Understanding Diarrhea -- Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of Diarrhea?
- Increased frequency of bowel movements
- Loose, watery stools
- Urgency (having to go right away)
- Incontinence (leakage of stool)
- Bloating, gas
- Rectal pain
- Lower abdominal pain or cramping
- Nausea, vomiting
- Fever
- Blood or flecks of mucus in the stool
- Loss of appetite, weight loss
Call Your Doctor About Diarrhea If:
You have diarrhea for more than four days, or if you have diarrhea with any of the following:
- Blood in your stool
- Dark-black, foul-smelling stool that looks like tar. However, tell your doctor if you have been taking over-the-counter medications, such as Pepto-Bismol, which also can make the stool look darker than usual.
- Mucus passed with no stool
- Abdominal pain
- Rectal pain
- Fever
- Dehydration
- Recent travel out of the country
- Recent seafood consumption
- Reason to believe that you have food poisoning
- Family members who have similar illness
WebMD Medical Reference
Reviewed by
Andrew Seibert, MD on April 16, 2012
© 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
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