Chronic Diarrhea and weight loss

ABSTRACT

Chronic diarrhea and weight loss in adults pose a challenging diagnostic dilemma to the clinician. A thorough history, physical examination, and simple laboratory evaluation will yield a diagnosis in great majority of patients. For a substantial number, no diagnosis is reached after initial evaluation. Patients thus undergo an extensive clinical evaluation, and sometimes hospitalization, before a diagnosis is made. The goal of this case discussion is to present a stepwise evaluation and management plan of patients with chronic diarrhoea and weight loss