There is a difference between steatorrhea and general diarrhoea; steatorrhea is a special type of diarrhoea.
Firstly, the causes are different, as general diarrhoea is mainly due to pathogenic infections, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, causing an inflammatory response in the intestinal tract and disorders of the intestinal flora, whereas steatorrhoea is mainly caused by non-infectious factors, and is a clinical syndrome resulting from impaired digestion or absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, such as the small intestine not being able to regularly absorb nutrients such as fats, proteins, minerals, sugars and multivitamins.
Secondly, the symptoms are different. In general, diarrhoea is a more common disease in life, that is, diarrhoea, which means that the number of bowel movements significantly exceeds the usual frequency, or even contains a lot of water or undigested food or pus, blood or mucus, and is often accompanied by a sense of urgency in defecation, anal discomfort and incontinence, etc.; while steatorrhoea is not only manifested as abdominal pain and diarrhoea, but also serious malabsorption of nutrients, such as weakness, emaciation , oedema, and even symptoms of anaemia, and in severe cases, palpitations and chest tightness may be present.