What to do if diarrhea does not go away for a week? Diarrhea (diarrhea). Causes, risk factors, diagnosis of causes of diarrhea, treatment of diarrhea What are diarrhea symptoms

Liquid severe diarrhea with water in an adult is the result of accelerated intestinal functionality and when the norm of excreted formed feces exceeds 300 g per day, diarrhea begins.

A condition that does not stop for more than 2 days is fraught with dehydration, the causes of which are the consumption of low-quality food and raw tap water.

Fermentation processes begin in the intestines as a result of the spread of pathogenic microorganisms or the development of other serious internal pathologies.

Intestinal invasions, penetrating into the walls of the small intestine, begin to rapidly multiply, creating entire colonies and literally sucking all the beneficial vitamins and minerals from the body.

How to provide first aid to avoid dehydration, how to treat diarrhea and how to avoid it by following a diet, we will consider in more detail in this article.

Causes of severe water diarrhea in adults

Most often, diarrhea occurs due to:

• unsanitary conditions;
• lack of personal hygiene;
• drinking water from the tap;
• unwashed fruits (vegetables);
• poisoning;
• spoiled products.

Diarrhea can be caused by:

• dysbacteriosis;
• rotavirus infection;
• congestion, obstruction in the gallbladder;
• Gastrointestinal diseases (enteritis, colitis).

can be detected independently by paying attention to the color of the excreted feces, for example:

1. White is a sign of hepatitis, a lack of bile secretion.
2. Green stool is a symptom of infection with pathogenic microorganisms or severe intoxication.
3. Black color is a sign of bleeding in the upper parts of the digestive tract or taking a number of medications (Bismuth) or food products.
4. Yellow diarrhea - occurs, indigestion, acceleration of motility.

Diarrhea is fraught with dehydration; the problem requires elimination and seeking help from doctors.

Possible cause of diarrhea in an adult:

• development of a serious illness or severe intoxication;
• damage by rotavirus or intestinal invasions, worms.

It is necessary to conduct laboratory tests and the method of scatology, which can reveal the true cause of the ailment. Based on the results of the tests, the doctor will select the correct and adequate treatment.

Why is water diarrhea dangerous?

The condition becomes severe and dangerous when large quantities of fluid are washed out of tissues and organs, and with it electrolytes and vital trace elements for the body.

Dangerous when observed:

• lack of urine for long hours;
• confusion;
• state of shock;
• increased pulsation;
• paleness of the skin;
• coldness of hands and feet;
• decreased blood pressure;
• the appearance of irritability, anxiety, and a strong feeling of thirst.

If severe water diarrhea in an adult does not stop, what should you do?

Urgent rehydration is required to replenish the body with fluid. In addition, when colic appears in the abdomen along with the passage of frequent loose stools with water in adults, serious problems with the pancreas or liver are possible.

When black, liquid diarrhea appears, intestinal bleeding may occur. The passage of white feces indicates the development of malignant neoplasms or severe obstruction and blockage of stones in the gallbladder.

Treatment is required, and in emergency cases an ambulance must be called urgently.

Symptoms

In addition to diarrhea, due to impaired intestinal motility, excessive reflux of contents back into the stomach from the intestines, and often in adults, the following is observed:

• nausea, vomiting;
• colic in the abdomen due to infection with pathogenic bacteria;
• belching during exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal diseases;
• severe diarrhea, up to 41 g.

Associated symptoms are extremely important for doctors to identify the true cause of the disease in order to prescribe adequate treatment.

What to do?

If liquid diarrhea in adults does not go away after 2-3 days, then you urgently need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

Especially if there is a suspicion of poisoning by poisons or mushrooms, when:

• increased temperature;
• the urge to go to the toilet has become more frequent up to 7-8 times a day;
• cuts and hurts in the lower abdomen.

This primarily concerns older people, when a more gentle approach and emergency assistance from the attending physician are required.

First aid

If you experience persistent diarrhea, you need to pay attention to additional symptoms:

• elevated temperature;
• colic in the abdomen;
• duration of diarrhea;
• presence of color in diarrhea.

To provide first aid, you must first help improve intestinal motility.

If severe diarrhea does not stop for more than 2 days, what is the treatment?

To alleviate the condition, you can drink:

• Smecta;
• Enterol;
• Activated carbon.

The main thing is to quickly normalize the water-salt balance; a deficiency inevitably ultimately leads to a malfunction of many systems and organs.

Recommended dosage every 2 hours:

• non-carbonated mineral water, Oralit or Regidron in powder by diluting with water;
• clean water with lemon;
• rosehip decoction (fruit);
• low-fat broth.

If the condition does not improve within 2 days, then you should immediately consult a doctor.

Conservative treatment

For diarrhea in adults, a doctor will listen to complaints and prescribe treatment primarily with medications:

• sulfonamides (Phtalazol);
• antibiotics in tablets (Tetracycline, Levomycetin);
• nitrofurans (Furazolidone);
• antimicrobial agents (Sulgin, Enterofuril, Intetrix);
• enterosorbents for intestinal absorption and to remove toxins (Smecta, activated carbon);
• antiviral drugs to restore water-salt balance (Regidron);
• probiotics to improve intestinal motility (Linex, Imodium);
• lactobacilli, bifidobacteria to activate work in all parts of the intestine;
• antispasmodics for bloating and abdominal pain (No-shpa, Papaverine);
• sulfonamides in case of infection (Fthalazol).

Many people with diarrhea immediately resort to treatment with antibiotics, but we must not forget about their harmful effects not only on pathogenic, but also healthy microflora in the intestines. It is better to first consult a doctor and, when taking strong antibiotics, take additional drugs to restore intestinal microflora (Linex).

