Symptoms

The common symptoms of diarrhea include a change in the form of the stool, which is more of a watery or loose stool. Other symptoms that occur include an increase in frequency or urgency, which means that a patient needs to run to the bathroom or has a feeling that they need to rush and have a bowel movement before they have an incontinent episode. Incontinence, which means the inability to actually hold a stool and having an accident is also a common symptom of diarrhea. A lot of patients with diarrhea also exhibits symptoms of bloating, cramping, and abdominal pain as well. Diarrheal symptoms can definitely be a symptom of something that’s going significantly wrong with the internal GI system such as colon cancer or any other type of malignancy in the GI tract. Patients with pancreatic cancer, pancreatic insufficiency, small bowel disorders in which they have malabsorption or any type of gastric cancer or other gastrointestinal malignancies can definitely be first scene with a diagnosis of diarrhea. Diarrheal symptoms can be a prognostic finding for many other underlying disorders such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis, or even malignancy. That’s why if you do have any signs of chronic diarrhea, you should get evaluated by a physician.