What may increase your risk for problems from diarrhea?
Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.
Conditions
- Age older than 60
- Developed diarrhea:
- After drinking untreated water or unpasteurized dairy products
- During or after travelling, especially to underdeveloped areas of the world
- During or after a ship cruise
- After swimming in contaminated water
- Exposure to farm animals
- Group living situations, such as nursing homes, dormitories, military boot camps, child care centres, or older-adult assisted-living centres
- Previous gallbladder surgery
- Previous abdominal surgery
- Previous bariatric surgery for obesity
- Previous radiation therapy
Lifestyle choices
- Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
- Drug abuse or withdrawal
- Engaging in oral or anal sex
- Handling food or working in a daycare centre or hospital
Medicines
- Antibiotics, such as ampicillin, clindamycin, erythromycin, or Clavulin
- Cephalosporins, such as Ceclor
- Digoxin
- Lithium
- Medicines to support an organ transplant
- Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
- Radiation therapy
- Theophylline
Diseases
- Cancer
- Coronary artery disease or heart failure
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Digestive problems, such as lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
- Endocrine disorders, such as Addison's disease or thyroid disease
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
- Inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
- Kidney disease
- Malabsorption syndromes, such as celiac disease
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: September 5, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology | |
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