Diarrhea( diarrhea) - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Diarrhea is a syndrome that manifests itself as a watery liquid stool( diarrhea) 3 or more times a day or with a stool with a blood admixture more than 1 time per day.

Symptoms of diarrhea:

Frequent bowel movements, liquid stool, loose stools, diarrhea, watery

chair Diseases in which diarrhea can occur

• Addison's disease
• Celiac disease
• Bowel cancer
• Crohn's disease
• Diabetes
• Intestinal bug
•Gastroenteritis( gastric flu)
• lamblia intestinal( type of protozoa, flagellar, human small intestine parasite -Giardia Lamblia)
• Human immunodeficiency virus
• Hyperthyroidism
• Inflammatory bowel disease: intestinal•
irritable bowel syndrome •
lactose intolerance •
lactose intolerance •
melanosis • microscopic colitis( lymphocyte colitis and collagen colitis)
•
rotavirus •
toxic shock syndrome •
travelers diarrhea •

peptic colitis •

can lead to diarrhea • Resectionintestine
• Collagen colitis
•
fistula • Bowel ischemia
• Medications( both prescription and over-the-counter)

• Intestinal parasites
• Radiation therapy
• Whipple's disease
• Food poisoning

Causes of diarrhea

There is an acute and chronic form of diarrhea. Acute diarrhea is associated with intestinal infection and has a viral, bacterial and parasitic nature lasting up to 4 weeks. Chronic diarrhea is associated with diseases of the digestive system and lasts more than 4 weeks.

Acute diarrhea is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, with food and water contaminated with microorganisms. The causative agents of diarrhea are: bacteria( Escherichia coli, salmonella, dysenteric bacteria, cholera vibrio), viruses( rotaviruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses) and protozoa( lamblia, dysenteric amoeba).The severity of the manifestation of the disease depends on the pathogen, the number of microbes caught in the gastrointestinal tract, the state of the human immune system.

Acute intestinal infection caused by Escherichia coli flows with moderate effects of general intoxication: chills, weakness, decreased appetite, fever to 38 C, paroxysmal pains in the lower half of the abdomen, false urges to act of defecation, liquid stool up to 10 times a day. Symptoms last no more than a week.

Diarrhea caused by salmonella, dysentery bacteria is difficult. Frequent watery stool up to 10-30 times a day, with an admixture of blood and pus. Pain in the abdomen, false urge to act of defecation. During and after defecation, there are tenesmus - the pulling character of pain in the rectum area, the temperature rises to 40 C. Due to dehydration of the body, there is tachycardia, lowering of arterial pressure, dry skin, weakness.

The most serious infectious disease prone to pandemic spreading - cholera, begins suddenly, acutely with frequent, copious, watery diarrhea, multiple vomiting, quickly leading to dehydration of the body. Muscular weakness, dry skin, increased pulse, blood pressure drops, convulsions appear. Body temperature remains normal or decreased, there are no abdominal pains, nausea.

Diarrhea caused by parasitic pathogens( amoebas, lamblia) develops gradually and is manifested by bloody diarrhea, constant pain in the abdomen.

Allocate travelers diarrhea. It occurs in the first two weeks for people traveling outside their region, and lasts no more than one week. The causes of this form of diarrhea are changes in diet, water quality, climate change, stress. All cases of the disease are associated with the infection of water and food with microorganisms. The disease begins sharply, the body temperature is normal, nausea, vomiting, cramping abdominal pain, frequent, up to 10 times a day watery stool. The disease occurs when taking care of enveloping agents and in compliance with the diet, hygienic rules( avoid eating food, not enough heat-treated, unpasteurized dairy products, tap water, vegetables and fruits washed with such water, wash hands before meals and after visiting public places,toilet).

Acute respiratory diseases, more often caused by adenovirus and rotavirus infection, along with catarrhal symptoms( nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, dry cough, sore throat) can cause acute viral gastroenteritis, manifested by frequent loose stools, nausea, vomiting, fever, muscle weakness. In cases of severe influenza, more often "pork", along with a rise in temperature to 40C, headache, pain in the muscles and joints, dry cough, shortness of breath, there is a frequent, liquid stool.

Chronic diarrhea manifests many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by pain in the upper half of the abdomen, surrounding the character, giving to the left half of the chest. The pain is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, not bringing relief, bloating and a frequent, profuse, stinking stool, steatorrhoea. The aggravation of the disease provokes the use of acute, fatty, smoked food, alcohol.

Bloody diarrhea, especially at night, abdominal pain, anemia, fever up to 38 degrees, joint pain - occur with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, pseudomembranous colitis, intestinal tumors.

