Body aches, chills and diarrhoea: what to know

A stomach infection or foodborne illness can irritate the gut while the immune response causes chills and muscle aches. COVID-19 can include diarrhoea as well as body aches, and Influenza may cause aches and fever with gastrointestinal symptoms in some people. Recent travel, untreated water, mosquito exposure, or animal contact can make illnesses such as Dengue Fever, Malaria, or Brucellosis relevant to a clinician's assessment. Long COVID may cause ongoing symptoms after infection, but new diarrhoea needs its own evaluation. The symptom combination does not identify a diagnosis without an examination and history.

Take frequent small sips of water or an oral rehydration drink, especially after loose stools. Eat light foods when able and avoid alcohol; pause strenuous activity. Wash hands carefully and avoid preparing food for others while diarrhoea continues. Do not take an anti-diarrhoeal medicine if you have blood in the stool or a high fever unless a clinician advises it. Ask a pharmacist about medicines if you are pregnant, caring for a child, or have kidney disease. Note stool changes, urine output, fever, and recent foods or travel.

Seek urgent care for confusion, fainting, severe weakness, very little urine, inability to keep fluids down, blood or black stool, severe abdominal pain, breathing difficulty, or a rapidly worsening illness. Get prompt advice for persistent fever, repeated watery stools, symptoms in an older or medically vulnerable person, or diarrhoea after relevant travel. Dehydration can develop quickly when fluid losses exceed intake.

Could I be dehydrated, and do I need testing? Which foods, medicines, travel exposures, or contacts might explain this illness? What should I drink and which symptoms mean I should return urgently?