For liquid diarrhea with water in adults, antibiotics are prescribed:

• only in emergency cases;
• when the cause is infection of the intestines with salmonella, cholera, and helminthic infestations.

Treatment is complex and only requires the correct selection of combinations of medications from different groups.

Necessary:

• remove toxins from the intestines;
• eliminate gas formation and bloating in the abdomen;
• reduce intestinal motility and peristalsis rate.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional recipes for diarrhea in adults were used by our grandmothers. This is an effective complementary treatment to medications to speed up the healing process.

You can restore the water-salt balance and eliminate attacks of watery diarrhea with herbal infusions and teas containing tannin astringents, and here are some recipes:

• oak bark (15g) brew with boiling water (1 glass), take 20 ml 3 times a day before meals until diarrhea stops;
• Brew pomegranate peels with boiling water, take 10 ml 4 times a day;
• St. John's wort brew with boiling water, leave, take 0.5 tbsp decoction. morning and evening;
• make a collection: immortelle (2 tbsp), St. John's wort (1 tbsp), sage (1 tbsp), elecampane (1 tbsp) brew with boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, take 3 times a day, 40 ml until completely gone signs of diarrhea.

For pain and colic in the abdomen against the background of diarrhea, to eliminate spasms and normalize the gastrointestinal tract, you can add thyme, St. John's wort, nettle, immortelle, dill, cumin as a spice to dishes.

It helps well with diarrhea as an astringent absorbent to thicken the contents in the intestines and improve functionality. The decoction is suitable for children with intestinal disorders, diarrhea and vomiting.

Prepare like this:

• 1 tbsp. pour rice with water;
• Boil for 40 minutes until a viscous mass is obtained;
• drink 1/3 glass 3 times a day.

Useful for prolonged diarrhea:

• Drink green tea, potato starch, a decoction of bird cherry, viburnum, rose hips, and blueberries.
• You can brew dried berries or prepare jelly and compotes.

However, self-medication is dangerous if watery diarrhea does not stop and passes with blood particles. You still need to see your doctor.

Diet

Diet is very important when passing liquid diarrhea with water in adults, since the treatment of diarrhea will not be complete and effective.

Diet rules for diarrhea:

1. On the first day, it is advisable, in general, to refuse to eat and drink only liquid to replenish the body and remove toxins.
2. Next, little by little (sip) start drinking compotes, still mineral water, herbal decoctions and just clean water.
3. If vomiting occurs, you should take Regidron to avoid dehydration.
4. Food should enter the stomach only warm.
5. You can drink a glass of sour milk and add a pinch of salt to retain water in the body.

However, you should not overload your digestive system with food, because... intoxication, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain can only intensify.

The diet is gentle. If it does not bring results within 2 days, and the symptoms become obvious (fever, incessant vomiting, black feces), then you need to contact a doctor immediately and not rely on your own intuition.

The introduction of products into the diet to reduce intoxication should be gradual:

• lean meat;
• dairy products;
• berry and fruit jelly;
• dried bread;
• slimy rice water;

You need to completely give up smoking and alcohol, and also monitor your own well-being when introducing certain foods into your diet.

Healthy foods

When passing liquid diarrhea with water, it is recommended to take such useful foods as:

• cottage cheese;
• spoiled milk;
• vegetable broths;
• cream soup;
• fish cutlets;
• meat soufflé;
• beans;
• pumpkin;
• baked potato;
• soft-boiled eggs;
• rice porridge;
• whey;
• strong black or herbal tea;
• parsley, ;
• eggplant;
• carrot.

If you have severe diarrhea, you should avoid eating raw vegetables and fruits. They definitely need to be baked or steamed.

Preventing dehydration

Replenishing the body with excreted fluid means carrying out a rehydration procedure in order to avoid the development of serious, irreversible processes.

For prevention, take Hydrovit, Gastrolit, Regidron, as well as:

• subject food products to thorough heat treatment;
• get vaccinated against rotavirus on time;
• avoid drinking water from questionable rivers and reservoirs;
• It is good to wash fruits and vegetables before eating or scald them with boiling water.

Dehydration can cause serious harm to the body and lead to serious complications and consequences in a matter of days. If symptoms of diarrhea appear, you should seek help from a doctor, especially if they become intrusive and persistent.

When should you see a doctor?

In order to prevent severe dehydration or in case of poisoning, for example, with poisons or mushrooms, you need to consult a doctor or call an ambulance if, in addition to loose diarrhea:

• the stool has changed in color and comes out with particles of rice grains;
• has a fever and has a very high temperature;
• pain and colic in the abdomen increase more and more;
• uncontrollable vomiting and drowsiness appeared.

This is especially true for older people when there is severe diarrhea due to diabetes, heart disease, kidney or liver disease.

Consequences

The consequences of dehydration with a duration of incessant diarrhea for more than 3 days are fraught with the development of:

• hepatitis C;
• cancerous tumor;
• inflammatory processes in the walls of the large or small intestine in case of infection with intestinal invasions, rotavirus.

The main thing is to prevent the development of serious consequences. In case of diarrhea, quickly take measures to restore the water-salt balance and replenish the body with necessary vitamins and minerals.

How to make a diet correctly?

When you have diarrhea, the main thing is to drink more fluids:

• compotes;
• jelly;
• mineral water.

Exclude:

• alcohol;
• sweets;
• spices;
• raw fruits and vegetables.

You can add salt to food to retain water in the body. Take exclusively warm, with milk or kefir.

It is important not to overload the stomach, so food should be easily digestible. It is also worth reviewing your daily routine, walking more, breathing fresh air, and playing active games.

