Table 11-1.

Differentiation of Small Versus Large Bowel Diarrhea^*

Differentiation of small versus large bowel diarrhea based upon clinical signs and the physical appearance of feces.
Sign	Small Bowel	Large Bowel
Frequency of defecation	Normal to mildly increased	Markedly increased
Fecal volume	Normal to increased	Decreased
Fecal mucus	Usually absent	Often present
Fecal blood	Melena	Hematochezia
Tenesmus	Absent	Often present
Urgency	Absent	Often present
Vomiting	May be present	May be present
Steatorrhea	May be present	Absent
Dyschezia	Absent	Often present
Weight loss	Common	Uncommon

^*Caution should be heeded with the oversimplistic attempts at compartmentalizing the diarrhea into a small bowel versus a large bowel compartment, as many diarrheal diseases can have diffuse involvement histologically.