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Encyclopedia entry: diarrhoea
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to the Body
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to the Body 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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diarrhoea
is a world-wide health problem. It ranges from a trivial nuisance for travellers to a fatal illness, particularly among children in underdeveloped countries. Infection is the commonest but not the only cause of diarrhoea. The several causes will be reviewed, but first it is necessary to be clear about the meaning of the term itself.
Diarrhoea is commonly defined as a change in bowel habit resulting in an increase in stool frequency or fluidity or both. Since stool frequency and consistency varies widely in the normal population it is the change from what is usual that is important. Stool frequency alone is not a good indicator of ‘true diarrhoea’ since stool frequency ...