Unhe althy diet, chronic stress and overwork, hereditary or acquired diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to problems with defecation. The problem is quite delicate, and many patients are embarrassed to the last to see a doctor. One of the most common is the appearance of mucus during bowel movements. This symptom quite eloquently reports that you should contact a gastroenterologist as soon as possible. The article lists the most common causes of blood and mucus after a bowel movement, and briefly describes the methods of therapy.
Description of the dangerous symptom
The patient should pay attention to when exactly the mucus appears: directly during a bowel movement or in between. At the appointment with a gastroenterologist, all the small details of the manifestation of the pathology should be reported. As a rule, in parallel with mucus during defecation, the patient maynote the following symptoms, expressed to a greater or lesser extent:
- bloating (flatulence, flatulence), especially after eating certain foods;
- pain in the epigastric region, which can be deployed both in the center of the peritoneum, and on the left or right;
- feeling of nausea after eating fatty, high-calorie foods, as well as after drinking alcohol;
- appearance of ichorus or other exudates from the anus.
The causes of such symptoms are different. In no case should you self-medicate, you should visit a doctor, undergo the necessary studies and then get an appointment for the necessary treatment.
List of the most common reasons for the described symptoms:
- intestinal dysbacteriosis;
- hemorrhoidal disease;
- paraproctitis, proctitis and other pathologies of intestinal functioning;
- peptic ulcer;
- appearance of polyps or other neoplasms;
- chronic pancreatitis;
- bile outflow disorders of various etiologies;
- liver disease (viral or toxic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis, fatty degeneration of organ cells, etc.).
Intestinal dysbacteriosis as the cause of the problem
Defecation with mucus is a common symptom in intestinal dysbacteriosis. The abundance of mucus appears as a result of the body's attempts to somehow get rid of the pathological microflora. Atdysbacteriosis, the following symptoms are also observed:
- feces become greenish;
- microelements are no longer properly absorbed, which is why the patient suffers from beriberi despite proper nutrition;
- immunity decreases - a patient with chronic dysbacteriosis often catches a cold, he is exposed to viruses and infectious processes easily "flare" in his body;
- may experience dermatitis, eczema;
- mucus during bowel movements is also accompanied by thin stool consistency.
In some cases, dysbacteriosis develops as a result of an allergic reaction (food intolerance). Diagnosing the cause of dysbacteriosis is quite complicated - usually, consultations of several qualified specialists are required at once in order to accurately determine the cause (allergist, immunologist, hepatologist, gastroenterologist).
If dysbacteriosis is provoked by antibiotics or food poisoning, then it is usually enough to drink a course of one or more of the following drugs:
- Probiotic preparations - "Bifidumbacterin", "Linex", "Lactobacterin" - are effective in dysbacteriosis of almost any etiology. The composition of these drugs includes live strains of beneficial bacteria that normalize the intestinal microflora and inhibit the vital activity of pathological microorganisms. Almost everyone can drink probiotics, from infants to pregnant women. However, each individual drug has a number of contraindications, with whichmust be read before admission.
- "Duspalatin", "Meteospasmyl" restore he althy intestinal motility. Already after the first dose, the patient experiences relief: bloating, flatulence disappears, stool normalizes, there is no mucus left on toilet paper after defecation.
- "Levomizol", "Decaris" are immunomodulators that have a local effect and help restore local intestinal immunity. As a rule, these drugs are used already at the final stages of treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, the course of which was complicated by dysbacteriosis.
Hemorrhoidal disease as the cause of blood and mucus
Hemorrhoidal disease is an increase and inflammation of the walls of veins and arteries located on the rectal mucosa. Mucus after a bowel movement on toilet paper, the appearance of bloody discharge, a feeling of fullness, burning and itching in the rectum are all direct symptoms of hemorrhoids. Do not panic: with timely treatment, the disease is quite simple and will quickly go into remission. If no measures are taken to restore the rectum, then the hemorrhoids will begin to increase in size and cause severe pain. As a result, thrombosis may develop, requiring surgical intervention.
For what reasons does hemorrhoids develop? There are several factors:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- carrying and lifting weights;
- work "on the feet", longstanding position, which leads to stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs;
- malnutrition and alcohol abuse;
- constant constipation;
- obesity;
- pregnancy period.
Methods of treating hemorrhoidal disease
Methods to alleviate the patient's condition with hemorrhoidal disease:
- Change your lifestyle. Switch to proper nutrition, stop drinking alcohol. Try to move as much as possible, but at the same time avoid physical overwork. Refrain from lifting heavy weights. A sedentary lifestyle is also bad - it contributes to stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs and, as a result, an increase in the load on the vessels of the rectum.
- If there is a tendency to constipation, adjust your diet (add fiber, fresh fruits, prunes and other dishes and foods that help normalize digestion).
- Drink as much clean water as possible. If necessary, drink a course of venotonic drugs.
- Refuse to visit saunas and baths, do not take hot baths. Veins and arteries "like" coolness. Useful contrast or just a cool shower. You should also refuse to wear synthetic underwear - it should be made from the most breathable, natural materials.
Paraproctitis as the cause of mucus
If mucus is released during bowel movements, then the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease is also high. The most common are proctitis and paraproctitis. What are they and how to get rid of themmucus discharge during bowel movements after these diseases were diagnosed?
Paraproctitis is an inflammatory disease of the rectum. The inflammatory process affects the soft tissues surrounding the organ from different sides: pelvic-rectal, ileo-rectal and behind the rectal space.
