The treatment methods and symptoms of intestinal colitis should be well known to anyone who often encounters pain in the lower abdomen. Pathological processes that cannot be ignored also include a violation of stool and appetite, and indigestion. Quite often, they all become signs of intestinal colitis. In this article, we will talk in detail about this disease, what symptoms it is characterized by, how it is treated, and whether there are effective methods of prevention.
About the disease
Before delving into the treatments and symptoms of intestinal colitis, let's look at what this disease is. To understand this, you will need a basic knowledge of human anatomy.
The intestine is a terminal partdigestive tract that ends in the large intestine. In it, nutrients are never absorbed into the blood, in contrast to the thin one. It is intended solely to collect undigested food debris and bring them out through the rectum. Anatomically, the rectum is part of the large intestine.
In addition to the rectum, it also has a transverse, blind, sigmoid, ascending and descending colon. Its total length ranges from 90 to 150 centimeters.
The remains of food that enter the intestinal lumen contain a large amount of electrolytes and water. They are absorbed through the lining of the colon, entering directly into the bloodstream. This is due to the fact that the mucous membrane is rich in blood vessels.
At the same time, a large number of various microorganisms live in the large intestine. Some of them belong to conditionally pathogenic microflora. Perhaps its most striking representative is E. coli. At the same time, most of the microflora is made up of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which do not cause disease, by their presence preventing other microorganisms from multiplying strongly.
So, various diseases are called colitis, in which dystrophic or inflammatory processes develop in the human body. They attack the lining of the colon, causing the intestines to fail to function properly.
Reasons
This disease occurs byvarious reasons. Among them, intoxication, imbalance of microflora, colonization of the intestinal tract by multicellular parasites, and drug therapy are distinguished. In the latter case, antibiotics have a particularly detrimental effect on the human body.
Note that in some varieties of colitis, the causes of the disease remain unknown. For example, these include lymphocytic and collagenous colitis.
It is also unknown why ulcerative colitis occurs. According to the most common version, the disease is associated with autoimmune processes.
In addition, colitis is often caused by other diseases. In particular, gastritis, cholecystitis, gout, enteritis, various autoimmune diseases. There is also colitis provoked by radiation exposure, poisoning with toxic substances.
Intestinal colitis in adults is often ischemic. This type of disease is caused by insufficient blood supply to the walls of the intestines, which leads to disruption of their normal functioning. The most typical ischemic type of the disease for elderly patients. Often it occurs against the background of volvulus, diabetes, trauma, anemia or hernia.
Also, among the factors that contribute to the development of intestinal disease colitis, experts identify:
- stress;
- wrong diet;
- mechanical effect on the rectum (eg abuse of enemas);
- hereditary factors;
- allergic reactions;
- food poisoning;
- unhe althy passion for "hungry" diets.
In most cases, the disease develops under the influence of not just one, but several factors at once. In most cases, the disease occurs in adults, although it happens when children also suffer from it.
Views
Methods of treatment and symptoms of intestinal colitis differ depending on which type of disease the patient's ailment belongs to. When it comes to the total defeat of most of the inner surface of the colon, we are talking about pancolitis. This rarely happens, more often only some parts of the colon are affected.
When inflammation develops only in the rectum, then this type of disease is called proctitis, and if the sigmoid and rectum are affected, then proctosigmoiditis. The latter type is also referred to as distal colitis. Finally, if the disease is also complicated by inflammation of the small intestine, we can talk about enterocolitis.
Also, experts distinguish the following types of colitis:
- catarrhal;
- erosive;
- diffuse;
- ulcerative.
When the disease develops in adults for a long time, it indicates chronic intestinal colitis. With its exacerbation, they speak of acute colitis.
Colitis is also often provoked by an intestinal infection. In this case, it is divided into two types. Specific colitis is caused by salmonella or dysentery bacillus. Lead to nonspecific colitisstreptococci, conditionally pathogenic microflora, staphylococci. Diseases caused by clostridia bacteria are called pseudomembranous colitis. This type of bacteria with strong reproduction releases a large amount of toxins that affect the intestinal mucosa.
