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Review
. 2021 Feb;37(1):103-117.
doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2020.08.008. Epub 2020 Nov 2.

Common Diarrheal Illnesses in the Elderly

Enad Dawod  1 , Carl V Crawford  2
Affiliations
Review

Common Diarrheal Illnesses in the Elderly

Enad Dawod et al. Clin Geriatr Med. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Diarrhea is a fairly common problem among the elderly that has a higher morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. There are multiple reasons for diarrhea in the elderly that can be stratified by different mechanisms: infectious, osmotic, secretory, inflammatory, and malabsorptive. Oral hydration and dietary management are the basic management principles for all forms of diarrhea but specific treatment should address the root cause of diarrhea in order to improve outcomes.

Keywords: Clostridioides difficile infection; Diarrhea; Elderly; Geriatrics; Infectious diarrhea; Malabsorption; Osmotic diarrhea; Secretory diarrhea.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure C.V. Crawford: Speaker’s bureau for Merck & Co., Inc, Site PI Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Site PI Finch Therapeutics, Site PI Summit Therapeutics, Site PI Artrugen Therapeutics and also a speaker for Romark Laboratories, LC. E. Dawod has nothing to disclose.