How is watery bowel movement diagnosed?
In order to be able to diagnose the cause of the watery diarrhea, the medical history is important, as well as various other diagnostic methods. The patient’s medical history can usually already exclude some diseases on the basis of the accompanying symptoms. If the course is rather acute, it is usually an infectious cause.
In order to find the exact pathogen, evidence in the form of microscopic examinations or stool cultures is usually necessary. If the course is chronic, intolerances or inflammatory diseases should be considered. In order to make an exact diagnosis, more extensive diagnostics are usually necessary. Besides physical examinations, imaging procedures such as sonography or endoscopic examinations may be necessary.
Which symptoms are pathological?
Usually watery stools and the associated symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are pathological if they persist over a long period of time. If watery bowel movements occur only within a few hours or a few consecutive days, they are usually harmless.So that this does not become morbid it is important to ensure a sufficient drinking quantity with sufficient electrolytes. However, an acute and briefly occurring watery bowel movement can also lead to complications.
As soon as further symptoms, such as very strong pain, dizziness or other circulation problems occur, they should be clarified medically. If it is a chronic course, in which the watery diarrhea lasts longer than two weeks, it is usually a pathological course. The watery diarrhea can then be caused by an intolerance to certain foods, for example, which persists over a long period of time.
Other chronic intestinal diseases can also be responsible for the fact that symptoms persist over a longer period of time. They should therefore be clarified medically. Aqueous bowel movements are often accompanied by other symptoms.
These include abdominal cramps. Due to the diseases of the gastrointestinal system, the muscles of the intestinal loops are often very active and irritated. These irritations and the strong movements of the gastrointestinal system can then manifest themselves in the form of cramps.
These can occur immediately before or after watery diarrhea, but also during bowel movements. Pressing during the bowel movement puts additional pressure on the stomach and the cramps usually become even stronger. If the cramps are very pronounced, they can be relieved by certain medications which lead to a relaxation of the muscles.