Sample menu for diarrhea with water in adults

Sample menu for the day:

1. Breakfast - egg omelet, weak tea.
2. Lunch - apple juice, cookies, crackers, vegetable soup or light meat broth, steamed chicken meatballs.
3. Dinner - baked apples, biscuits, buckwheat porridge, boiled breast, rosehip infusion.

Diet is extremely important for diarrhea. It is better to develop the right menu with your doctor, so that it does not lead to side effects, but contributes to the rapid passage of unpleasant liquid diarrhea.

There are a number of diseases that many people who suffer from them do not like to talk about and are even ashamed of. And diarrhea (in common parlance - diarrhea) is one of them. Meanwhile, this condition is often a sign of very serious disorders in the body. Not to mention, diarrhea itself is dangerous and can even be fatal. However, practice shows that not all people know how to treat diarrhea properly.

What is diarrhea?

First of all, let's define this concept. Diarrhea in medicine is usually called a condition when a person performs an act of defecation, or bowel movements too often. Of course, frequent bowel movements is an imprecise criterion, so it should be clarified. A person who eats normally and consumes a normal amount of water should have bowel movements from 1 time in 2 days to 2 times per day. If defecation occurs more often than twice a day, then this condition can be considered one of the characteristic signs of diarrhea.
The second determining factor is the consistency of the stool. Normally, human excrement is cylindrical in shape and quite hard. With diarrhea, the type of stool is always different from usual - it is a semi-liquid, liquid or mushy mass, or even just water. If these symptoms of diarrhea - frequent urge to defecate and loose stools - continue for more than two weeks without a break, then the diarrhea is considered acute. Otherwise, it should be classified as chronic.

Generally speaking, diarrhea can be a symptom of many diseases. However, this disease cannot be determined by the mere fact of diarrhea. Other symptoms also play a huge role. It is extremely rare to find a case where diarrhea occurs against the background of complete health and is not accompanied by other characteristic signs.

The main symptoms that often accompany diarrhea:

• elevated temperature;
• weakness;
• nausea;
• gas formation in the intestines;
• pain in the lower or upper abdomen.

You should also pay attention to such characteristics of diarrhea as stool consistency. Pasty, liquid, watery diarrhea may indicate various gastrointestinal diseases. Also, with diarrhea, some additional discharge may be observed - blood, mucus, pieces of undigested food. What matters is the color of the discharge, its volume - abundant or scanty, the smell - foul or not.

Causes of diarrhea

What causes diarrhea? The causes of this condition can be varied. It is important to know well the cause of diarrhea, as otherwise treatment may not be effective.

Additional factors contributing to the occurrence of diarrhea are:

• insufficient personal hygiene;
• insufficient chewing of food, incorrect eating habits;
• stress and neuroses;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• use of certain types of medications;
• reduced immunity;
• pregnancy;
• childhood.

However, whatever the causes, diarrhea requires serious treatment and adequate treatment.

The main viral and bacterial infections that can cause diarrhea are:

• salmonellosis,
• dysentery,
• rotavirus infection,
• enterovirus infection.

As a rule, the main symptom indicating that diarrhea is caused by an infection is fever. Also, infections of the gastrointestinal tract are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and general weakness. Patients often complain that they have a stomach ache or pain in the lower abdomen. Stools with infectious diarrhea are frequent. Diseases such as dysentery are characterized by very liquid stool, which usually has a foul odor and contains mucus or blood.

Lack of digestive enzymes

Digestion is a complex chemical process. It involves many substances, whose task is to break down the organic substance entering the digestive tract into those simple compounds that can be absorbed by the body’s tissues. Many of the substances necessary for digestion are produced by various organs - the liver, stomach, pancreas. Such compounds include pepsins, bile, pancreatic enzymes - protease, lipase, amylase. If any of the enzymes is missing, this means that undigested food remains will accumulate in the intestines. This causes irritation and upset of the intestines, which causes diarrhea.

Poisoning

Often, loose stools are the body’s reaction to toxic substances. There may well be some toxins in the food we eat. This may mainly apply to stale or expired products, products treated with some chemicals or containing poisons (mushrooms, fruits and vegetables). It is also possible that drugs and chemicals may be ingested in large doses. This circumstance may well cause poisoning of the body, accompanied by diarrhea. As a rule, in case of poisoning, not only loose stools are observed, but also other symptoms. Typically, poisoning is initially accompanied by pain and stomach cramps. As the pathological process develops, poisoning begins to manifest itself as cramping pain, vomiting, nausea, sometimes headaches, neurological symptoms, or symptoms of cardiovascular failure.

One of the varieties of this type of diarrhea is the so-called “travelers’ diarrhea”. Although in fact this disease has a whole range of causes. It occurs in people who try a large amount of unusual and unfamiliar food. Most often, this behavior is typical for people who travel to distant and exotic countries and want to get new sensations. However, the problem is that our gastrointestinal tract and the body as a whole are conservative in nature and, to a certain extent, are tuned to the diet to which they have been accustomed since childhood. And when faced with something new, their work becomes disorganized, resulting in loose stools and an upset stomach.

Inflammatory processes of the digestive organs

Diarrhea often accompanies inflammatory diseases of the digestive system that are not directly caused by infectious agents. With these diseases, inflammation or ulcers of the surface of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines are observed, which, in turn, leads to gastrointestinal disorders. In addition to stool disorders, inflammatory diseases of the stomach and duodenum are often accompanied by heartburn, characteristic belching, and an unpleasant taste in the mouth (bitter or metallic). Such diseases include:

• enteritis,
• cholecystitis,
• autoimmune diseases (for example,).

