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Previous Volume 355:236-239 July 20, 2006 Number 3 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Diarrhea can be classified in several ways. It is both a symptom and a sign. As a symptom, it is whatever the patient says it is: a decrease in consistency, an increase in the number or volume of bowel movements, or any combination thereof. As a sign, diarrhea is an increase in stool weight (or volume) of more than 200 g (or ml) per 24 hours in a person on a Western diet. The distinction between chronic and acute diarrhea is arbitrary: it is determined by duration. Diarrhea is generally considered acute when it lasts less than two or three . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Dr. Binder is a professor of medicine and cellular and molecular physiology at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

Related Letters:

Causes of Chronic Diarrhea
Focosi D., Binder H. J.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1833-1834, Oct 26, 2006. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Focosi, D., Binder, H. J. (2006). Causes of Chronic Diarrhea. NEJM 355: 1833-1834 [Full Text]