Quite well-known symptoms - diarrhea and cramps in the abdomen - as a rule, signal the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. And the named combination can meet both in children and in adults as a result of food poisoning, an intestinal infection, or the presence of serious pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. We will talk about how to get rid of these symptoms in some diseases later in the article.
What can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps
Most often, loose stools and abdominal pain are manifestations of an intestinal infection. And there are a great many microorganisms that can excite it:
- pathogenic bacteria (E. coli and dysentery coli, staphylococci, salmonella, typhoid fever bacillus),
- viruses (rotaviruses, enteroviruses),
- parasites (worms, giardia, amoeba).
As a result of the activities of any of these intruders, the intestinal tract is disrupted, and the infected person develops diarrhea and abdominal cramps. How are youyou understand, in these cases it is necessary to treat not the symptoms, but the cause that caused them. To do this, the patient needs to undergo an examination and clarify the cause of the trouble.
Salmonellosis
Quite often, abdominal pain and loose stools are symptoms of salmonellosis, which occurs in both humans and animals. Salmonella is a very tenacious microorganism. It remains active for a long time and endures even adverse conditions: at a temperature of 70 ° C, this bacterium dies only after 7-10 minutes! In a piece of meat 12 cm thick, salmonella does not die even after boiling, and in smoked or s alted meat they remain active for another 2.5 months. She can feel good in butter for 4 months, and in milk - until it turns sour.
On the first day after infection, the patient develops pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. And the biggest danger in this disease is toxic shock, which can cause cerebral edema, kidney or heart failure.
Treatment of salmonellosis
Because of the danger posed by salmonellosis, abdominal cramps and diarrhea caused by this disease are treated only in an infectious disease hospital.
- After the diagnosis is clarified, the patient is cleansed of the body with the maximum possible dose of sorbents (Smecta, Polysorb, etc.), which helps the waste products of bacteria to come out with feces, and not be absorbed intoblood.
- Carry out rehydration procedures, that is, restore the required volume of fluid in the body. For this, intravenous administration of saline solutions and glucose is used. Depending on the electrolyte composition of the patient's blood, droppers with Ringer's solutions, Trisol, Acesol, etc. are prescribed. And the patient is additionally fed with Regidron or Humana Electrolyte preparations.
- Antibacterial therapy is reduced to taking one or two types of antibiotics ("Ceftriaxone", "Norfloxacin", "Ciprofloxacin", etc.). They are usually administered in the first 5 days of the disease intravenously or intramuscularly, and later, with a decrease in the level of intoxication and an improvement in general well-being, in the form of tablets.
Dysentery
The described symptoms are no less often manifested in another intestinal infection transmitted from person to person - dysentery. You can catch it at any time of the year, but in the summer, as a rule, there is a peak incidence.
Dysentery bacillus, once in the stomach, dies in large numbers, releasing endotoxin. It is absorbed in the intestines and carried by the blood throughout the body, poisoning it. And the surviving part of the bacteria is located in the large intestine, where it causes the development of an inflammatory process up to the appearance of ulcers.
With dysentery, patients complain of cramping pains and cramps in the abdomen and diarrhea, which are accompanied by weakness, chills and fever. Very frequent bowel movements (up to 20 times a day) after a while become scarce, and mucus and blood appear in them, there aretenesmus (painful false urge to void).
Dysentery treatment
Diarrhea and abdominal cramps caused by dysentery can be treated both in the infectious diseases hospital and at home, depending on the severity of the disease. The patient is prescribed adsorbents ("Polifepan", "Smecta"), drugs that improve the intestinal microflora ("Linex", "Bifidobacterin", "Lactobacterin", etc.), as well as antibiotics.
When treating a patient, a sparing diet and strict quarantine are necessary.
What is the stomach flu
But diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps can also be symptoms of a viral infection (most often these are rotaviruses or enteroviruses). In such cases, they talk about the intestinal flu.
Usually, the disease manifests itself acutely and suddenly, and these symptoms are accompanied by muscle pain, weakness, increased heart rate, runny nose, sore throat, lacrimation, photophobia, pain in the heart area, which, as you understand, can make it difficult to diagnose diseases.
Infection with viruses, like bacteria, occurs when hygiene rules are violated (dirty hands, poorly washed fruits and vegetables, etc.). And a patient with this type of infection is very contagious, since rotaviruses, for example, are able to withstand fairly low temperatures and can stay in unfavorable conditions for a long time.
How to treat intestinal flu
There is no specific treatment for stomach flu. And if the patient has pain in the abdomen and diarrhea, the treatment is reduced to takingsymptomatic drugs:
- to stop the absorption of toxic substances and accelerate the removal of pathogens, adsorbing substances are prescribed ("Smekta", "Enterosgel", activated carbon, etc.);
- to reduce the temperature, which can last up to 4 days with intestinal flu, antipyretic drugs are required (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen);
- and to slow down intestinal motility and move the contents through the digestive tract, astringents are used (oak bark, St. John's wort, chamomile flowers, etc.);
- to restore beneficial microflora in the patient's stomach, lactose-containing substances are required ("Linex", "Bifikol").
The patient's diet includes jelly, chicken broth, rice porridge, which are offered to eat in small portions. And in the presence of frequent loose stools and vomiting, the lack of fluid and s alts is restored by frequent drinking and taking Regidron.
You should know that rotaviruses are susceptible to an increase in body temperature, and at 38 ° C they begin to die, so it is not recommended to bring it down with an intestinal flu below this mark.