Intestinal motility disorder

In diseases of this type, undigested food remains due to malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system of the intestine move too quickly through it and do not have time to form solid feces. Most often, this type of diarrhea is characteristic of a disease called “irritable bowel syndrome.” The urge to defecate with this syndrome may appear more often than usual and be associated with moments of nervous tension. However, the total amount of feces usually does not exceed the norm, and dehydration of the body, characteristic of other types of diarrhea, is usually not observed.

Dysbacteriosis

Many of the bacteria that live in our intestines are not pathogenic, but take part in the digestive process. If the number of intestinal bacteria drops catastrophically, for example, in the case of taking antibiotics, then a proliferation of other microorganisms may be observed, as well as disruptions in the digestion process, which often leads to diarrhea. After restoring the balance of the microflora, the stool, as a rule, returns to normal.

Diagnostics

What to do if diarrhea is chronic? To identify the causes of the pathology, you must consult a doctor. Although not all patients do this. But this is not always prudent, because it is completely unknown what pathology manifests itself due to diarrhea. This could be an accidental mild food poisoning, a relatively harmless irritable bowel syndrome, which, in principle, you can not pay much attention to, ulcerative colitis requiring long-term treatment, salmonellosis, in which the patient is subject to immediate hospitalization, and extremely dangerous tumors.

As for acute diarrhea, especially in severe form, then, of course, any doubts about the advisability of seeing a doctor should be discarded. If diarrhea occurs in an acute form, then the acute dehydration accompanying the disease can often lead to death. Statistics show that diarrhea kills more than a million children every year around the world. It must be remembered that most infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are dangerous not in themselves, but in the complications associated with diarrhea.

In some cases, if we are talking about relatively mild diarrhea, the patient himself can determine the causes of diarrhea - for example, overeating or food poisoning, and draw appropriate conclusions about how treatment should be carried out.

Treatment

How to treat diarrhea? It must be remembered that this is not an independent disease, but only a symptom, although quite dangerous in itself. Therefore, in order to eliminate diarrhea, it is necessary, first of all, to eliminate the pathology that caused it. However, symptomatic treatment of diarrhea is also very important in many cases.

Let's look at the main methods that can successfully treat diarrhea. They can be both medicinal and non-medicinal. Non-drug ways to combat diarrhea include diet, methods for cleansing the stomach, etc.

Drug treatment

First of all, medications will help get rid of diarrhea. They can be divided into several main groups:

• sorbents,
• antibiotics and antiseptics for intraintestinal action,
• probiotics,
• antidiarrheals,
• means for restoring fluid in the body (rehydration).

Enterosorbents are products that absorb the contents of the stomach and intestines, bind and neutralize them, and then excrete them with feces. Thus, if loose stools are caused by some foreign agents (microorganisms or toxins), then with the help of enterosorbents they can be removed from the body.

Diarrhea is most often treated with antidiarrheals such as loperamide, which affect intestinal motility and slow down the movement of feces through it. This type of medication, however, may not be effective for all diarrhea, and sometimes they can even be harmful. Therefore, before using this type of medication, it is necessary to clarify the cause of diarrhea.

To relieve severe pain, you can use antispasmodics, painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs. However, it should be firmly understood that they can only be used if the source of pain is accurately identified, the disease is diagnosed and does not threaten the patient’s life. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before taking these medications. In some cases, painkillers can mask the development of life-threatening infectious and inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Fluid replenishers are a type of medication that is often not taken seriously. And it’s completely in vain, because they help the body fight dehydration. Most often, saline solutions, such as Regidron, are used for this purpose.

Probiotic drugs are usually used if diarrhea is caused by dysbiosis. If the amount of normal intestinal microflora decreases, probiotics will help restore balance in the gastrointestinal tract and normalize digestion. However, in most cases, the use of these drugs alone will not correct the situation.

The choice of drugs from any group depends on the etiology of the disease. Therefore, in order to know how to treat diarrhea, you must first identify the source of the problem.

If frequent loose stools are caused by food or household poisoning, then the most effective method of treatment is gastric lavage and/or taking enterosorbents. It is also necessary to take means to restore fluid in the body.

If diarrhea is caused by an infection, then it is necessary to use antibiotics prescribed by a doctor, anti-inflammatory drugs as an auxiliary element of therapy, and rehydration agents.

For irritable bowel syndrome, non-infectious colitis, enteritis and gastritis, antidiarrheal and anti-inflammatory drugs will be most effective. The method of treating inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract is quite complex and the treatment strategy should be determined by a doctor.

How to treat diarrhea caused by a lack of digestive enzymes? This is quite simple - first of all, you should take enzyme preparations containing pancreatic enzymes and bile. Antidiarrheal medications will also be helpful.

Diet

Diet is an important part of therapy. First of all, it is necessary for those who do not know how to get rid of diarrhea. Taking any medications in most cases will be useless if the patient simultaneously eats foods that irritate the digestive organs and help prolong the disease.

The diet largely depends on the type of disease. However, there are a number of principles that must be followed when eating.

You should exclude from your diet too fatty and sweet foods, foods that provoke active fermentation and gas formation in the stomach, carbonated drinks, spicy foods, and alcohol. Preference should be given to boiled food rather than raw food, and especially not fried or smoked. Food should be easily digestible, that is, hard-to-digest foods such as mushrooms should be excluded from the diet. Drinking is also important. In case of severe dehydration, it is useful to drink saline solutions; for intestinal infections - decoctions of chamomile, rose hips, and strong tea.

