Diarrhea and fever can leave you feeling pretty awful and wondering what causes diarrhea.

Food poisoning symptoms and norovirus symptoms can both include fever and diarrhea.

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Woman checking temperature with thermometer at home

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Diarrhea is a primary symptom of gastroenteritis, while fever is slightly less common.

Other symptoms include:

A stomach bug usually comes on suddenly and resolves within three days or so.

Is Diarrhea Contagious?

Many causes of diarrhea, including viruses and bacteria,are contagious.

coli(E. coli) in your food.Food poisoning can also be because of other pathogens besides bacteria.

Other symptoms of food poisoning include:

Food poisoning usually comes on suddenly.

COVID-19

Fever is one of the primary symptoms of COVID-19, and some people experiencediarrhea with COVIDtoo.

Other symptoms include:

If you have COVID, you will notice that your symptoms start mild but build.

This differs from other causes of fever and diarrhea, which often occur suddenly.

Chronic Gastrointestinal Issues

Some chronic gastrointestinal issues can cause both diarrhea and fever.

Colitis ordiverticulitiscan both cause these symptoms.If you regularly have diarrhea and a fever, talk with your healthcare provider.

They may be able to identify a chronic GI issue that might be causing your symptoms.

Either can cause diarrhea and fever when your intestines become inflamed (a condition known as gastroenteritis).

For example, youll need to take a stab at manage the symptoms of diarrhea while avoiding dehydration.

Also, talk to your healthcare provider if you are older, immunocompromised, or were recently hospitalized.

Summary

Its common to have diarrhea and fever together.

This set of symptoms is often because of viral or bacterial illness, including food poisoning.

More rarely, it can also be a sign of chronic GI conditions.

In most cases, diarrhea and fever will get better on their own within a few days.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Food poisoning symptoms.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms and causes of food poisoning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of diverticular diseases.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for diarrhea.