The main danger of paraproctitis is that with this disease, a pararectal fistula develops. This is a channel filled with pus. As a result, there is a need to exit purulent contents, as a result of which the patient finds mucus on paper after defecation. Mucus can also be secreted in the intervals between the discharge of feces. Treatment at home is impossible, often surgery is required to get rid of the pathology.
Proctitis usually develops as a result of infection in the intestinal cavity. As a result, an inflammatory process develops, which can lead to paraproctitis. With proctitis, mucus is also released during defecation, but in smaller quantities. the patient usually does not pay attention to it - he is more concerned about pain in the abdomen and indigestion. But if you start treatment at the stage of proctitis, then you can get by with taking medications, in most cases, taking which helps to avert the need for surgical intervention.
Polyps, tumors and neoplasms in the intestines
If mucus comes out during bowel movements, this is a serious reason to see a doctor as soon as possible. This may be as a manifestation of a relatively harmlessdysbacteriosis or hemorrhoids, and a signal that neoplasms have appeared in the intestines. They can be of different sizes and nature - polyps, tumors, etc. Mucus at the end of a bowel movement mixed with blood may appear due to intestinal polyposis.
At an early stage, oncological processes of the large intestine almost do not make themselves felt. Primary symptoms include mucus during bowel movements and frequent bloating. There may be blood streaks in the stool. A growing tumor is more prone to injury, so the amount of blood and mucus increases over time. In this case, the stool becomes dark brown or black due to the altered blood mixed with the stool. Sometimes the passage of dark blood precedes the stool.
Rectal ulcer as the cause of mucus
An ulcer of the rectum or large intestine develops if the area of the mucous membrane has lost its integrity. In this case, the patient develops a bowel movement with yellow mucus, spotting. An ulcer can be single (if there is one mucosal lesion) or multiple (if there are several such areas). The depth and degree of tissue damage is of great importance: the severity of symptoms will depend on this.
An ulcer develops as a result of regular malnutrition, alcohol abuse, an infectious process, damage to the mucosa by fecal stones or constipation masses. An ulcer of the rectum can be provoked by its prolapse due to hemorrhoidal disease in the laststages.
An ulcer of any part of the intestine should not be treated at home. Surgery is required (in the later stages), otherwise there is a high risk of internal bleeding and death. To prevent the disease from progressing, the patient must reconsider his lifestyle, change his diet, give up bad habits.
Liver diseases and their treatment
Mucus at the beginning of a bowel movement may appear in violation of the outflow of bile, which accompanies liver disease. There are no nerve endings in the liver, so pain in the organ occurs only when cirrhosis (an incurable, fatal disease) develops. As a rule, if most of the liver has already been reborn, then there is no question of regeneration.
Why does fibrosis, toxic hepatitis develop, why does fatty degeneration of the liver begin? An organ can suffer for years - the patient abuses alcohol, eats plentifully and high-calorie, there is an excess of fat in the diet - and as a result "give up", in this case cirrhosis begins. You should take care of your liver in advance. There is no "magic pill" that would restore the cells of an organ after extensive damage. But there are medicines (hepatoprotectors) that can help the liver partially recover at the beginning of fatty degeneration:
- "Karsil" - a hepatoprotector with silymarin in the composition.
- "Heptral" is a modern hepatoprotector with antidepressant action,shown to restore the body after intoxication.
- "Essentiale" - a drug with phospholipids in the composition.
Drug therapy is prescribed by a hepatologist after the results of the tests become known and it will be possible to draw up a clinical picture of the patient's condition.
Chronic pancreatitis and its effect on digestion
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) can be acute or chronic. In the first case, severe pain develops on the left side of the abdomen, digestion can completely stop due to a lack of enzymes produced by the gland. Chronic pancreatitis rarely makes itself felt with sharp pain, but after each intake of fatty high-calorie food, the patient may suffer from heaviness in the left hypochondrium and minor digestive disorders. During defecation, mucus may be excreted in small quantities due to the fact that the entire digestion process is disturbed.
There is still no cure for pancreatitis in medicine. Yes, it is possible to take enzyme tablets on a regular basis, but this can hardly be called a "recovery". The key to achieving remission in pancreatitis is following a strict diet. All ingredients of the dishes eaten must be thoroughly crushed and stewed or boiled. With proper nutrition, the symptoms of pancreatitis will go away, and the patient can achieve remission.
Which doctor should I see if I have a symptom?
If a person detects the appearance of mucus during bowel movements, one shouldmake an appointment with a therapist. In any polyclinic, you can do biochemical and general blood tests for free, according to the results of which it will be possible to draw up a clinical picture and suggest a particular diagnosis.
To make an accurate diagnosis, it is often necessary to undergo additional studies: MRI, ultrasound of the digestive tract. The therapist can also decipher the results, but it is better to contact a gastroenterologist or hepatologist. If the condition of the internal organs is normal, but the problem remains, then you should contact an allergist or immunologist. Perhaps the reason for the presence of mucus during bowel movements is dysbacteriosis or intolerance to certain foods.
The importance of proper nutrition in the pathologies of the digestive tract
In diseases of the digestive tract, nutrition is of great importance. Often in the early stages of the disease, simply adjusting the diet is enough, and the problem will go away. In the later stages, dietary adjustments may not be enough - medication will be required.
Rejection of alcohol is also of great importance. It is generally accepted in society that a small amount of wine or beer will not harm he alth. However, in the presence of chronic diseases, even a tiny dose can cause the condition to worsen.
