Persistent diarrhea is a commonly encountered but poorly recognized and often misunderstood illness, according to Herbert DuPont, MD, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
In a literature review published in JAMA Tuesday, Dr. DuPont asserts clinicians do not often focus on how many days patients have had diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea is defined as lasting longer than 14 days.
"I'd like to educate doctors about the importance of taking the history and assessing duration of illness," Dr. DuPont said. "For acute diarrhea, the lab has a minimal role, restricted to patients passing bloody stools. If a patient has had diarrhea for two weeks or more, the doctor should focus on the cause of the disease through laboratory testing, with an emphasis on parasites."
Within the last year, a new testing method — multiplex polymerase chain reaction — was developed. The test can detect a panel of causes of diarrhea, including parasites.
"These new tests are easy to use, are capable of detecting a broad range of pathogens and represent a significant improvement over culture-based diagnostic approaches. The technology needs to be more widely available. Diagnosis is critical when treating persistent diarrhea," Dr. DuPont said.