Long-term diarrhea in the elderly often stems from chronic conditions (like IBS, IBD, diabetes), medication side effects, infections (like C. diff), malabsorption, dietary issues (lactose intolerance), diverticular disease, or weakened immunity, with common culprits including microscopic colitis and nerve damage from diabetes (diabetic neuropathy). Addressing the root cause, often requiring medical investigation for diarrhea lasting over a few weeks, is crucial.
Common Causes in Older Adults
A wide variety of conditions can cause diarrhea in older adults. They range from common causes, like infection, to less common causes, like autoimmune and endocrine disorders. Infectious Diarrhea typically has an abrupt onset. The etiology can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic.
Partial intestine or gallbladder removal surgeries can sometimes cause diarrhea. Other digestive disorders. Chronic diarrhea has a number of other causes, such as IBS, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, microscopic colitis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
Metformin is also associated with gastrointestinal side effects like abdominal bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Metformin-related gastrointestinal side effects are mainly due to alteration in gut microbiota, raised intestinal glucose, and increased ileal bile salt reabsorption.
You should avoid certain kinds of foods when you have diarrhea, including fried foods and greasy foods. Avoid fruits and vegetables that can cause gas, such as broccoli, peppers, beans, peas, berries, prunes, chickpeas, green leafy vegetables, and corn. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks.
Causes may include gastrointestinal infections, ulcerative colitis, and thyroid problems, among others. Loose stools may occur after eating or at other points in the day. They may be softer than a person's usual stools. They may also be watery, mushy, or shapeless and can have a strong, foul odor.
Common side effects
Diabetes can cause diarrhea, along with several other gastrointestinal (digestive) problems. Diarrhea is a common symptom of diabetes. It's more common in people who have had diabetes for a long time. Sometimes, people with diabetes-related diarrhea also experience fecal (bowel) incontinence, especially at night.
Medicines that can affect metformin
steroid tablets, such as prednisolone. tablets that make you pee more (diuretics), such as furosemide. medicines to treat heart problems and high blood pressure (hypertension) male and female hormones, such as testosterone, oestrogen or progesterone.
Certain cancers can cause diarrhea. These include neuroendocrine tumors, colon cancer, lymphoma, medullary thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Kidney failure (renal failure) is a primary organ failure that commonly causes diarrhea due to the buildup of toxins, electrolyte imbalances, and inflammation in the intestines, while severe diarrhea itself can lead to acute kidney injury by causing dehydration and electrolyte loss, creating a vicious cycle. Other organ issues, especially those affecting the gastrointestinal tract like inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis) or liver conditions, also cause diarrhea, but kidney failure directly impacts bowel function significantly.
Functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional diarrhea are common causes of chronic diarrhea. Secretory diarrhea can be caused by bile acid malabsorption, microscopic colitis, endocrine disorders, and some postsurgical states.
Many medications, like certain antibiotics, metformin, colchicine (Colcrys), lithium, and sertraline (Zoloft) can frequently cause diarrhea. But for most medications, diarrhea is not a common side effect.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and pain. In severe cases, you may become dehydrated and have an electrolyte imbalance. Bacterial gastroenteritis is sometimes treated with antibiotics.
In adults and children: diarrhoea usually stops within 5 to 7 days.
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia
Symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis
Common symptoms of diabetes:
Metformin is not known to be harmful to the kidneys and other body organs. However, renal impairment, liver disease, and heart failure can increase the risk of developing lactic acidosis with metformin use.
If you take metformin (Glucophage) and have a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting stop taking the metformin. Call your doctor or the consulting nurse for advice about what you should do next. Otherwise, continue taking your diabetes medicine as usual.
Common alternatives to metformin include glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, sodium-glucose transport 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.
The "3 poop rule," or "three-and-three rule," is a guideline for normal bowel habits, suggesting that pooping anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is considered healthy, with individual patterns varying widely. It helps identify issues: fewer than three times a week may signal constipation, while more than three times a day (especially with loose stools) might indicate diarrhea, prompting a doctor visit for persistent problems, notes Symprove UK.
Chronic and frequent diarrhea is an everyday experience for some people, but under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be. Your colon, where poop is formed, is reacting to something abnormal. Some people have chronic bowel diseases that cause chronic diarrhea.
Diverticulitis causes several noticeable changes in your poop, including altered color (bright red, maroon, or black), different shapes (thin, pellet-like, or irregular), and unusual texture (watery diarrhea or hard constipation).