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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Diarrhoea

My son is going on 30 this November and he looks so skinny like he has a 14 yr. old body but he complains that he feels like he is going on 90 yrs. old because all he wants to do is sleep all the time. He has been having a lot of diarreah. Tries to eat all he can. Should he go see a doctor?
posted on Thu, 8 Sep 2016
Twitter Tue, 27 Sep 2016 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 28 Sep 2016 Last reviewed on
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic

Yes, he should be seen. The persistent diarrhea may be the reason that he finds it difficult to maintain an appropriate weight and it would also contribute to his fatigue.

If his diarrhea has been ongoing for at least 4 weeks then it would be called chronic diarrhea.

There are different possible causes of chronic diarrhea such as: (1)irritable bowel syndrome
(2)inflammatory bowel disease such as crohns or ulcerative colitis
(3)infection
(4) hormonal causes such as hyperthyroidism (high levels of thyroid hormone). This would also affect weight
(5)metabolic conditions such as diabetes, which can affect the nerves of the GI tract and therefore cause diarrhea
(6)side effect of medication
(7)food allergy or sensitivity to particular foods

To find out the exact cause , he would need to be assessed by his doctor. This would include physical examination, stool sample to the lab and blood tests.
Depending on the results of the above, imaging of the intestines may also be needed.

I hope this helps
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Suggest Treatment For Diarrhoea

Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic Yes, he should be seen. The persistent diarrhea may be the reason that he finds it difficult to maintain an appropriate weight and it would also contribute to his fatigue. If his diarrhea has been ongoing for at least 4 weeks then it would be called chronic diarrhea. There are different possible causes of chronic diarrhea such as: (1)irritable bowel syndrome (2)inflammatory bowel disease such as crohns or ulcerative colitis (3)infection (4) hormonal causes such as hyperthyroidism (high levels of thyroid hormone). This would also affect weight (5)metabolic conditions such as diabetes, which can affect the nerves of the GI tract and therefore cause diarrhea (6)side effect of medication (7)food allergy or sensitivity to particular foods To find out the exact cause , he would need to be assessed by his doctor. This would include physical examination, stool sample to the lab and blood tests. Depending on the results of the above, imaging of the intestines may also be needed. I hope this helps