Acute diarrhoea

The bowel is moving fluid through before enough water can be absorbed, or it is releasing extra fluid because the lining is irritated. Gastroenteritis and food poisoning commonly present with acute diarrhoea. Travel-related infections, medicines, alcohol, dietary triggers, and flare-ups of an existing bowel condition are other possibilities.

Stool appearance and accompanying features help guide assessment. Watery stool with vomiting may fit a short-lived infection, while blood, mucus, severe pain, fever, oily stool, weight loss, or repeated episodes point toward causes that deserve clinical review. Diarrhoea by itself does not identify a particular condition.

Sip fluids regularly and use oral rehydration solution when losses are substantial or vomiting is also present. Continue breastfeeding, and eat small portions when hungry. Note how often stools occur, whether there is blood, your urine output, temperature, abdominal pain, recent travel, meals, sick contacts, and new medicines.

Use soap and water after using the toilet and before handling food; alcohol hand gel is not a complete substitute for some gut infections. Do not prepare meals for others while symptomatic. A pharmacist can advise whether any non-prescription medicine is suitable for your age, symptoms, and health conditions.

Obtain urgent care for bloody or black stool, severe abdominal pain, a hard or distended abdomen, repeated vomiting that prevents drinking, fainting, confusion, unusual drowsiness, very low urine output, or clear deterioration. Call emergency services for collapse, difficulty waking, or breathing problems.

Seek early advice when the affected person is very young, older and frail, pregnant, immunocompromised, or living with major kidney, heart, or bowel disease. Recent antibiotic use, a recent hospital stay, persistent symptoms, or recurrent bouts also warrant clinical assessment.

Ask whether your history suggests an infection, medicine effect, food trigger, or ongoing bowel disorder; whether testing is appropriate; and how to prevent dehydration. Mention household cases and work involving food, healthcare, or young children because infection-control advice may affect your return.