Several conditions cause symptoms of diarrhea and stomach pain. Food poisoning generally begins within a few hours of eating unwashed, undercooked or mishandled items. Gastroenteritis results a viral infection. Both conditions typically are self-limiting and have other symptoms, including vomiting, headache and fever. Complications, such as dehydration, may become more severe in the very young or elderly.
Giardiasis
Spread by contaminated water, Giardia lamblia is a microscopic parasite. It takes less than ten of these organisms to interfere with fat and carbohydrate absorption in the small intestine, according to The Nemours Foundation, which adds that symptoms of giardiasis may last a week or more. Severe watery diarrhea and crampy abdominal pain characterize this condition. Stools float, appear shiny and are malodorous due to high fat content. Giardiasis infects young children more often than adults and is diagnosed through stool sampling.
Lactose Intolerance
Without enough lactase, an enzyme produced in the small intestine, stomach cramps, flatulence and diarrhea result from the ingestion of dairy products. Symptoms can be mild or quite uncomfortable, depending on the severity of the deficiency and how much milk sugar suffers have consumed. Cow's milk, ice cream and sour cream are examples of offending foods. Lactose intolerance may be a normal part of aging, as well as a side effect of diseases affecting the small intestine. It occurs commonly among those of African, Asian, Hispanic or Native American heritage, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Irritable Bowel Sydrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, remains the most common functional disorder of the digestive tract, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Also known as spastic colon, it affects mostly young to middle aged adults. In IBS, the muscular contractions of the bowel are abnormal, trapping waste materials and causing irritation and excess mucus secretion. Diarrhea with mucus and stomach pain typically occur shortly after meals and may alternate with constipation. IBS does not cause bowel cancer.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
A group of conditions characterized by painful swelling and deterioration of the intestines, Crohn's disease or CD and ulcerative colitis or UC are two types of inflammatory bowel diseases. Symptoms of CD and UC have similarities, but differ in the area of the digestive tract involved. The most common symptom includes frequent diarrhea, accompanied by abdominal cramping. Stool may become bloody. According to Cedars-Sinai, the onset of IBD most likely occurs between the ages of 15 and 25, and it seems to run in families.
Celiac Disease
An abnormal immune reaction to gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, celiac disease has a genetic component and occurs more commonly in those of European descent. Also known as gluten intolerance, celiac disease destroys villi, the tiny fingerlike projections in the small intestine. This part of the bowel is where most fluid and many nutrients become absorbed. Classic symptoms of celiac disease include watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss. A strict gluten-free diet allows the bowel to heal and resolves symptoms.
