Diarrhea symptoms are as follows: loose stools more than twice a day, which occurs in a person older than one year of age. This manifestation can be a sign of many diseases, so before taking any steps yourself, pay attention to the amount, color, smell and nature of the stool, as well as other symptoms that accompany diarrhea.
Why can diarrhea develop?
These symptoms do not only mean food poisoning, which will go away on its own if you adhere to the principles of a he althy diet. Often there are cases when abundant loose stools do not go away for more than three weeks and are a sign of serious illness (even tumors). But basically, diarrhea indicates that there is a problem in the large or small intestine:
1. Inflammation of the intestinal wall was caused by a bacterium (Vibrio cholerae or E. coli) or a virus, due to which sodium is actively released into the intestinal lumen. It is this electrolyte that actively “pulls” water onto itself, as a result of which the stool becomes liquid, watery. With such feces1 liter or more of fluid is lost per day, while the stomach does not hurt. The same type of diarrhea can appear not only with intestinal inflammation, but also with excessive production of the VIP hormone, hydrochloric acid, serotonin or somatostatin, as well as with an overdose of Bisacodyl, Purgen and other laxatives.
2. Osmotic diarrhea: symptoms arose due to the fact that as a result of impaired excretion or absorption of enzymes, a large amount of carbohydrates accumulate in the intestine, which are fermented and also “pull” water onto themselves. This can happen if you take the drugs "Duphalac" ("Normaze"), "Mannitol", as well as those drugs that contain bile acids. This produces copious stools that contain feces, and sometimes even half-digested food is visible.
3. Exudative diarrhea: symptoms arose due to inflammation of the intestinal wall, when an inflammatory fluid is released into the lumen - exudate. This happens with salmonellosis, dysentery, campylobacteriosis, yersiniosis, protozoal inflammation, as well as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. At the same time, the stool is liquid, its color changes, it may contain streaks of blood, mucus, pus. In this case, there are often painful sensations in the abdomen, the body temperature rises.
4. Diarrhea as a violation of the contractile function of the intestine. It can also be caused by diseases of the thyroid gland, and pathology of the nervous system, which, in fact, regulates the contractions of the intestines, and the use of drugs such as Almagel, Maalox, Phosphalugel. At the same time, diarrhea is not abundant, pieces are visible in it.undigested food, there is rumbling, a feeling of transfusion in the stomach, it can hurt.
Diarrhea as a sign of disease in other organs:
a) stomach: gastritis, especially with high acidity, can also be accompanied by diarrhea. But usually pain "in the pit of the stomach", heartburn, belching is added to this symptom;
b) pancreas: acute pancreatitis is manifested by very severe pain in the right, left hypochondrium, it can be encircling, accompanied by vomiting, nausea, bloating; these same symptoms, only in a less pronounced form, are inherent in chronic pancreatitis. In addition, diarrhea in diseases of the pancreas will look like plentiful mushy or loose stools that are poorly flushed from the toilet, have an unpleasant odor, and may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature;
c) diseases of the biliary system and liver: it is bile that is responsible for the breakdown and absorption of fats; if it is less, or its composition is changed, diarrhea may appear. But usually then there is pain in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, these symptoms and diarrhea are provoked by the intake of fatty, fried foods;
d) if the symptoms appeared after the gallbladder, duodenum or other intestine was removed during the operation, this requires consultation with the operating surgeon.
Diarrhea can also occur as a symptom of diabetes, allergies, malabsorption due to a lack of vitamins (eg folic acid). The cause of diarrhea may be dysbacteriosis (this can be suspected,if a person recently, up to a month, took antibiotics), but such diarrhea should not be accompanied by pain and fever.
Sometimes diarrhea can be a symptom of a surgical condition such as appendicitis. Then the pain in the abdomen, the phenomena of intoxication (weakness, nausea, increased heart rate) come first.
What to take for diarrhea?
Do not take anything, but call an ambulance and go for an examination if there are such signs:
- there is blood in the feces or in the vomit (not necessarily scarlet, you should be alerted by the brown or black tint of any bowel movements);
- diarrhea more than 10 times a day in a person;
- you cannot provide yourself with a normal replenishment of the lost fluid, as it leaves with feces or vomiting;
- if there is an admixture of pus or greenery in the stool;
- high body temperature;
- have severe diarrhea, weakness;
- diarrhea accompanied by pain in the abdomen;
- diarrhea appeared either in a small child, or in a person with diseases of the liver, kidneys, heart;
- in addition to diarrhea, inadequacy, aggressiveness or excessive drowsiness appeared;
- not enough urine.
If there are no these signs, and the stomach is soft, it does not hurt to touch it, you can try to do this during the day:
- drink the medicine "Activated carbon", "Enterosgel", "White coal" or "Smecta" in the age dosage;
- drink large amounts of unsweetened (for adults) liquids. The calculation is as follows: 40 ml / kg per dayplus the amount a person loses with diarrhea and vomiting;
- 1.5 hours after you drink the sorbent, take Linex, Enterogermina or Bifilakt;
- after half an hour, drink tea with crackers, you can eat a couple of tablespoons of rice porridge cooked not in broth and without butter;
- after half an hour or an hour (only if there is a temperature and moderate weakness) drink a tablet of "Norfloxacin" and "No-shpy";
- continue to drink liquid;
- an hour and a half after taking the tablet "Norfloxacin" we drink the drug "Activated carbon" or "Enterosgel";
- continue to drink liquid.
We follow the diet during the entire period of diarrhea and at least 7 days after it ends. To do this, it is necessary to exclude fatty and fried foods, all smoked meats, pickles, pickled foods, alcohol, mayonnaise, fresh vegetables and fruits. All products must be boiled, stewed or steamed, without spices, in the second or third meat or fish broth. Salads with fresh vegetables should be avoided.
Drug "Norfloxacin" is drunk 2 times a day (every 12 hours), sorbents - 4-5 times in the first days, then - three times, bifidolactobacteria - twice a day. On the second day, relief should be noticeable, diarrhea will not necessarily stop, but weakness and nausea should recede. This means that you hit the mark. If it doesn't get better, call a doctor, don't risk your he alth.
But in no case do not drink the drug "Loperamide" or "Imodium", especially if the diarrhea is accompanied by an increasetemperature. So you only stop the defense mechanism, which is diarrhea, and the infection will pour into the bloodstream.
