‘Halloween diarrhea’

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When no cause can be found for sudden, severe abdominal bloating and diarrhea, the patient should be questioned regarding possible ingestion of sorbitol, an artificial sweetener that is widely used in food and candy. In this article, Dr Breitenbach reports a case of severe diarrhea in a patient who ate a large amount of candy containing the sweetener and warns that the incidence of this syndrome may be greater around times of increased sorbitol ingestion, such as Halloween.