However, some elderly people are more prone to the other extreme of bowel habit – constipation. Some of these age-specific causes of diarrhea should be considered for the elderly, especially when the diarrhea is recurrent or persistent and not due to any clearly identifiable disease.Ĭhronic diarrhea is a common ailment that some seniors suffer with and the elderly may also be more prone to acute diarrhea than younger adults. However, there may be certain reasons why diarrhea is more likely to occur in a specific age group. Many of the causes of diarrhea across all ages are usually similar. It is one of the common ailments that we all suffer with from infancy until the senior years.

Diarrhea can affect any person from any age.

Dehydration and overflow diarrhea