Despite the fact that the anatomy of the human body is the same for everyone, some organs may vary in shape and size in different people. Most often, differences are found in the digestive system of the body, namely in the area of the large and small intestines. The sigmoid colon is located in the large section , the state of a person directly depends on the proper functioning of it.
This gut helps digest food, saturating the human body with water. It is usually at the level of the iliac crest, but it can reach the hypochondrium. Sigmoid colon inflammation is a fairly common occurrence called sigmoiditis. Symptoms of the disease are quite clearly expressed, they will be discussed in this article. It is important to note that this is a fairly often diagnosed ailment, a large number of people encounter it.
Definition of the word
Before talking about the symptoms and methods of treating the disease, it is necessary to find out the meaning of the concept of “sigmoiditis. What it is?
This ailment is an inflammation of the lower intestine, namely the sigmoid colon. Due to the anatomical features of the body structure, this department is considered one of the weakest places in the body. It seems to attract an infection to itself. The shape of the sigmoid colon resembles the letter of the Latin alphabet "sigma". Even despite the individuality of a person, almost all of this gut has similarities with this letter.
Everything needs to be done on time, especially when it comes to health. Sigmoiditis can develop both independently of other ailments, and together with them. So you should be careful in this matter, at the slightest symptoms, consult a specialist.
Causes of the disease
Why does sigmoiditis occur? The reasons can be very different, but the main one is the structure of the human body. Oddly enough, we cannot affect the anatomy of our intestines and other organs. The large intestine has bends; each person has a different number of them. The more bends in the intestine, the higher the likelihood of inflammation, since the contents are difficult to freely pass through the intestine, which leads to stagnation of feces.
In pregnant women, inflammation of the sigmoid colon can occur as a result of pressure from the uterus. Also, the cause of this disease can be other ailments of the gastrointestinal tract, such as dysbiosis or proctitis. Since the sigmoid colon is a weakly protected organ, it is more susceptible to disease than others. Sigmoiditis is a rather serious ailment, can lead to irreversible disruptions in the human digestive tract.
Types of Sigmoiditis
The classification of the disease consists of several divisions. According to the degree of activity, acute and chronic sigmoiditis are distinguished. They will be considered later. In more detail, we should dwell on the division according to the changes that occur in the body during inflammation of the sigmoid colon.
- Catarrhal sigmoiditis. This is the weakest form of the disease, it is practically not dangerous, the lesion does not extend to the entire intestine, but only to the upper layer.
- Erosive sigmoiditis. This is the next form of the disease into which catarrhal sigmoiditis can flow if timely treatment is not prescribed. In addition to the signs of the first form, during the examination, erosion (defects in the gastric mucosa) can be detected.
- Ulcerative sigmoiditis. It is a very dangerous form of the disease, characterized in that the inflammation passes from the upper to the lower layers. In some cases, inflammation can also go to the muscles.
- Perisigmoiditis. It is the latest and, accordingly, the most severe form. With it, the intestinal wall becomes completely infected, which can lead to irreversible consequences.
Different types of sigmoiditis have their own symptoms and causes. When contacting a doctor, you can find out if you have this disease, at what stage it is and how to treat it.
Sigmoiditis: symptoms of the disease
As already noted, the degree of activity can distinguish between acute and chronic form of the disease. Symptoms in each case will be different. To begin with, consider the case when a person has acute sigmoiditis:
- pains appear in the left iliac part;
- pains are accompanied by spasms and give to the lower back;
- bloating and regular rumbling of the abdomen;
- quite often loose stools with blood;
- weakness, pallor, constant nausea.
The chronic form of the disease usually manifests itself with intestinal dysbiosis. It is characterized by an alternation of diarrhea and constipation. If a person feels constant fatigue, weakness, and acute bowel pain during defecation, then most likely it is sigmoiditis. Symptoms, treatment of this form of the disease largely depend on the cause.
Digestion of food does not occur properly with this ailment. If you don’t go to an appointment with a specialist on time, then a person can lose much weight, get tired quickly, and will feel constant fatigue. It is possible that for a while everything normalizes, but do not rejoice early. Sigmoiditis can recede, but if a person has not been treated in any way, then he can be sure that the disease will return again.
Repeated illness can lead to serious infectious diseases, hypothermia and injuries.
Diagnosis of sigmoiditis
Even doctors can make mistakes, and even more so when it comes to the fact that the sigmoid colon has become inflamed. Where is it and how does it hurt? The fact is that the symptoms of sigmoiditis are very similar to the symptoms of acute appendicitis. Often there are cases when doctors confuse these two diseases, since it is quite difficult to diagnose sigmoiditis.
If a person later consulted a doctor with this problem or was diagnosed incorrectly, then inflammation can grow to enormous proportions, creating a threat to life and health. In this case, there is a chance that the sigmoid colon will grow together with other organs that are located nearby. Then the usual medicines and measures for sigmoiditis will not help, surgical intervention will become necessary.
Only an experienced doctor, a professional in his field will be able to diagnose sigmoiditis. The localization of the patient’s pain and the focus of the disease is what the specialist needs to determine first. In this case, the patient himself can help the doctor, as well as abdominal palpation. It is imperative to take a blood and feces test so that the doctor can determine the severity of the disease. Since the correct diagnosis is very important, a specialist can appoint the patient to undergo an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. To diagnose the disease for sure, the patient can be examined with an endoscope.
