Intestinal colitis: treatment, symptoms in adults

The most common disease that occurs with pathology of the gastrointestinal tract is called colitis. Symptoms and treatment of adults and babies are almost the same. Most adults do not even suspect that such an ailment lies in their body, and begin therapy when it is too late.

Symptoms and treatment of intestinal colitis in adults are directly dependent on the type of disease.

What is adult colitis?

Intestinal colitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract.

There are two main forms of the disease: acute and chronic.

Acute colitis is the most frequently occurring pathology of the gastrointestinal tract that can occur at any age. The defeat with this form is shallow, but very extensive, since all organs of the gastrointestinal tract suffer. It occurs due to irritation of the mucosa, characterized by the loss of electrolytes and fluid. Symptoms in the form of dysbiosis, dehydration and toxemia lead to a rather strong destruction of the mucous layer.

By origin, the following types of acute form of this ailment can be distinguished:

• chemical colitis (affects alcohol, smoking, fumes, poisons and heavy metals);
• household (the use of poor-quality food, harmful products);
• mechanical (constipation, bowel obstruction);
• arising as a result of allergic pathologies - hay fever, bronchial asthma (allergic colitis);
• ischemic nature (thrombosis and abdominal trauma);
• infectious colitis.

In the chronic form, the digestive, transport, protective function with changes in the intestinal mucosa is disturbed.

The acute form (non-infectious or infectious colitis) is the easiest. But she can go into ulcerative colitis. In turn, with untimely treatment of the intestine, it threatens with more serious consequences, ulcers on the mucous membrane and ongoing pain.

If you do not conduct timely treatment of ulcerative colitis, then it will quickly develop into necrotic. And this is fraught with sepsis.

Types of Colitis

It is worth examining in more detail the types of colitis, which are many:

• Spasmodic colitis. Colon irritable bowel syndrome (spasmodic colitis, SRKT) is expressed by bloating, cramping and pathology of the intestinal tract. Such a disease is not serious. The disease is considered a functional disorder. SRKT occurs against the background of nervous overexcitation, fatigue, stress. The background for this type of colitis is not known.
• Pseudomembranous colitis. A severe, acute disease that develops as an aggravation of antibiotic therapy. Patients (10–20%) show Clostridium difficile. The disease is formed due to the resistance of Clostridium difficile to drugs that inhibit the functioning of the intestinal microflora. Recognize the disease in a timely manner, cancel the antibiotic that activated diarrhea, and treat the intestines with other drugs.
• Erosive colitis. Inflammation of the lining of the stomach and duodenum with ulcers on the surface of the duodenum close to the stomach. The erosive form will become unsafe with superficial colitis, attracting ulcers.
• Ischemic colitis. Suppuration in the digestive tract, provoked by damage to the veins, which does not lead to tissue necrosis. A variety of diseases and pathological processes lead to a decrease in blood flow in the mucosa and chronic colon ischemia. There are key categories: destruction of veins, damage to small vessels, non-occlusive factors, closure of the main arteries. Failure of intestinal blood flow affects the function of the colon.
• Beam. Radiation injuries of the intestinal tract are caused by ionizing radiation on the body. In cancer patients receiving radial therapy for a tumor of the lymph nodes or pelvis, radial destruction of the intestinal tract occurs more often. Medical signs will not always be followed by an acute mucosal defect.
• Alcohol colitis. They occur in people who often consume a lot of alcohol. In this case, permanent pancreatitis with the pathology of fat metabolism is formed. When exposed to the ordinary flora of the colon of alcohol, it is replaced by pathogenic, which causes inflammation. Alcohol colitis will disappear if the patient stops drinking. Treatment of the intestines with medications will not be superfluous.
• Collagen colitis. A form of persistent inflammatory bowel disease. Histologically, lymphocytic inflammation is characterized by a diffuse increase in the number of interepithelial lymphocytes. In some cases, over time, the conversion of lymphocytic colitis to collagen occurs. The latter is characterized by histological subepithelial deposition of collagen fibers with a thickness of one to ten centimeters. The background remains unclear.

Causes

Since the forms of the disease have a completely different origin, the causes of the disease should be divided. The acute form manifests itself extremely quickly and has a stormy beginning.

The main causes that affect the onset of acute colitis in adults are:

1. Enterovirus infection (the cause of infectious colitis).
2. The use of medications that have an extremely negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
3. The ingestion of a variety of plants and fungi, which in their structure have poison.
4. The influence of pesticides.
5. Poisoning by poor-quality food.
6. Salmonellosis.
7. Dysentery.
8. The effect of ethyl alcohol on the digestive tract of an adult.
9. Poisoning with alcohol substitutes.

The chronic form is much more common than the previous one. Most patients with colitis do not suspect the presence of this ailment in the body. This form appears due to a running acute ailment. The most common causes of colitis include:

• the presence in the body of parasites, namely opisthorchiasis, ascariasis;
• protozoa (trichomoniasis, amoebiasis);
• excessive consumption of alcohol, regardless of its strength;
• constipation
• pathology of the gastrointestinal tract;
• irritable bowel syndrome;
• autoimmune failures;
• gastritis and ulcer.

Often the disease occurs in childhood. The reason for this is poor nutrition, non-observance of food intake, excessive consumption of spicy, salty, fatty and fried. Some carbonated drinks and dry food cause harm. Children are more susceptible to viral colitis than adults.

Chronic colitis, which is caused by parasites, manifests itself due to insufficient heat treatment of consumed products. Poorly processed fish and meat will cause opisthorchiasis, dirty hands and water - amoebiasis. Colitis almost never occurs due to congenital disorders.

