الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Diarrhea is one of the most common complaints faced by internists and primary care physicians and accounts for many referrals to gastroenterologists.
Diarrhea is classified as acute if the duration is less than 2 weeks, and chronic if the duration lasts more than 4 weeks. This classification is important since each of them has different etiologies, clinical approach and investigations. Any disturbances in the basic pathophysiological processes including active secretion ,osmosis, exudation or inflammation, and altered motility result in diarrhea.
Diagnosis of chronic diarrhea depends on detailed history ,physical examination, laboratory investigations, imaging and endoscopic procedures.
The current study aimed at providing the prevalence of etiologies of chronic diarrhea among patients attended to Gastroenterology clinic in Alexandria Main University Hospital.
The study included 69 patients complained from diarrhea more than 4 weeks in the period from August 2019 to August 2020. Patients who are taking corticosteroids, immunomodulators or biological therapy, pregnancy, severe burn or sepsis were excluded.