Treatment of inflammation of the sigmoid colon
A person practically spoils life if sigmoiditis is found in him. Symptoms, treatment of the disease are inextricably linked. Regardless of the stage of the disease, the patient is in constant discomfort, regularly feels weakness and fatigue.
The more severe the symptoms of the disease, the more long and thorough the treatment will be. Currently, literally for all stages of the disease there are good and high-quality medicines. The main thing is to identify the cause in time and begin the examination.
Depending on what caused the disease, medications are prescribed. If it got into the body as an infection, then doctors recommend using antibiotics in treatment. If the disease arose due to the anatomical structure of the body, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Each doctor chooses the dosage and quantity individually for the patient.
If the patient feels very ill, he will be offered hospitalization. If any similar symptoms begin to appear, you should immediately contact your therapist. Self-treatment for sigmoiditis is not recommended, as it is very dangerous. In this case, it is better to completely trust the attending physician and not take rash and uncoordinated actions.
Treatment with folk remedies
Despite the fact that at home there is a minimal chance of a full recovery, treatment of sigmoiditis with folk remedies takes place. Decoctions of medicinal herbs will be an excellent solution, as they will help to improve well-being with inflammation of the intestine, as well as stop diarrhea and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
For this decoction, plantain and celandine leaves, rose hips and chamomile flowers will be needed in small quantities. One teaspoon put all the ingredients in a container and pour boiling water. After the broth is infused (6 hours), you can start to use it. It will be correct to drink it 6 times a day in half a glass before meals. After drinking the broth for 4 weeks, you need to interrupt for a week, and then resume reception again. For best results, it is recommended to repeat this cycle three times.
If a person suffers from diarrhea, then juice from the leaves of plantain will be a good helper. To prepare this liquid, it is necessary to grind the leaves, squeeze the juice out of them. One tablespoon of juice is diluted in a glass of boiling water. It is recommended to take half an hour before meals.
Nevertheless, the treatment of this disease with the help of traditional medicine is not very effective, it will only help temporarily relieve pain. Contacting a doctor is a mandatory measure for everyone with ulcerative or non-ulcer sigmoiditis. Treatment of the second with folk remedies is more appropriate, since it will not allow the disease to grow further.
Proper nutrition for the disease
In almost all cases with sigmoiditis, the doctor prescribes a diet. Most often this is diet number 4. Its goal is the elimination of inflammatory and other negative processes in the body, as well as the achievement of proper bowel function. The main thing in this diet is to exclude fats and carbohydrates, due to this, a sufficient amount of gastric juice is secreted.
As already noted, this diet is prescribed to almost everyone who has found sigmoiditis. Symptoms in this case are not very important. This diet is low in calories, containing a lot of proteins, and the amount of fat and carbohydrates is minimized. The optimal diet period is about 7 days. Since it does not contain a sufficient amount of vitamins, its prolonged use may adversely affect health. Eat 5-6 times a day in small portions.
Approved and recommended products include:
- crackers or stale bread;
- boiled or steam diet meat ;
- boiled low-fat fish ;
- cereals cooked in water;
- green tea, sugar free coffee;
- sour apples, blueberry, quince or pear jelly .
Prohibited products include:
- fresh bread, flour products;
- meat, fat, sausages;
- oily fish;
- spices, sauces, hot additives;
- carbonated drinks, cocoa and coffee with sugar.
As you can see from the products, this is a fairly low-calorie diet, and not everyone can survive it even for a week. However, this is necessary. Of course, after agreement with your doctor. Often patients lose a few kilograms after completing this course. This will relieve pain and reduce inflammation slightly. After the patient goes on a diet for a week, you should not immediately switch to fatty and high-calorie foods, this can only worsen sigmoiditis. Symptoms in women are about the same as in men, there are no special differences. So everyone will have to sit on a diet, regardless of gender.
Disease prevention
This ailment is very common, and in order to protect yourself from it in any way, you need to know about sigmoiditis. What is it, many do not even guess until they find in themselves constant pain in the area of the iliac crest. The famous proverb says: forewarned - means armed.
Prevention of this disease boils down to the timely resolution of problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and the prevention of extreme forms of ailments. A very important point is proper nutrition. If possible, you should minimize the intake of fatty foods, eat more vegetables and fruits. It is advisable not to eat large meals twice a day. It is better to divide these portions by six times, this decision will positively affect digestion. Thus, a person avoids overeating, and, accordingly, bloating.
In this case, all sections of the gastrointestinal tract will work in normal mode. Of course, it is also necessary to seek professional help on time. At the first sign of any disease, especially related to the intestines, you must make an appointment.
It is very difficult for people to understand if their sigmoid colon is inflamed. Where is it and how does it hurt? The answers to these questions must be known. At the slightest manifestation of the first symptoms, immediate action is needed.
Forecast
The future of the disease in a patient depends on a large number of factors. Depending on what the symptoms are, the cause of the disease, the degree of sigmoiditis, the form of the disease, it depends on what happens next with the patient. In general, it can be noted that sigmoiditis with timely treatment and maintenance of preventive measures almost always has a favorable outcome.
Of course, any disease that is detected late becomes difficult to treat, and in this case, sigmoiditis is no exception. Symptoms, causes of the disease are always different, a lot depends on this. An adverse outcome can only be if the disease was too neglected. Then surgery remains the only way out.