How long does watery bowel movement last?
The duration of the watery bowel movements is generally very variable.Sometimes the diarrhea can only occur over a few hours and is then usually harmless. However, watery bowel movements can also occur over several days or weeks. In most cases, the prognosis is then somewhat worse, as the diseases are often more serious.
If an infection is responsible for the symptoms, the diarrhea usually subsides relatively quickly, within a few days, after proper treatment. If the cause is not infectious, the duration is usually somewhat longer, as the treatment of the disease is usually more complex. Since diarrheal diseases are relatively frequent, the course of the disease is usually harmless.
Basically, the symptoms of watery stools should improve after a few days. Accompanying symptoms such as vomiting, nausea or abdominal cramps should also get better as the disease progresses. If this is not the case, the course of the disease may be more serious or the illness may be more severe. This should then be clarified, as life-threatening conditions such as circulatory problems or similar can also occur during the course of the disease.
How can I tell if watery stools are contagious?
In principle, most infectious diseases that cause watery bowel movements are contagious. These are mainly viral or bacterial pathogens. An indication of an infectious disease is that the symptoms of diarrhea are acute, i.e. spontaneous and short-term.
Accompanying symptoms such as nausea or vomiting also tend to indicate an infectious cause and thus a potentially contagious disease. Hygienic measures are particularly important to prevent the pathogens from being transmitted to other people. Thorough washing of hands and disinfection of surfaces can help to eliminate the pathogens and reduce the risk of infection.
