Chronic Nonspecific Diarrhea
Robert H. Judd MD1
1 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Case Presentation
A toddler is seen for his 2-year well child examination. His parents are concerned and have received complaints from his child care provider that he has three to four loose, watery bowel movements daily; each bowel movement requires a clean-up and change of clothes. This diarrhea has been present intermittently for at least 6 months. He has a very good appetite, no other abdominal symptoms, and no blood in his stools. His development appears normal. Physical examination is entirely normal, including a weight of 13 kg and height of 90 cm, both at the 75th percentile for age. What additional history is useful, what laboratory evaluation would you perform, and how would you advise his parents?
Introduction
Gastrointestinal disorders account for approximately 5% of pediatric office visits. Many of these visits are for acute diarrhea that usually is infectious in origin and resolves in fewer than 7 days. Diarrhea in the young child that persists for longer than 3 weeks is termed chronic and can be frustrating and anxiety provoking for both physicians and parents. Through careful clinical assessment, the clinician can separate the majority of patients who require only observation from those who require a limited number of simple tests or those who require extensive testing.
Definition