Celiac disease is a congenital disease caused by a deficiency of enzymes in digestive herbs, manifested by diarrhea( stool abundant, foamy), bloating, weight loss, anemia. Exacerbations of the disease are associated with the use of products from wheat, rye, oats, barley.

Diarrhea is accompanied by non-infectious colitis. They can be caused by the toxic effects of medications( cytostatics, antibiotics, digoxin, salicylates, diclofenac, uncontrolled intake of laxatives), allergies, helminthic invasion, alcohol abuse after radiation therapy.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs during admission or 1 to 10 days after discontinuation. It manifests cramping pains in the abdomen, subsiding after a copious, watery stool. After the drug is discontinued, the symptoms quickly disappear.

Functional diarrhea in irritable bowel syndrome is associated with impaired intestinal motility and is determined when all diseases are eliminated. This condition develops at a young age, the manifestations are associated with the transferred stress, against the background of depressive conditions. Disturb pain, rumbling, bloating, stool disruption in the form of pseudo diarrhea( increased frequency of stool with a consistent consistency of feces).

Diagnosis for diarrhea

For the diagnosis it is necessary to carry out a bacteriological study of the stool, at the same time, the causative agent of the disease is identified, the feces analysis for the eggs of the worms - for the determination of helminthic invasion, the analysis of feces for latent blood - to exclude bloody diarrhea, examination of feces for dysbiosis - to assess the state of microfloraintestines.

Coprocytogram - will help to identify the inflammatory process in the intestine, and the degree of digestion of food, the definition of elastase-1 in stool, its presence confirms the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

General blood test - it determines the signs of acute or chronic inflammation, the presence of anemia. With frequent, profuse diarrhea it is necessary to assess the degree of dehydration of the body, for this purpose electrolytes, total protein and protein fractions are determined in the biochemical analysis of blood.

With chronic diarrhea, a colonoscopy is performed, a sigmoidoscopy - to eliminate the pathology of the large intestine.

To assess the motor function of the intestine, to detect organic changes in the intestine, an x-ray examination is carried out-irrigoscopy.

Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and pelvis - to eliminate pancreatic, liver, abdominal and retroperitoneal tumors.

Treatment of diarrhea( diarrhea)

When treating diarrhea syndrome, you need to follow a diet. Food is divided, all meals are steamed or boiled, eliminated spicy, salty, fried, smoked food, spirits, canned goods, carbonated drinks, coffee, chocolate. It is recommended to take mucous soups, rice porridge, rusks, baked potatoes, boiled eggs.

When diarrhea is used, enveloping agents, enterosorbents, which adsorb and remove from the body viruses, pathogenic bacteria, toxins, intestinal gases.

These substances are always used as first aid for poisoning. Enterosorption is used for acute and chronic poisoning in children and adults. An example of a modern effective enterosorbent for first aid for various poisonings is Enterosgel.

Warning! The use of antidiarrheal drugs( imodium, loperamide) is contraindicated in acute intestinal infection, as they prevent the removal of some of the toxins with liquid contents of the intestine, with bloody diarrhea, since these drugs contribute to aggravation of the intestinal mucosa, thereby aggravating the course of the disease.

In the treatment of diarrhea, medicinal plants with bactericidal, astringent, anti-inflammatory action are used. Blueberry berries( 1-2 teaspoons of dry berries are poured with a glass of boiling water, cooled and taken 4 times a day), decoctions of the oak bark, alder fruits, the root of the bug( 2 tablespoons of plants are poured with 0.5 liters of boiling water, boiled for 20 minutes,and take 2 tablespoons 4 times a day).Accepted within 7-10days.

Complications of diarrhea

Diarrhea is a sign of many diseases, but above all, it causes dehydration, which leads to the development of convulsions, coma. Possible complications of diarrhea include: infectious-toxic shock, sepsis, peritonitis.

The outcome of the disease may be unfavorable in patients with immunodeficiency states( taking hormones, cytotoxic drugs, HIV-infected patients who underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy).Untimely initiated treatment can lead to an unfavorable outcome.

To which doctor should I consult with diarrhea

If diarrhea occurs, you should consult a general practitioner( therapist, pediatrician, family doctor).He will assess the severity of the patient's condition, prescribe the necessary examinations and treatment. You may need a consultation of a gastroenterologist.

Urgent need to seek medical care for patients with diarrhea if: a loose stool more than 10 times a day, high fever, bloody diarrhea, mucus in the stool, copious light stool, lower body temperature below normal, diarrhea in children under 5 years, and adultsover 60 years, with a sharp decrease in blood pressure and deterioration of the general condition.

Therapist doctor of the highest category Vostrykova I.N.