Insidens diare kronik di Asia berkisar antara 0,8 ? 1,0%. Lokasi penyakit dan kelainan yang menimbulkan diare kronik dapat dibagi atas 3 kelompok yaitu usus halus, usus besar dan ekstra intestinal. Penyakit-penyakit pada usus halus terdiri dari infeksi dan non-infeksi. Penyakit-penyakit infeksi antara lain yaitu infeksi bakterial, infeksi parasit dll. Penyakit-penyakit non-infeksi yang menimbulkan diare kronik a.l. penyakit Crohn, ?Celiac sprue?, enteropati OAINS, intoleransi laktose, tumor jinak, tumor karsinoid, karsinoma, komplikasi pasca bedah, obat laksatif dll. Pendekatan diagnosis terdiri dari anamnesis riwayat penyakit yang baik, pemeriksaan fisik yang teliti, laboratorium penunjang, laboratorium penunjang yang lebih spesifik termasuk foto rontgen kolon, foto rontgen ?esofagogastroduodenum follow-through?, ?enteroclysis?, pemeriksaan ileo-kolonoskopi dan endoskopi saluran cerna atas termasuk usus halus dengan biopsi untuk pemeriksaan histopatologi. Pengobatan diare kronik dibagi atas pengobatan suportif dan kausal. (Med J Indones 2002; 11: 179-89)
The incidence of chronic diarrhea in Asia is between 0.8 ? 1.0%. The diseases and abnormalities according to the location, which can cause chronic diarrhea, are divided into three locations: the small bowel, the large bowel and extraintestinal. The small bowel diseases include infectious and non-infectious diseases. The infectious diseases are bacterial infections, parasitic infections etc. The non-infectious diseases include of Crohn?s disease, Celiac sprue, NSAID enteropathy, lactose intolerance, benign tumor, carcinoid tumor, carcinoma, post surgery complications, laxative etc. The approaches to diagnosis include good anamnesis, careful physical examination, supporting laboratory tests, more specialized supporting examinations including X-ray of the colon, esophagogastroduodenum follow-through, enteroclysis, ileo-colonoscopy and endoscopy on the upper portion of the digestive tract including the small intestine with biopsy for histopathology examinations. The treatment for chronic diarrhea is divided into supportive and causal therapy. (Med J Indones 2002; 11: 179-89)