Symptoms
Now let's take a closer look at the treatment and symptoms of intestinal colitis in adults. They differ depending on the form and stage of the disease.
Chronic colitis in most cases is characterized by aching, dull and arching pains in the lower abdomen. As a rule, they can be traced along the path of the colon. In the chronic form of the disease, pain intensifies before defecation, after eating, physical exertion, and also during mechanical action on the abdominal cavity. For example, after using public transport.
Severe pain in the form of colic is uncharacteristic of the chronic form. As a rule, they are observed in spastic colitis. At the same time, they mainly have a paroxysmal character.
It should be noted that the chronic type of the disease is often characterized by a variety of symptoms of all kinds of intensity.
Speaking of the classic treatments and symptoms of intestinal colitis in adults, the following signs are distinguished:
- feeling of incomplete emptying of the rectum;
- diarrhea followed by bouts of constipation;
- stool with traces of mucus (may be streaked with greenish or colorless);
- false urge to defecate;
- lack of appetite, nausea;
- bloody discharge in stool;
- bitter in the mouth;
- vomiting;
- flatulence;
- burp.
With exacerbations of the disease, symptoms of intoxication of the whole organism are observed. In this case, it is not easy to determine the treatment. Symptoms of intestinal colitis are similar to those of SARS. These are temperatures up to 38 degrees, headaches, tachycardia, fatigue and weakness.
With intestinal ulcerative colitis, diarrhea becomes more frequent, reaching 20 times a day. In this case, the allocations are very meager. The appearance of constipation is accompanied by involvement in the pathological process of the small intestine.
When a patient develops intestinal inflammation, the symptoms may be similar to allergic reactions. This is itching on the mucous membranes, skin rashes. Vision may be impaired, joint pain, problems with the gallbladder and liver may appear.
Chronic colitis, which develops over a long period of time, often leads to dehydration. It is accompanied by dry mouth, dizziness, beriberi, anemia, weight loss, anuria. In the chronic stage of exacerbation, they occur several times a year.
It should be noted that gastrointestinal colitis appears regardless of the gender of the patient. The appearance of colitis during pregnancy can adversely affect the bearing of the fetus.
Diagnosis
Only a doctor can determine the presence of intestinal disease colitis. Atthe appearance of suspicions and characteristic symptoms, it is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist so that he can select an effective therapy.
Colitis is not easy to diagnose. The difficulty lies in the fact that severe symptoms can indicate other diseases. For example, hemorrhoids or enteritis. At this stage, it is important to determine whether there are other dangerous ailments. Among them, such diseases of the large intestine as malignant tumors or atypical appendicitis are distinguished. Also, irritable bowel syndrome can often be confused with chronic colitis. The symptoms of these ailments are extremely similar to each other. The main difference is that with irritable bowel syndrome, only the disruption of the autonomic nervous system of the intestine, as well as peristalsis, occurs. At the same time, the mucous membrane does not suffer.
When diagnosing nonspecific colitis, it is important to exclude dysentery, Crohn's disease, helminthic invasions, amoebiasis. The diagnosis is made only after a thorough endoscopy.
In this case, specialists use the following methods:
- visual examination of the patient;
- gathering analysis of complaints and anamnesis;
- analysis of feces, blood and urine;
- colonoscopy;
- sigmoidoscopy;
- mucosal biopsy;
- radiography and computed tomography.
All these studies allow the doctor to determine whether there are changes in the composition of urine and blood, whether there is blood in the stool, which may indicate intestinal bleeding. These procedures help determine the condition of the mucosamembranes in the focus of the disease, the type of pathogen in infectious colitis.
Forecast
If the patient begins to ignore the disease, it progresses and develops into more severe forms. Erosive colitis can turn into ulcerative. At the same time, it is impossible to cure chronic colitis on your own, so you should not expect that the disease will go away by itself.
Exceptions are only acute forms that provoke infections. For example, dysentery or salmonellosis. After recovery, the unpleasant consequences finally disappear, they no longer bother patients. With the wrong treatment tactics, the disease develops into a chronic one.
At this stage, the disease is a provoking factor for very dangerous diseases, including tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Even if the worst does not happen, the disease can lead to dangerous septic processes in the circulatory system, peritonitis. These complications already directly threaten the patient's life.
