Intestinal disorders, which often go hand in hand with diarrhea, affect people of all ages. Prolonged problems with mobility, reflex or suction function are the most dangerous. This form of diarrhea often occurs in adults, which can be explained by malnutrition and addictions. It is important to determine how to cure chronic diarrhea in an adult.
Causes of diarrhea
If problems with bowel movements continue for more than two weeks, dehydration occurs in the body, and the patient's condition only worsens, then it is important not to delay visiting a doctor.
This condition in an adult indicates the presence of an independent disease or a more serious form of damage. The causes of diarrhea in this case can be many.
Infectious factors
Infectious causes of chronic diarrhea can be divided into several types. These include:
- Diarrhea, which occurs due to exposure to the body of various parasites: dysentery bacillus, Giardia,cyclospores and microsporidia.
- Diarrhea in a person can be provoked by some bacteria: salmonella, aeromonas, E. coli.
- The viral attack is a stomach flu and respiratory intestinal disease.
- Adults may develop a chronic form of infection (Brinerd's diarrhea).
Varieties of diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea in an adult may differ in its mechanism of development and time of onset:
- Secretory diarrhea - an increase in the amount of fluid and mucus secreted by intestinal cells. This condition is provoked by inflammation in the intestines and various tumors.
- Motor or hyperkinetic - accelerates the processes of contraction in the intestines. It can occur with any lesion, excluding intoxication of the body.
- Osmotic - fluid retention in the intestines and problems with its absorption. Deficiency of enzymes in the patient's body.
- Invasive - intestinal cells are susceptible to damage by pathogenic microorganisms. Such diarrhea occurs with infectious and viral lesions, as well as with dysbacteriosis caused by taking antibiotics.
Non-infectious lesions
Specialists identify groups of non-infectious causes of chronic diarrhea in an adult. These include:
- Taking laxatives, medications and antibiotics.
- Increased activity of the thyroid gland, which has a strong effect on intestinal motility.
- Venereal disease or deficiencyimmunoglobulin in the body.
- The accumulation of large amounts of carbohydrates in the intestines, which undergo a fermentation process, which leads to the appearance of fatty and lactic acids. The main cause of such diarrhea is the consumption of excessive amounts of dairy products or soy.
- Diseases of the pancreas, lack of enzymes in the body (congenital disorder - celiac disease) or chronic pancreatitis.
- Another cause of diarrhea is an inflammatory process in the intestinal mucosa.
- Diarrhea occurs when tumor formations, cystic fibrosis, and circulatory disorders appear in the body.
Additional reasons
There are a number of additional causes of diarrhea that are associated with damage to the large and small intestines. Causes and treatment of chronic diarrhea in adults:
- colitis: ulcerative, ischemic and microscopic;
- protrusion of the intestinal walls;
- hypersensitivity: allergic reactions to certain foods, celiac disease, gastroenteritis.
Alcohol abuse is another common cause of chronic diarrhea in adults.
Clinical picture of the disease
The first sign of stool problems in an adult patient is diarrhea, but in each case it can be accompanied by additional symptoms:
- The general clinical picture of the disease is regular persistent diarrhea, constant urge to defecate with flatulence, a feeling of rapidsatiety, bloating and pain.
- Exudative diarrhea is described by the presence of blood and pus in the stool.
- With osmotic diarrhea, a significant amount of undigested food can be found in the excreted feces.
- Total fecal volume in other cases reaches 500 ml per day.
- In addition to the above symptoms, the patient often experiences vomiting, nausea, fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle cramps and chills.
- Often with such a lesion, there is a rapid loss of kilograms, a complete or partial lack of appetite, thirst, which occurs due to dehydration.
Diagnostic procedures
In most cases, blood tests, biopsies, and stool cultures are sufficient to compile a complete clinical picture of the disease and determine its cause.
Accurate diagnosis will be determined based on the following testing methods:
- Stool test to be repeated three times. This will help to identify parasites, pathogens and white blood cells, which will indicate the presence of an inflammatory process.
- Blood is taken for laboratory testing to determine the content of iron, vitamin B12, hormones, electrolytes, and glucose in it. To compile the correct and effective therapy, the specialist must determine the celiac disease and the amount of albumin in the liver.
- In some cases, the doctor prescribes a histological diagnosis of the intestine, which will includesigmoidoscopy for zonal examination and colonoscopy to fully determine the state of the organ.
- X-ray in this case is important to detect possible coprostasis or expansion of the loops.
Treatments
What to do with chronic diarrhea? In order to quickly and without complications get rid of diarrhea, it is important to understand that persistent diarrhea is a separate symptom, not a disease.
