Childhood diarrhoea is most often caused by infection. Much less often, however, it is due to other causes - eg, malabsorption, endocrine abnormalities, hormone-secreting tumours, and pancreatic and liver dysfunction. Acute-onset diarrhoea is usually self-limiting but may have a protracted course. The most common complication of acute diarrhoea is dehydration.1 Non-infectious causes of diarrhoea may have other systemic signs and symptoms and should be considered in all cases, especially if an acute-onset diarrhoea fails to resolve within 14 days or if the condition recurs.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/doctor/paediatrics/childhood-diarrhoea