Treatment
Methods of therapy depend on the origin of the disease. Most cases of intestinal colitis are treated conservatively.
The only exception can be ulcerative colitis, in which surgical intervention is indispensable. Also, operations to remove part of the intestine have to be done for Crohn's disease and autoimmune diseases.
Treatment of intestinal colitis in an adult patient is carried out on an outpatient basis. Stay in the hospitalrequired only for flare-ups.
Basically, the patient will have to take medication prescribed by the doctor. In addition to medical methods, for this disease it is also recommended:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- diet;
- massage of the abdomen;
- mud treatment;
- physiotherapy;
- intestinal shower.
An important point in the treatment of colitis is diet. It is developed individually in each case by a specialist. It is selected in such a way that food does not provoke inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract.
Among the basic principles of the diet is the exclusion from the diet of raw, s alty, pickled, fried and smoked foods. Meals should be fractional (it costs at least six times a day). You should also minimize the amount of chocolate, alcohol, foods high in fiber, carbonated drinks.
Dairy and flour products, fatty meats, sweets, oatmeal, millet, barley porridge are banned. Fresh vegetables and fruits are allowed when the patient suffers from severe chronic constipation. But if diarrhea becomes the main manifestation of the disease, then only pureed fresh apples are allowed. All food should be as pure as possible, as small as possible.
The diet should include crackers, stale bread, slimy soups. Poultry meat products are allowed and must be prepared in the form of meatballs or meatballs. Vegetables can only be eaten in chopped form, after boiling them.
Prevention
There are effective methodsprophylaxis to prevent the development of this disease. The likelihood of colitis is greatly reduced when the patient eats well throughout his life, adheres to a balanced and rational diet.
It is also advised to avoid stress, timely treat inflammatory diseases of other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and get rid of infections. Do not take antibiotics on your own without a doctor's prescription.
You should also be aware of the risk factors that can trigger this disease. These are diabetes mellitus, smoking, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, obesity. Therefore, moderate physical activity and the absence of bad habits are also important preventive methods.
Childhood colitis
All parents should remember about the methods of treatment and symptoms of intestinal colitis in children in order to promptly seek help if there are signs of this disease. It is worth remembering that this is a dangerous inflammatory disease, which is characterized by dystrophic changes in the large intestine.
Intestinal colitis in children appears for certain reasons:
- stress;
- presence of bacterial and viral infections;
- heredity;
- food poisoning, malnutrition;
- presence of autoimmune diseases;
- bad environment;
- intestinal dysfunction;
- uncontrolled use of antibacterial drugs;
- abnormal development of digestiveorgans;
- allergy.
Signs and therapy
Symptoms and treatment of intestinal colitis in children largely coincide with the signs of this disease in adults. Therapy is determined based on the characteristics of the course of the disease, its causes. The main symptom of intestinal colitis in children is abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Side effects include bloating, chills, frequent bowel movements, blood clots in the stool, dehydration.
Treatment can be therapeutic or surgical. Surgical intervention is allowed only in cases where other methods do not bring the desired results, and the child suffers from severe pain. As a rule, surgery is prescribed only for diagnoses of Crohn's disease, ischemic colitis, nonspecific colitis.
With this disease, treatment is aimed primarily at eliminating the causes of the disease. You should start with a radical review of the baby's nutrition. Food should be easily absorbed by the body, be light. You should drink plenty of fluids, all this will help restore the functions of the colon.
Abdominal pain and diarrhea are treated with a diet with certain medications and plenty of fluids. In this case, the patient must comply with bed rest, not overwork. In most cases, these measures are enough for the intestines to restore stable functioning.
In severe cases, one has to resort to strong medicines. It could be antibacterialdrugs and antibiotics that are prescribed to treat infections that accompany colitis. Combinations of various powerful drugs are also recommended for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.
Therapy usually begins with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. If they are ineffective, they use drugs that suppress the immune system.
Most often, children develop colitis due to poisoning, malnutrition, not enough fluids drunk during the day. Therefore, to prevent this disease, it is enough to carefully monitor what the child eats and drinks. Insist that he eat right, follow the regime.
