Secretory Diarrhea
- Secretory diarrhea is usually characterized by a large volumes of watery diarrhea. There is usually little pain and notably the diarrhea continues even in the absence of food intake.
- Excessive Intestinal Secretion
- Fecal Impaction: Chronic irritation of the large intestine mucosa by impacted feces generally leads to increased large intestinal secretion in a misguided attempt to dilute the irritant
- Microbes: A number of infectious agents cause secretory diarrhea by enhancing small intestinal secretion but they are considered as part of Infectious Diarrhea
- Reduced GI Water and Electrolyte Absorption
- Resection of ileum: Insufficient surface area for complete water and electrolyte absorption
- Hypersecretion of VIP: Either due to VIPoma or thyroid medullary carcinoma