Most individuals who have CSID begin their diagnostic journey in the office of their pediatrician or primary care physician. Typically, these doctors will suspect the diagnosis is one of several more common conditions that cause diarrhea. These can include the catch-all diagnosis, toddler’s diarrhea, which is the name for chronic, nonspecific diarrhea. Other common diagnoses include irritable bowel syndrome, a condition possibly related to intestinal inflammation that can cause either chronic diarrhea or constipation; the presence of intestinal parasites (organisms that can infect the intestines); or other intestinal infections. When treatments, such as antibiotics, for these more common conditions do not relieve the symptoms, doctors often will refer the patient to a gastroenterologist, a physician who specializes in ailments of the digestive system.
The gastroenterologist will usually begin with a routine analysis of the patient’s well-being, including a physical examination, history of medical conditions, symptoms or complaints, family history, and dietary history. The physician may order a series of tests to determine the exact diagnosis.