What Is Diarrhea?
Diarrhea (Greek dia = through, rhein = flowing) means having more than three bowel movements or passing more than 300g of watery stool daily (1).
NOTE: American English spelling is diarrhea, UK English spelling is diarrhoea. Common misspellings for diarrhea: diarea, diahrea, diareah, diarreah.
What Is Not Diarrhea?
Ten diapers a day are usual in a 14 days old infant. Three soft bowel movements a day may be considered normal for adult on a fiber-rich diet. Stool soiling in children who are already toilet trained may be due to defective anus. Stool incontinence or mucus seeping in adults may be due to rectal inflammation, rectal prolapse, hemorrhoids, uncoordinated pelvic floor muscles, or anal muscle or nerve damage (2). In all mentioned cases, bowel movements tend to be of normal volume and consistency.
continue reading Definition of Diarrhea and Normal Bowel Movement (Stool)