It is for this reason that his treatment will be prescribed depending on the overall picture of the disease and its primary sources. Some treatments are common for each lesion, but in general they differ significantly from each other.
Taking antibiotics
Treat chronic diarrhea with antibacterial agents to restore the main barrier functions of the natural intestinal microflora.
In the presence of bacterial lesions, antimicrobial drugs and antiseptics are used, which give negative side effects:
- Means "Entoban" helps to suppress the action of intestinal bacteria and fungi. Includes tiliquinol and dodecyl sulfate. When treating a parasitic lesion, the doctor prescribes 4 to 6 tablets per day for up to 10 days.
- Combination medicines are prescribed to patients one tablet three times a day, the treatment time is seven days.
- Suspension "Dependal-M" includes furazolidone and metronidazole. You need to take the remedy in a course (5 days) on a spoon after eating.
Intake of bacterial agents
In the treatment of chronic diarrhea in adults, a good effect can be achieved by taking bacterial drugs:
- The drug "Baktisubtil" includes calcium carbonate. Taking the drug continues for 10 days, you should drink one capsule twice a day
- After completing a course of taking antibacterial agents, doctors prescribe Linex, Bifekol, Enterol to patients to normalize the intestinal microflora. This therapy should continue throughout the month.
- The drug "Hilak-Forte", which is a concentrated composition with metabolic products, slows down the process of damage.
Adsorbents for improvement
In the treatment of chronic diarrhea, patients are often prescribed astringent and enveloping adsorbents:
- "Smekta". The active ingredients in the composition of the drug help to maintain and normalize the state of the intestinal microflora. The drug helps protect the intestines from microorganisms and has an enveloping effect.
- "Kaopektat" - a solution that can bind toxins, reduce the action of pathogens and cleanse the body of them. Approved for admission in the presence of chronic diarrhea of various origins. The only contraindication when taking the remedy is the combination with antibiotics, it is important to wait a few hours before use.
- "Tannacomp" is differentastringent and anti-inflammatory effect. The tool perfectly copes with the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Compiling a dietary ration
In chronic diarrhea, diet is considered a prerequisite for effective treatment. A sick patient must strictly follow the rules of nutrition. The food consumed is obliged to restrain the process of defecation, reduce the output of fluid and electrolytes. Food should correspond to the pathological processes in the intestines, for this reason, experts recommend eating only light food during the treatment period. All dishes should be steamed, and the ingredients in them should be well pureed. List of forbidden foods:
- dairy and legumes;
- sweets, confectionery;
- grapes and some fruits;
- fatty, spicy, s alty foods, alcoholic drinks and various canned food.
The use of the rest of the products will be determined depending on the characteristics of the disease and its main causes. The most important thing in this state is to restore the water balance in the body and saturate it with microelements, so protein, pectin and potassium should be included in the diet. The following foods must be present in the daily diet: boiled eggs, boiled meat, crushed bananas and apples, boiled potatoes with peel.
If a patient with chronic diarrhea consults a doctor, the doctor at the very beginning of treatment conducts a thorough diagnosis of the patient to identify the causediseases. Many diseases are distinguished by particularly complex diagnostics, the purpose of which is to determine the hidden etiology. Further treatment of the patient will directly depend on the symptoms of the lesion. Most often, the treatment of chronic diarrhea takes time, as such damage is considered quite serious and dangerous.
Diarrhea and pancreatitis
Many lesions of the gastrointestinal tract have the same symptoms, from time to time they may worsen or be stable throughout the course.
Gastritis, ulcers, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis lead to problems with the digestive system. Diarrhea in pancreatitis is considered the main distinguishing feature of this disease, it indicates changes occurring in the pancreas:
- faeces change their color to a lighter color, acquire a greasy texture with an unpleasant odor;
- feces can also turn yellow or green;
- the amount of excreted stool per day becomes more;
- fecal masses contain a large amount of undigested food;
- diarrhea begins almost immediately after eating, it occurs against the background of nausea, heart palpitations, and chills in the limbs.
If you do not start timely and effective treatment of the disease, then the main symptoms will only worsen, which will lead to secondary symptoms associated with a lack of nutrients in the body:
- the body suffers fromdehydration;
- pain and heaviness in the abdomen;
- the patient's weight is rapidly decreasing;
- complete or partial loss of appetite;
- skin peeling, changing its tone;
- fragility of hair and nails appears;
- insomnia;
- the patient regularly feels tired and unwell.
Elimination of pancreatitis
Diarrhea when pancreatitis appears is quite difficult to stop, since the treatment of pathology requires comprehensive measures that will help restore the condition and alleviate the symptoms. The patient must strictly follow all the advice of a specialist, follow the rules of dietary nutrition and take the right doses of medicines.