Prevention

Prevention includes, first of all, personal hygiene, washing and proper heat treatment of food. It is also important to follow a proper diet, not to eat expired or spoiled foods, products of dubious origin, and to ensure that hazardous chemicals do not get into your food. It is also important to monitor your eating habits, do not eat on the go or dry food, avoid stress and overwork, monitor your health and treat chronic diseases in a timely manner.

Who doesn’t know from television advertising what to do if diarrhea occurs in adults? Take a “magic” pill that will instantly stop diarrhea! However, any doctor will say that such “treatment” will not help at best, and will do harm at worst. Firstly, medications for diarrhea do not act instantly, they only reduce it, and secondly, the use of such medications is contraindicated for a number of diseases. What to do when you suffer from loose stools?

Diarrhea is not a disease, but a symptom that indicates problems in the gastrointestinal tract or in the body as a whole. Therefore, it is impossible to cure diarrhea without knowing what causes it. Diarrhea is defined as the passage of loose stool either once or with an increased frequency of bowel movements. If such a violation goes away within 2-3 weeks, we are talking about acute diarrhea, over 21 days - chronic.

In a normal state, the body of a healthy adult excretes 100–300 g of formed feces daily or at other intervals that are comfortable for a particular gastrointestinal tract. Liquefaction and accelerated evacuation of stool occurs due to a sharp increase in water content: with diarrhea, stool is 90% liquid. The amount of feces suggests the etiology of diarrhea:

• disturbances of intestinal motility usually do not increase the daily volume of feces; it is excreted frequently, but in small portions;
• if the problem is in the absorption of substances by the intestinal wall, there is a significant increase in the volume of feces due to the mass of undigested food.

The main causes of loose stools in adults:

Such diarrhea usually goes away within 3-4 days, and the patient will most likely be able to associate the onset of diarrhea with previous events.

However, the causes of diarrhea in an adult can be more serious:

• infection with bacteria, viruses, protozoa (dysentery, salmonellosis, intestinal flu);
• inflammatory diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, hepatitis, ulcers);
• functional organ failure (deficiency of certain enzymes);
• gastrointestinal diseases of unknown etiology (Crohn's disease);
• toxic damage (poisoning with lead, mercury).

In such cases, it is not enough to simply stop the diarrhea: a diagnosis must be made and qualified treatment must be carried out, often in an inpatient setting. As for the clinical manifestations of diarrhea, they may be mild. This applies to ordinary indigestion, when in addition to loose stools, cramping pain in the abdomen and dyspeptic symptoms (boiling, bloating, etc.) may be observed.

In case of food poisoning, the pain is accompanied by weakness, fever, nausea and vomiting, refusal to eat, and the temperature may rise. Similar symptoms are accompanied by intestinal infections and viral diseases.

Alarming signs that require immediate attention are symptoms of dehydration. Dry skin and mucous membranes, cracked lips, severe thirst, rare urination, darkening of urine occur with debilitating diarrhea, and this condition poses a great danger: the pulse increases, blood pressure drops, and muscle cramps may begin.

What to do for diarrhea in an adult - first aid

To prevent dehydration, the water and salts lost by the body must be compensated by drinking plenty of fluids: it is best to take rehydrating solutions (Rehydron and analogues); in their absence, you can drink saline solution, salted water, chamomile tea. Prevention of dehydration should begin as soon as it becomes clear that loose stools are not an isolated case.

Especially if the diarrhea is profuse and constant, has been going on for several days, and is accompanied by vomiting. It is also necessary to pay attention to the presence of blood in the stool. It can appear with dysentery, ulcerative colitis,.

Depending on the diagnosis, the doctor will select a specific treatment, but there are general rules that must be followed in any case of diarrhea. This is dietary nutrition, taking adsorbent drugs, enzymes.

Diet for diarrhea in an adult

The nature of the diet obviously influences bowel movements. Many foods have an irritating effect on peristalsis, and during diarrhea you should forget about them until complete recovery. These are spices, raw vegetables, plums and other laxatives.

Some foods have a fixing effect, so in the first few days of the diet you should limit yourself to the following set of dishes:

• wheat bread crackers;
• vegetable purees;
• slimy porridge;
• pureed meat and fish of lean varieties (steamed, boiled);
• tea, blueberry jelly, bird cherry fruit infusion, rice infusion.

You can start the diet on a “fasting” day: drink only strong sweet tea (8-10 cups during the day).

If diarrhea is caused by lactose or gluten intolerance, then diet is the main, and often the only, factor in treatment. For these diseases, a therapeutic diet is prescribed that completely excludes products containing milk sugar and the cereal protein gluten.

Diet is important: you need to eat often (every 3 hours) and in small portions.

The diet must be followed throughout the treatment and beyond, but after the first “hard” days, you can remove the restrictions and expand the diet, adhering to the following principles:

Thus, we list the prohibited products:

• any fried meat;
• offal;
• rich broths;
• fatty fish cooked in any way, and lean fish if it is fried, canned, smoked;
• milk, high fat cream;
• scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs;
• cabbage in any form, beets, spicy root vegetables, turnips, radishes, cucumbers;
• canned vegetables;
• mushrooms;
• sour berries and fruits;
• pastries and bread;
• carbonated drinks, kvass, cold drinks.

What then can you eat for diarrhea in adults? Here is an approximate list of dishes from which it is recommended to create a diet menu:

• steamed minced meat cutlets, meat puree (can be from “children’s” jars), soufflé;
• boiled fish (such as pollock, cod), fish balls, steamed cutlets;
• cereal cooked in water; you can add a little milk and a piece of butter to the finished porridge;
• rice pudding;
• puree soups with vegetable or weak meat broth;
• boiled pasta;
• fermented milk drinks;
• fresh cottage cheese;
• omelet, soft-boiled eggs;
• boiled, baked or pureed vegetables: potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, green beans;
• baked fruits in compote, some fresh strawberries;
• jellies and mousses from berries and fruits;
• white bread croutons, dryers, “Maria” cookies;
• water, tea, compote, cocoa without milk.

