Our gastrointestinal tract has its own microflora. It is practically absent in the stomach and duodenum, but in the distal (distant from the stomach) sections of the intestine, both E. coli and yeast-like fungi can be found. Enterococci and lactobacilli also live there - in general, up to 500 species of microorganisms live in the intestines. Their number has an optimal ratio, which allows the digestive organs to function normally. But as soon as the balance is disturbed, dysbacteriosis develops. The causes, symptoms, and treatments for this condition will be discussed later in the article.
Why are microorganisms needed in the intestines
As can be seen from the above, the microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is diverse and includes even conditionally pathogenic microorganisms. Its vital activity in the intestines is justified and has a certain weight in maintaining the overall he alth of a person:
- it synthesizes vitamins, as well as enzymes that have an antitumor effect, is involved in the breakdown of protein and sugar;
- protects the mucosa from allergens, infections, as well as from an excess of microbes that can become pathogenic;
- due to the presence of microorganisms occurspermanent activation of immunity;
- toxins and harmful metabolic products are neutralized;
- lower cholesterol;
- the process of absorption of water, iron, vitamins, calcium, etc. is stimulated, fatty acids are produced that ensure the safety of the colon mucosa.
Without understanding how important the balance of microflora and its normal functioning is for a person, it is difficult to fully understand the causes of dysbacteriosis.
What provokes dysbacteriosis
Both in adults and in children, dysbacteriosis is, first of all, the death of beneficial microorganisms and the active development of pathogens. This state of affairs can be caused by various reasons. In particular, the cause of dysbacteriosis in adults often lies in the following:
- the patient's diet lacks fiber and dairy products;
- the patient suffers from gastrointestinal diseases that cause changes in cell membranes and metabolism (gastritis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, hepatitis, etc.) or infectious diseases;
- he had an allergic reaction to something;
- the patient suffered prolonged psycho-emotional stress;
- changed climatic and geographical conditions;
- was subjected to heavy physical exertion for a long time.
Problems with the balance of microflora can also be caused by postoperative disorders as a result of the removal of part of the stomach, intestines or gallbladder, etc.
Causes of dysbacteriosis inchildren
For children (especially at an early age), a violation of the intestinal microflora, as a rule, has particularly serious consequences. Although they have dysbacteriosis, the causes of which we are considering, goes almost according to the same scenario as in adults.
It can be provoked both by the features of the intrauterine development of the baby, and his life after birth. For example, an imbalance in the bacterial balance of his intestines may develop as a result of a difficult pregnancy or complicated delivery, prematurity, late attachment to the breast, or the presence of bacterial vaginosis in the mother.
In what cases does the death of beneficial bacteria occur
The causes of dysbacteriosis in children, as in adults, lie in the death of beneficial intestinal bacteria. This happens on different occasions:
- when the amount of digestive enzymes is insufficient, and undigested food begins to ferment, increasing the number of pathogenic microbes;
- if there is a decrease in the tone of the intestinal muscles or its spasms that interfere with the normal advancement of the food mass;
- the patient is infected with helminths;
- or he was treated with antibiotics.
In infants, the appearance of symptoms of dysbacteriosis may be due to a lack of nutrients in the mother's milk, the development of mastitis in her, or the early transfer of the baby to artificial feeding.
How dysbacteriosis is classified
The cause of the disease and the severity of its manifestationsallow us to divide the described condition into decompensated, subcompensated and compensated dysbacteriosis.
In the first case, the patient's state of he alth noticeably deteriorates due to vomiting, frequent stools and general intoxication. Against this background, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause the development of sepsis.
In the subcompensated form, dysbacteriosis, the causes of which we are considering, manifests itself moderately - in the form of poor appetite, lethargy, weakness, dyspeptic disorders and weight loss.
In the latter case, there are no external signs of the disease.
Symptoms of dysbacteriosis
Manifestations of the described syndrome are varied in their severity. How hard the patient tolerates microflora disturbances depends on many conditions - his age, lifestyle, immune status and the stage at which the disease is located. So, for example, if in one patient the use of antibiotics for a week can cause only small deviations in the intestinal microflora, then in another it can result in severe digestive problems.