Symptoms of Colitis

The main symptoms of colitis include:

• the presence of loose stools, alternating with constipation;
• pain in the abdomen (usually it intensifies before the act of defecation);
• periodically there is a feeling of nausea;
• bloating;
• digestive dysfunction;
• burping.

The disease will also affect the appearance and general well-being of the patient. Symptoms of colitis indicating the presence of the disease are as follows:

• pale skin
• gray complexion;
• dull brittle hair;
• rapid fatigue;
• poor concentration;
• memory impairment;
• bad dream.

Dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract leads to a rapid decrease in immunity, which often leads to the addition of colds and infectious diseases.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of colitis is quite simple and does not represent any complicated procedures:

• The acute form of the disease can be diagnosed using clearly expressed symptoms that are characteristic of this ailment and have some external signs, an epidemiological history.
• It is mandatory to study the patient's feces by the method of bacteriological studies.
• In order to correctly and as accurately as possible diagnose, the attending physician can use a coprogram, on the basis of the data of which a subsequent diagnosis is possible.
• If there is a need for additional studies to more accurately formulate a diagnosis and establish the actual condition of the patient's gastrointestinal tract, rectoscopy may be prescribed.

The diagnosis of chronic colitis is somewhat different from the diagnosis of its acute form. First of all, the doctor who will treat the patient does the following:

• collects the patient’s medical history in accordance with his medical record;
• interviews the patient himself, finds out the presence of complaints;
• external examination of suspected areas of damage by palpation;
• laboratory tests of stool and urine samples;
• the use of instrumental diagnostics.

Note! Even if the symptoms are pronounced, the doctor should diagnose and prescribe treatment for bowel syndrome (irritated).

Pharmacy preparations

Often people complain to doctors about causeless vomiting and nausea, frequent flatulence and soreness in the abdomen. These symptoms may indicate the development of infectious colitis of the intestine, which has a chronic or acute nature of the disease.

Medication for irritable bowel syndrome in adults depends on the type of intestinal disorder you have. So, for irritable bowel syndrome, it is important to reduce peristalsis.

If the disease worsens, it may be possible to use intestinal antiseptics. But they should not be abused: the duration of administration should be no more than 14 days, since the drugs affect not only pathogenic bacteria, but also normal microflora.

List of drugs

To treat irritable bowels, doctors recommend the following medications:

1. Antibiotics that will have antibacterial and antimicrobial effects: Ecofuril and Furazolin.
2. Intestinal antiseptics for exacerbation of colitis: Phthalazole, Sulfasalazine, Salazopyridazine.
3. Digestion Enzymes: Creon and Creazim.
4. Preparations for relieving intestinal spasms and weakening of peristalsis: “No-shpa”, “Odeston”, “Iberogast”.
5. Prebiotics and probiotics for the normalization of intestinal microflora: Linex, Bifiform.
6. Drugs to improve peristalsis: "Loperamide", "Imodium."
7. Adrenergic blockers to block nerve impulses that respond to adrenaline and norepinephrine: Doxazosin, Yohimbine, Nicergoline. Important! These drugs must be used under strict medical supervision!
8. Astringents and enveloping agents will protect the intestines from irritation and reduce the production of mucus: potassium carbonate, Acidin-Pepsin, hydrochloric acid, Panzinorm-forte.

Treatment of colitis with folk remedies

For the treatment of intestines with folk remedies, an adult should use the following products:

• Dill and mint.
• Medicinal fees.
• Buckthorn alder.
• Juices.
• Parsnip and garlic.

For the treatment of intestines, symptoms of colitis, namely reducing bloating, dill oil is mixed with a liquid (one to ten ratio). It should be taken at least three times a day. Substances in mint reduce nausea, prevent the appearance of vomiting. One spoon of this culture is brewed and taken up to three times a day.

Colitis Fees

There are several types of fees with which you can treat bowel colitis:

1. Tea with a laxative effect is prepared from 15 g of cilantro seeds, 15 g of licorice roots, 80 g of buckthorn roots. It is poured and boiled (one tablespoon per glass), taken before bedtime.
2. With colic, an infusion of the same amount of anise, fennel and mint, 10 g each will help. A little more should be added chamomile. Pour the resulting mixture with boiling water (800 ml) for ten hours. Drink three to four times a day.
3. Chamomile, calamus, fennel and valerian should be mixed in equal proportions (optimally - in a spoon). For half a liter of water, steam a spoonful of the mixture, let it brew and drink 50 grams every three hours.
4. The boiled buckthorn bark helps with loose stool. The use depends on the result obtained, in case of inaction of the effect, it is necessary to increase the amount.
5. Various juices of natural origin cope well with similar diseases.
6. Carrot extraction is used with loose stool. Be sure to take on an empty stomach.
7. A garlic drink will return the digestive functions to normal, increase appetite, after taking any milk drink.

Colitis Prevention

Since colitis is the most common disease of the digestive system, which is characterized by simultaneous inflammation of the small and large intestines and has an infectious or non-infectious nature, in order not to get sick with this disease, it is necessary to observe simple rules:

1. When the first signs of infectious colitis in the digestive system appear, it is necessary to deal with their treatment in a timely manner.
2. If helminthic invasion arose, and the presence of parasites was detected, then methods should be used to accelerate their elimination from the body.
3. Follow the rules of rational and proper nutrition, eat in small portions, avoid "dry snacks" and do not eat on the go.
4. If necessary, antibiotic therapy should be applied prebiotics, which will help restore intestinal microflora.
5. Refuse self-medication, do not take medications without first consulting a doctor.
6. It is highly advisable to give up smoking, drinking alcohol and other bad habits, because they cause both chemical and allergic colitis.

It is very important that the acute form does not become chronic. And for this you need to timely identify the symptoms and treatment of intestinal colitis.