In addition to diet, it is important to organize the correct drinking regime. The fluid entering the body should be several liters in volume in order to fully compensate for the loss of water through diarrhea.

Since microelements are washed out with loose stools, plain water is not very suitable for drinking. It is better to take glucose-salt drinks, which will replenish the loss of electrolytes, maintain normal blood sugar levels, and salt also promotes fluid retention in the body.

There are special preparations for preparing rehydrating drinks, these are Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Gastrolit, but if they are not available, you can prepare the liquid yourself by diluting it in a liter of water:

Instead of potassium chloride, you can pour a decoction of dried apricots and freshly squeezed orange juice into the solution. You need to drink in small portions, but constantly throughout the day.

Medicines to treat diarrhea in adults

As an important piece of advice, it should be noted that diarrhea in an adult that has not gone away within 3 days is a reason to consult a doctor. Chronic diarrhea can indicate the presence of serious diseases, it even occurs with some forms of cancer.

It is also worth seeing a doctor if the temperature rises above 38 during diarrhea, signs uncharacteristic of indigestion or poisoning appear: rash, yellowness of the skin and eyes, dark urine, sleep disturbances. Constant excruciating pain in the abdomen should not be the norm (spastic pain before and during bowel movements is acceptable).

Black or green diarrhea, vomiting mixed with fresh or coagulated (dark) blood, fainting, signs of severe dehydration indicate that the situation is critical: it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance.

Diarrhea(popular name - diarrhea) - a painful condition of the human body, accompanied by frequent loose (watery) stools and, in most cases, pain in the abdomen, high fever and vomiting.

Diarrhea (diarrhea)- a symptom that causes, and is therefore quite dangerous for children and the elderly, which, if not given proper attention, can lead to serious consequences, even death.

According to statistics for 2009, more than 1.5 million children (under 5 years of age) died from diarrhea in third world countries.

Types of diarrhea

Medicine distinguishes between two types of diarrhea (diarrhea) - acute and chronic, the symptoms of which are generally similar. The main difference is the duration and other accompanying symptoms.

Acute diarrhea

The duration is usually short, 1 – 14 days. The causes of loose stools in acute diarrhea can be: allergic reactions to medications, food poisoning, as well as various infections (viruses, bacteria).

Chronic diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea (diarrhea) is persistent, prolonged diarrhea (diarrhea) with possible periods of remission. Chronic diarrhea (diarrhea) can lead to weakening and dehydration of the body, and can also be a symptom of a hidden disease, so you should definitely see a doctor to prescribe treatment for an intestinal disorder.

Possible causes of chronic diarrhea (diarrhea) as an intestinal disease: ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), drug therapy, endocrine diseases, etc.

Symptoms accompanying diarrhea (diarrhea) are as follows:

• feces with blood;

See a doctor immediately if:

• diarrhea continues in a child for more than 2 days, in an adult for more than 5 days;
• high body temperature;
• stool that is dark, bloody, or contains mucus;
• there is severe and prolonged abdominal pain (more than 2 hours);
• nausea and vomiting appeared;
• diarrhea began after a trip to Africa, Asia and other exotic parts of the planet;
• signs of dehydration appeared.

You should immediately consult a doctor if any of the above symptoms occur in infants or the elderly.

Causes of acute diarrhea:

Causes of chronic diarrhea:

In most cases, diarrhea goes away on its own within 2 days. The main thing these days is to stick to a diet and also prevent dehydration. That is why experts prescribe patients plenty of fluids and other means to prevent the body from losing the necessary amount of fluid for its normal functioning.

If diarrhea does not go away within 2 days in a child or 5 days in an adult, consult a doctor who, based on the examination, can prescribe medications and, if necessary, refer you to the hospital for tests and treatment.

Basically, treatment of diarrhea includes the following set of measures:

— diet;
— maintaining the body’s water balance;
- drug treatment at home;
- treatment in a hospital (if the doctor has concerns or diarrhea does not go away for a long time).

Diet for diarrhea

What to eat for diarrhea? We have selected some useful recommendations:

— For diarrhea, it is necessary to drink plenty of liquid (water, still mineral water, broth), preferably warm or at room temperature.

— If you have no appetite and feel cramps in the abdomen, then it is better to refrain from eating;

— Eat food in small doses;

- If an infant has diarrhea, continue to breastfeed him, but if he is bottle-fed. When bottle feeding, replace cow's milk with clean water.

If you have diarrhea, you should avoid the following foods:

• fatty and fried foods;
• coffee;
• alcohol;
• milk and fermented milk products (yogurt, fermented baked milk);
• fruit juices (except apple);
• grapes, plums and most other fresh fruits;
• legumes, beets, radishes, radishes, cucumbers and other green vegetables;
• sweets;
• sauces, ketchups, mayonnaise and spices;
• black bread

What to eat for diarrhea:

• boiled rice, oatmeal and other grains;
• white bread crackers;
• potatoes and other boiled or baked vegetables;
• lean meat, can be in the form of cutlets or meatballs, but always steamed or boiled;
• applesauce;
• bananas.

Medicines for diarrhea

It is better to take medications after seeing a doctor. If there is still such a need, then you can take them, but strictly follow the instructions for use and remember that if over-the-counter antidiarrheal drugs are taken for a long time, diarrhea can become chronic and provoke more serious disturbances in the functioning of the body.