Depending on the causes of dysbacteriosis, its symptoms can be expressed as follows:
- liquid stools that have a mushy texture that doesn't flush well from the sides of the toilet and often becomes frothy;
- constipation;
- conditions in which constipation is continually replaced by diarrhea;
- flatulence, accompanied by copious release of gases (they may have a pungent odor or hemay be completely absent);
- abdominal pain (it has different localization and often directly depends on bloating, disappearing with gas);
- general weakness.
Permanent lack of vitamins and minerals caused by dysbacteriosis leads to sticky and cracked lips, brittle hair and nails, edema, insomnia, and neurological disorders.
It should be noted that in some patients, regardless of what the causes of dysbacteriosis were, the syndrome may not manifest itself in any way and be detected only after laboratory tests.
Diagnosis of disease
In modern medicine, there are many methods that confirm the presence of dysbacteriosis. But more often than others, bacteriological examination of feces for the presence of the named pathology is used in practice.
True, it has some drawbacks: it can only detect a small number of microorganisms, in addition, it takes about 10 days to wait for the results of sowing. And when collecting material for him, patients often break the rules. Recall them:
- to be able to objectively evaluate the test material, it must be collected only in sterile dishes and only with a sterile instrument (for this, pharmacies sell special jars equipped with a spatula for stool collection);
- in addition, feces should be on examination no later than 2 hours later - if this is difficult, it can be hidden in the refrigerator (but notmore than 6 hours);
- preparing to collect material for analysis, the patient should not take products containing live microorganisms, otherwise the result may be completely distorted, and it will be impossible to identify the causes of dysbacteriosis.
In addition to feces, scrapings of the mucosa, aspirates of the small intestine, etc. materials that are taken during endoscopic examination are often sent for examination.
Helps to diagnose dysbacteriosis and chromatography (during it, waste products of microflora are recorded in the blood, feces and fluid from the small intestine). Also informative is a coprogram that helps to identify iodophilic flora during microscopic examination of feces.
How intestinal dysbacteriosis is treated
The causes leading to dysbacteriosis are the starting point for the appointment of its adequate treatment. That is, first of all, it is necessary to get rid of the underlying disease that caused intestinal dysfunction. Along with this, measures are taken to restore the microflora - drug treatment and diet.
To suppress the development of pathogenic microbes, the patient is prescribed antibacterial drugs (Tetracycline, Cephalosporin, Penicillin, etc.). If the cause of dysbacteriosis is a fungal infection, the patient is prescribed Nystatin, a drug that suppresses the overgrowth of fungi.
To restore beneficial intestinal microflora, products containing live cultures are used("Bifidumbacterin", "Linex" or "Lactobacterin").
Diet
To get rid of dysbacteriosis, dieting is not the only therapeutic effect, but it cannot be underestimated. A diet that includes vegetable fiber will not only cleanse the intestines, but also restore its functions. To do this, fruits, herbs, berries, nuts, vegetables, legumes and cereals (except semolina and rice) should be introduced into the patient's diet.
Sour-milk products containing lacto- or bifidobacteria also have a beneficial effect on the state of the microflora.
Remove all industrial canned food, carbonated drinks, muffins, whole and condensed milk, sweets, chips and ice cream from the diet.
Measures to prevent dysbacteriosis
Dysbacteriosis, the causes and treatment of which we considered in our article, is a pathology, the appearance of which can be prevented. But we note right away that its prevention is a rather difficult task. Its main sections include both the improvement of the ecological situation in general and the observance of an adequate diet in particular. Breastfeeding is very important for the future normal functioning of the intestines.
A significant role is played by the correct use of antibiotics and other drugs that can upset microbiocinosis (combination of microbial populations inhabiting the body of a he althy person), as well as timely treatment of pathologies of the digestive tract, leading to a violation of the natural balance of its microflora.
A few wordsfinally
Dysbacteriosis is not an independent disease, but one of the symptoms of pathological processes occurring in the body. Therefore, changing the balance of microflora is not the main problem. As soon as the underlying disease is cured, the causes of dysbacteriosis also disappear. But if his manifestations are still disturbing, then the patient has not recovered. And in such a situation, it is necessary to treat the dysbacteriosis itself, and its root cause is the underlying disease.
