Our gastrointestinal tract has its own microflora. In the stomach and duodenum, it is practically absent, but in the distal (distant from the stomach) parts of the intestine, you can find both Escherichia coli and yeast-like fungi. 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, dysbiosis develops. The causes, symptoms and methods of treating this condition will be discussed later in the article.
Why microorganisms are needed in the intestines
As can be seen from the above, the microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is diverse and includes even opportunistic microorganisms. Her vital activity in the intestines is justified and has a certain weight in maintaining the general health of a person:
- it synthesizes vitamins, as well as enzymes with an antitumor effect, is involved in the breakdown of protein and sugar;
- protects the mucosa from allergens, infections, and also from an excess of microbes that can become pathogenic;
- due to the presence of microorganisms, there is a constant activation of immunity;
- toxins and harmful metabolic products are neutralized;
- cholesterol is reduced;
- the process of absorption of water, iron, vitamins, calcium, etc. is stimulated, fatty acids are produced that ensure the preservation of the colon mucosa.
Without an understanding of how important the balance of microflora and its normal life activity is for a person, it is difficult to fully understand the causes of dysbiosis.
What triggers dysbiosis
In both adults and children, dysbiosis 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 adult dysbiosis is often as follows:
- in the patient’s diet there is a lack of fiber and dairy products;
- the patient suffers from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, causing changes in cell membranes and metabolism (gastritis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, hepatitis, etc.) or infectious diseases;
- he has an allergic reaction to something;
- the patient suffered prolonged psychoemotional stress;
- changed climatogeographic conditions;
- For a long time was subjected to heavy physical exertion.
Postoperative disorders as a result of removal of part of the stomach, intestines or gall bladder, etc. can also lead to problems with the balance of microflora.
Causes of dysbiosis in children
For children (especially at an early age) violation of the intestinal microflora, as a rule, has especially grave consequences. Although they have dysbiosis, the reasons for the development of which we are considering, runs almost according to the same scenario as in adults.
It can be provoked by both the features of the intrauterine development of the baby, and his life after birth. For example, a violation of the bacterial balance of his intestines can develop as a result of a difficult pregnancy or complicated birth, prematurity, late attachment to his chest or the presence of bacterial vaginosis in the mother.
In what cases is the death of beneficial bacteria
The causes of dysbiosis in children, as in adults, lie in the death of beneficial intestinal bacteria. This happens in different cases:
- 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 muscle tone of the intestines or spasms that interfere with the normal progress of the food mass;
- the patient is infected with helminths;
- or he received antibiotic treatment.
In infants, the onset of symptoms of dysbiosis may be due to a lack of nutrients in the mother’s milk, the development of her mastitis, or the early transfer of the baby to artificial feeding.
How is dysbiosis classified
The cause of the disease and the severity of its manifestations allow us to divide the described condition into decompensated, subcompensated and compensated dysbiosis.
In the first case, the patient's well-being noticeably worsens due to vomiting, frequent stools and general intoxication. Against this background, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause the development of sepsis.
With a subcompensated form, dysbiosis, 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, the external signs of the disease are absent.
Symptoms of dysbiosis
Manifestations of the described syndrome are diverse in their severity. How hard the patient tolerates microflora disorders depends on many conditions - his age, lifestyle, immunity and the stage at which the disease is. 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 lead to severe digestive problems.
Depending on what are the causes of dysbiosis, its symptoms can be expressed as follows:
- loose stools with a porridge-like structure, poorly washed off the walls of the toilet bowl and often become foamy;
- constipation;
- conditions in which constipation is constantly replaced by diarrhea;
- flatulence, accompanied by abundant emission of gases (they may have a pungent smell or it may be completely absent);
- abdominal pain (it has a different location and often depends on bloating, disappearing with the passage of gases);
- general weakness.
A constant deficiency of vitamins and minerals caused by dysbiosis leads to jamming and cracking of the lips, increasing fragility of hair and nails, the appearance of edema, insomnia, and the development of neurological disorders.
It should be noted that in some patients, regardless of what were the causes of dysbiosis, the syndrome may not manifest itself in any way and is detected only after laboratory tests.
Diagnosis of the disease
In modern medicine, there are many methods confirming the presence of dysbiosis. But more often than others, in practice, bacteriological examination of feces is used for the presence of the named pathology.
True, it has some drawbacks: with it, you can detect only 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 studied material, it must be collected only in sterile dishes and only with a sterile instrument (for this, special jars equipped with a blade for stool are sold in pharmacies);
- in addition, feces should be on the study no later than 2 hours later - if this is difficult, it can be hidden in the refrigerator (but not more than 6 hours);
- preparing for the collection of material for analysis, the patient should not take funds containing live microorganisms, otherwise the result may be completely distorted, and it will be impossible to identify the causes of dysbiosis.
In addition to feces, mucosal scrapings, aspirates of the small intestine, etc. materials that are taken during an endoscopic examination are often sent for examination.
It helps to diagnose dysbiosis and chromatography (during it, microflora vital products are recorded in the blood, feces and fluid from the small intestine). Also informative is a coprogram that helps identify iodophilic flora during a microscopic examination of feces.
How is intestinal dysbiosis treated?
The causes of dysbiosis 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, which caused intestinal dysfunction. Along with this, measures aimed at restoring microflora are also being carried out - drug treatment and dieting.
To suppress the development of pathogenic microbes, the patient is prescribed antibacterial drugs (Tetracycline, Cephalosporin, Penicillin, etc.). If the cause of dysbiosis is a fungal infection, the patient is prescribed "Nystatin" - a drug that suppresses excessive growth of fungi.
To restore the beneficial intestinal microflora, agents containing live cultures (Bifidumbacterin, Linex, or Lactobacterin) are used.
Diet
To get rid of dysbiosis, diet is not the only therapeutic effect, but it cannot be underestimated. Diet, including plant fiber, will not only cleanse the intestines, but also restore its function. To do this, fruits, herbs, berries, nuts, vegetables, legumes and cereals (except semolina and rice) should be introduced into the patient’s nutrition.
Sour-milk products containing lacto- or bifidobacteria also have a beneficial effect on the state of microflora.
They remove from the diet all industrial canned goods, carbonated drinks, pastries, whole and condensed milk, sweets, chips and ice cream.
Measures for the prevention of dysbiosis
Dysbacteriosis, the causes and treatment of which we considered in our article, is a pathology that can be prevented. But immediately note that its prevention is a rather difficult task. Its main sections include both improving the environmental situation in general and observing an adequate diet in particular. Very important for the future normal functioning of the intestine is breastfeeding.
A significant role is played by the correct use of antibiotics and other drugs that can upset microbiocinosis (the union of the microbial populations that inhabit the body of a healthy person), as well as the timely treatment of pathologies of the digestive tract, leading to disruption of the natural balance of its microflora.
A few words in the end
Dysbacteriosis is not an independent disease, but one of the symptoms of pathological processes that occur 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 dysbiosis also disappear. But if its manifestations are still worrying, then the patient has not been cured. And in such a situation, it is necessary to treat the dysbiosis itself, and its root cause is the main disease.