Antidiarrheal group:“Enterol”, “Eubikor”, “Mezim Forte”, “Smecta”, “Enterosgel”, “Imodium”, “Hilak Forte”, “Loperamide Akri”, “Panzinorm Forte”, “Lopedium”, “”, “Polysorb MP ", "Linex", "Polyphepan", "Diosmectite", "Coapectate", "Enterosorb".

To prevent dehydration:"Regidron", "Hydrovit".

Intestinal antiseptics: Nifuroxazide (Enterofuril, Ersefuril, Stopdiar), Rifaximin (Alfa Normix), Intetrix.

For infectious diarrhea:"Galavit."

Diarrhea due to colitis is treated with drugs that relieve inflammation.

Attention! Products containing salicylate may temporarily darken the tongue or stool.

Antibiotics for diarrhea

Antibiotics for diarrhea are prescribed only by a doctor, and only after diagnosing the body and identifying the “infectious” cause of diarrhea.

Prevention of diarrhea

To prevent diarrhea, the following rules must be followed:

- always wash your hands, especially after going outside, using the toilet, contacting money, before eating, before contact with food for cooking. Hands should be washed with warm water and soap.

— before consumption, fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly washed;

- diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems can be caused by: unpasteurized dairy products, meat, eggs;

- do not eat food that has expired;

— meat must undergo complete heat treatment before being eaten;

- in the kitchen, including places and objects for preparing food, must be clean (tables, knives, boards, plates, etc.);

- do not leave cooked foods in a warm place for a long time, because... This is an excellent environment for the proliferation of bacteria harmful to the body.

- Try not to drink raw water or any untreated water, especially of unknown origin. To purify water, boil it for 15 minutes and then consume. You can also purify water using special filters, as well as by adding a tablet or drop of iodine and chlorine to it.

- do not eat fruits or vegetables that have not yet reached the ripening season, for example: strawberries, melon, watermelon. Often, unscrupulous producers inject such berries and fruits with “chemicals”, which provokes their rapid ripening and, of course, frequent poisoning of their customers.

Diarrhea(diarrhea) – frequent, repeated loose stools. Diarrhea is usually accompanied by pain, rumbling in the abdomen, flatulence, and tenesmus. Diarrhea is a symptom of many infectious diseases and inflammatory processes of the intestines, dysbiosis, and neurogenic disorders. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of the underlying disease is important in preventing complications. Loss of large amounts of fluid during profuse diarrhea leads to disruption of the water-salt balance and can cause heart and kidney failure.

General information

Diarrhea is defined as single or frequent defecation of loose stool. Diarrhea is a symptom that signals a malabsorption of water and electrolytes in the intestines. Normally, the amount of feces excreted per day by an adult varies between 100-300 grams, depending on the characteristics of the diet (the amount of plant fiber consumed, poorly digestible substances, liquids). If intestinal motility increases, stool may become more frequent and thinner, but its quantity remains within normal limits. When the amount of liquid in the stool increases to 60-90%, we speak of diarrhea.

There are acute diarrhea (lasting no more than 2-3 weeks) and chronic. In addition, the concept of chronic diarrhea includes a tendency to periodically have large stools (more than 300 grams per day). Patients suffering from malabsorption of various nutrients tend to produce polyfecal matter: the excretion of large amounts of stool containing undigested food debris.

Causes of diarrhea

With severe intoxication in the intestine, excess secretion of water with sodium ions occurs into its lumen, which helps to dilute the stool. Secretory diarrhea develops with intestinal infections (cholera, enteroviruses), taking certain medications and dietary supplements. Osmolar diarrhea occurs with malabsorption syndrome, insufficient digestion of sugars, excessive consumption of osmotically active substances (laxative salts, sorbitol, antacids, etc.). The mechanism of development of diarrhea in such cases is associated with an increase in osmotic pressure in the intestinal lumen and fluid diffusion along the osmotic gradient.

A significant factor contributing to the development of diarrhea is impaired intestinal motility (hypokinetic and hyperkinetic diarrhea) and, as a consequence, a change in the rate of transit of intestinal contents. Laxatives and magnesium salts help enhance motility. Impaired motor function (weakening and strengthening of peristalsis) occurs with the development of irritable bowel syndrome. In this case they talk about functional diarrhea.

Inflammation of the intestinal walls causes the exudation of protein, electrolytes and water into the intestinal lumen through damaged mucosa. Exudative diarrhea accompanies enteritis, enterocolitis of various etiologies, intestinal tuberculosis, acute intestinal infections (salmonellosis, dysentery). Often with this type of diarrhea there is blood and pus in the stool.

Diarrhea can develop as a result of taking medications: laxatives, antacids containing magnesium salts, certain groups of antibiotics (ampicillin, lincomycin, cephalosporins, clindamycin), antiarrhythmic drugs (quindiline, propranol), digitalis preparations, potassium salts, artificial sugars (sorbitol, mannitol) , cholestyramine, chenodeoxycholic acid, sulfonamides, anticoagulants.

Classification

The following types of diarrhea are distinguished: infectious (with dysentery, salmonellosis, amoebiasis, food toxic infections and entroviruses), nutritional (associated with dietary disorders or allergic reactions to food), dyspeptic (accompanies digestive disorders associated with insufficiency of the secretory functions of the organs of the digestive system: liver, pancreas, stomach; as well as in case of insufficiency of enzyme secretion in the small intestine), toxic (with arsenic or mercury poisoning, uremia), medicinal (caused by taking drugs, drug dysbiosis), neurogenic (with changes in motor skills due to disturbances in nervous regulation associated with psycho-emotional experiences).

