What Is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or when your passage is much more frequent than normal.

While most cases clear up within a few days, if your diarrhea lasts more than three days, you could be at risk for dehydration. In the process of protecting itself and attempting to regain balance, your body rids itself of more than just the problem-causing intruder – important fluids and electrolytes are also flushed from your system which can lead to dehydration.

Diarrhea and the subsequent dehydration can be quite dangerous in children (especially babies), so call your pediatrician if your child’s symptoms persist beyond one day.

While diarrhea typically resolves itself in a few days, drugs such as loperamide may prolong a bout of diarrhea as they work by slowing your body’s natural flushing process and can potentially keep the problem-causing intruder in your gut longer.