Treatment of chronic diarrhea in pancreatitis, both in adults and in children, should be carried out in a medical institution, where the patient will be administered intravenous drugs, the effect of which will restore the water-s alt balance in the body and saturate it with useful components.
In addition, the patient is prescribed cleansing measures to eliminate putrefactive bacteria from the intestines. To do this, the patient is given an enema filled with plain water and baking soda and with a temperature of at least 37 degrees. The enema is given several times a day for the next four days.
If a person with diarrhea has pain symptoms in the pancreas, then the specialist prescribes various medications:
- fixing effect drugs;
- drugs forrestoration of the secretory function of the diseased gland;
- choice of prebiotics and probiotics;
- complexes of vitamins and components important for the body.
It is important to know that trying to get rid of chronic diarrhea with antibiotics is not necessary, as such remedies can only worsen the overall situation, destroying, together with harmful microorganisms, all beneficial bacteria in the intestines that play an important role in the digestive process.
Gastritis treatment
If you do not try to get rid of gastritis with chronic diarrhea, the patient runs the risk of earning severe pain and exacerbation. Timely treatment of gastritis will help suppress the negative processes that occur in the patient's digestion.
To avoid chronic diarrhea, it is important to monitor the reaction of the digestive system to certain foods. Those foods that provoke digestive disorders and various disorders, it is important to completely exclude from the diet. In addition, if gastritis with reduced acidity is detected, it is important to eliminate the following foods from the diet:
- some fruits;
- dairy products;
- honey;
- rye bread;
- beans.
In some cases, people with low acidity get diarrhea from eating prepared foods. You can quickly eliminate diarrhea if you take medicines prescribed by your doctor and eat only those foods that do not provoke an upset digestive system.
How to cure a child
Chronic diarrhea in a childmay be a symptom of the following diseases:
- lactose or gluten intolerance;
- metabolic disorders;
- reaction to laxatives;
- inflammatory process in the gut (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis with chronic diarrhea);
- intestinal infections of chronic and acute nature.
Acute diarrhea in a child is detected when there is a sudden increase in bowel movements throughout the day. In most cases, the acute form of diarrhea either resolves quickly or changes to a chronic form. As a rule, chronic diarrhea indicates the presence of bacterial microflora, which provokes the appearance of such a condition. In this case, the pediatrician prescribes the child to take antibacterial drugs.
Dangerous symptoms:
- the presence of blood in the feces;
- presence of pus (yellow mucus);
- child is physically unable to drink the required amount of water per day; due to frequent vomiting.
The main symptoms of dehydration are:
- dark colored urine;
- tired and regularly feeling overwhelmed;
- dry mucous membranes and increased desire to drink;
- acute diarrhea.
Dehydration from chronic diarrhea is a big risk for young children and the elderly.
Treatment at home
The main causes of chronic diarrhea in children are: food poisoning, problems with the intestinal microflora, eatingindigestible foods. It can also occur as a result of a bacterial or viral infection and some diseases entering the body.
If a child has acute diarrhea, it is recommended that he give as much liquid as possible per day (from 3 to 4 liters) with the addition of a small amount of sugar and s alt. Ready-made liquid for regular drinking can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription and added to plain water. For the correct and effective treatment of the child at home, it is first important to consult with the attending physician.
A sufficient amount of liquid consumed per day will be indicated by lightening the color of urine to a light yellow tint. Also, experts recommend in this condition to eat foods high in s alt and carefully monitor hygiene.
You need to restore proper nutrition immediately after the child begins to have an appetite. But if an attack of acute diarrhea does occur, then it is important not to consume dairy products for several days.
Immediate medical attention is required if:
- if the child has chronic diarrhea and other signs of the disease;
- if diarrhea started immediately after arriving in another country or after a postponed trip;
- if chronic diarrhea continues for several weeks.
Most often, diarrhea in a child can be successfully treated at home. It can pass on its own after seven days. Drug treatmentusually not required and used in rare cases, as it can provoke adverse reactions and lead to chronic diarrhea. It is necessary to get rid of diarrhea immediately after the main cause of its appearance has been eliminated.
The most widely known drug for diarrhea is loperamide or immodium, but they are allowed to be taken in limited quantities, except in situations where blood, bile and purulent discharge are found in the feces.
When traveling, in order to avoid possible problems with the digestive system and stool, it is important to always boil drinking water or use exclusively purchased water in a sealed plastic bottle. In addition, it is important to stop eating salads and ice cream while traveling. Since vegetables can be washed in bad water, they should be boiled or peeled. It is also important to remember that the effectiveness of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria in preventing diarrhea in travelers is not well established.