Clinical features of diarrhea

In clinical practice, acute and chronic diarrhea are distinguished.

Acute diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea

Diarrhea lasting more than 3 weeks is considered chronic. It can be a consequence of various pathologies, the identification of which is the main task for determining treatment tactics. Information about the causes of chronic diarrhea can be provided by medical history, accompanying clinical symptoms and syndromes, and physical examination.

Particular attention is paid to the nature of the stool: frequency of bowel movements, daily dynamics, volume, consistency, color, presence of impurities in the stool (blood, mucus, fat). The survey reveals the presence or absence of accompanying symptoms: tenesmus (false urge to defecate), abdominal pain, flatulence, nausea, vomiting.

Pathologies of the small intestine are manifested by copious watery or fatty stools. Diseases of the large intestine are characterized by less abundant stool; streaks of pus or blood and mucus may be present in the stool. Most often, diarrhea with lesions of the large intestine is accompanied by pain in the abdomen. Diseases of the rectum are manifested by frequent, scanty stools as a result of increased sensitivity to stretching of the intestinal walls, tenesmus.

Diagnosis of diarrhea

Acute diarrhea is usually characterized by a very pronounced loss of fluid and electrolytes in the feces. During examination and physical examination of the patient, signs of dehydration are noted: dryness and decreased skin turgor, increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure. With severe calcium deficiency, the symptom of a “muscle roll” becomes positive, and convulsions may occur.

In case of diarrhea, the patient's stool is always carefully examined; in addition, it is advisable to carry out a proctological examination. Detection of anal fissure, fistula, paraproctitis may suggest Crohn's disease. For any diarrhea, a comprehensive examination of the digestive tract is performed. Instrumental endoscopic techniques (gastroscopy, colonoscopy, irrigoscopy, sigmoidoscopy) allow you to examine the internal walls of the upper gastrointestinal tract and large intestine, detect damage to the mucosa, inflammation, neoplasms, bleeding ulcerations, etc.

Fecal microscopy reveals a high content of leukocytes and epithelial cells in it, which indicates the presence of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. The detected excess of fatty acids is a consequence of impaired fat absorption. Together with the remains of muscle fibers and the high starch content in the feces, steatorrhea is a sign of malabsorption syndrome. Fermentation processes due to the development of dysbiosis contribute to changes in the normal acid-base balance in the intestine. To identify such disorders, intestinal pH is measured (normally 6.0).

Persistent diarrhea in combination with excessive gastric secretion is characterized by Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ulcerogenic pancreatic adenoma). In addition, prolonged secretory diarrhea may be the result of the development of hormone-producing tumors (for example, VIPoma). Laboratory blood tests are aimed at identifying signs of the inflammatory process, biochemical markers of liver and pancreas dysfunction, and hormonal disorders that may be causes of chronic diarrhea.

Treatment of diarrhea

Diarrhea is a symptom of many diseases, therefore, in the choice of medical tactics, the main role is played by the identification and treatment of the underlying pathology. Depending on the type of diarrhea, the patient is referred for treatment to a gastroenterologist, infectious disease specialist or proctologist. You should definitely seek medical help if you have diarrhea that lasts more than 4 days, or if there are streaks of blood or mucus in your stool. In addition, symptoms that cannot be ignored are: tarry stools, abdominal pain, fever. If signs of diarrhea appear and there is a possibility of food poisoning, you should also consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Therapy aimed at eliminating diarrhea depends on its type. And it includes the following components: dietary nutrition, antibacterial therapy, pathogenetic treatment (correction of malabsorption in case of enzyme deficiencies, reduction of gastric secretion, drugs that normalize intestinal motility, etc.), treatment of the consequences of prolonged diarrhea (rehydration, restoration of electrolyte balance).

In case of diarrhea, foods are introduced into the diet that help reduce peristalsis and reduce the secretion of water into the intestinal lumen. In addition, the underlying pathology that caused the diarrhea is taken into account. The components of the diet must correspond to the functional state of digestion. Products that promote the secretion of hydrochloric acid and increase the rate of evacuation of food from the intestines are excluded from the diet during acute diarrhea.

Antibiotic therapy for diarrhea is prescribed to suppress pathological flora and restore normal eubiosis in the intestines. For infectious diarrhea, broad-spectrum antibiotics, quinolones, sulfonamides, and nitrofurans are prescribed. The drugs of choice for intestinal infections are drugs that do not have an adverse effect on the intestinal microbiocenosis (combined drugs, nifuroxazide). Sometimes eubiotics can be prescribed for diarrhea of ​​various origins. However, more often such treatment is prescribed after the signs of diarrhea have subsided to normalize the intestinal flora (eliminate dysbiosis).

Adsorbents, enveloping and astringent agents that neutralize organic acids are used as symptomatic agents. Loperamide is used to regulate intestinal motility; in addition, it acts directly on the opiate receptors of the small intestine, reducing the secretory function of enterocytes and improving absorption. Somatostatin, which affects secretory function, has a pronounced antidiarrheal effect.

For infectious diarrhea, drugs that reduce intestinal motility are not used. Loss of fluid and electrolytes during prolonged and severe diarrhea requires rehydration measures. Most patients are prescribed oral rehydration, but in 5-15% of cases there is a need for intravenous administration of electrolyte solutions.

Prevention of diarrhea

Prevention of diarrhea includes measures of physical hygiene and nutrition. Washing your hands before eating, thoroughly washing raw vegetables and fruits, and properly preparing foods helps avoid food poisoning and intestinal infections. In addition, it is worth remembering the need to avoid drinking raw water, unfamiliar and suspicious food, and food that can cause an allergic reaction.