Ongoing or intermittent diarrhea in children

Diarrhea that is continuous or comes and goes in a young child can have many causes, including:

• Food intolerance.
• Stress.
• Parasitic, viral, or bacterial infections.
• Inflammatory bowel disease.
• Abnormal intestinal structure.
• Side effect of a medication.

It is not uncommon for a child with ongoing diarrhea to have abdominal pain with the diarrhea.

Many babies may seem to have cramping abdominal pain that is continuous or comes and goes and causes them to be fussy and irritable (usually in the evening) for 2 to 3 months. Colic may occur at the same time that the child has abdominal pain and diarrhea. While the cause of colic is unknown, passing stools seems to relieve some of their abdominal pain and may help the colicky behavior. Occasionally a more complete evaluation will be done to rule out more serious problems.

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