From intestinal disorders, which often go along with diarrhea, people of any age suffer. Long-term problems with moving, reflex, or suction function are the most dangerous. This form of diarrhea often occurs in adults, which can be explained by malnutrition and addictions. It is important to determine how to cure chronic diarrhea in an adult.
Causes of Diarrhea
If difficulties with bowel movements last longer than two weeks, dehydration occurs in the body, and the patient's condition only worsens, it is important not to delay visiting a doctor.
This condition in an adult indicates the presence of an independent disease or a more serious form of damage. The causes of diarrhea in this case can be many.
Infectious factors
Infectious causes of chronic diarrhea can be divided into several types. These include:
- Diarrhea, which occurs due to exposure to the body of various parasites: dysentery bacillus, lamblia, cyclospores and microsporidia.
- Some bacteria can trigger diarrhea in humans: salmonella, aeromonas, E. coli.
- Viral infection is a stomach flu and respiratory intestinal disease.
- In adults, a chronic form of infection (Brainerd's diarrhea) can occur.
Varieties of diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea in an adult may differ in its development mechanism and time of appearance:
- Secretory diarrhea is an increase in the amount of fluid and mucus secreted by intestinal cells. This condition provokes inflammation in the intestines and various tumors.
- Motor or hyperkinetic - accelerates the processes of contraction in the intestine. It can occur with any lesion, excluding intoxication of the body.
- Osmotic - retention of fluid in the intestines and problems with its absorption. The lack of enzymes in the patient’s body.
Invasive - intestinal cells are susceptible to damage by pathogenic microorganisms. Such diarrhea occurs with infectious and viral lesions, as well as with dysbiosis resulting from taking antibiotics.
Non-infectious lesions
Specialists identify groups of non-infectious causes of chronic diarrhea in an adult. These include:
- Taking laxatives, medications, and antibiotics.
- Increased activity of the thyroid gland, in which there is a strong effect on intestinal motility.
- Sexually transmitted diseases or lack of immunoglobulin in the body.
- The accumulation in the intestine of a large amount of carbohydrates, which undergo a fermentation process, which leads to the appearance of fatty and lactic acids. The main reason for such diarrhea is the use of excessive amounts of dairy products or soy.
- Pancreatic diseases, lack of enzymes in the body (congenital disorder - celiac disease) or chronic pancreatitis.
- Another cause of diarrhea is an inflammatory process in the intestinal mucosa.
- Diarrhea occurs with the appearance in the body of tumor formations, cystic fibrosis, as well as in violation of blood circulation.
Additional reasons
There are a number of additional causes of diarrhea that are associated with damage to the large and small intestines. Causes and treatment of chronic diarrhea in an adult:
- colitis: ulcerative, ischemic and microscopic;
- protrusion of the walls of the intestine;
- hypersensitivity: allergic reactions to certain foods, celiac disease, gastroenteritis.
Another common cause of chronic diarrhea in adults is alcohol abuse.
The clinical picture of the disease
The first sign of stool problems in an adult patient is diarrhea, but in each case it can go away against the background of additional symptoms:
- The general clinical picture of the disease is regular persistent diarrhea, constant urge to defecate with flatulence, a feeling of rapid satiety, bloating and pain.
- Exudative diarrhea is described by the presence of blood and pus in the feces.
- With osmotic diarrhea , a large amount of undigested food can be found in the outgoing feces.
- The total volume of feces in other cases reaches 500 ml per day.
- Together with the noted symptoms, the patient often experiences vomiting, nausea, fever, fatigue, a feeling of malaise, muscle cramps and chills.
- Often with such a lesion, there is a rapid loss of kilograms, complete or partial lack of appetite, thirst, which occurs due to dehydration.
Diagnostic procedures
In most cases, to compile a complete clinical picture of the disease and determine its cause, the results of a blood test, biopsy, as well as stool culture are enough.
The exact diagnosis will be determined based on the following verification methods:
- Analysis of feces, which must be repeated three times. This will help identify parasites, pathogens and white blood cells that indicate the presence of an inflammation process.
- Blood is taken for laboratory research to determine the content of iron, vitamin B12, hormones, electrolytes, and glucose. To draw up the correct and effective therapy, a specialist must determine celiac disease and the amount of albumin in the liver.
- In some cases, the doctor prescribes a histological diagnosis of the intestine, which will include a sigmoidoscopy for area examination and colonoscopy to fully determine the state of the organ.
- X-rays in this case are important for identifying possible coprostasis or expansion of loops.
Treatment methods
What to do with chronic diarrhea? In order to get rid of diarrhea in a short time and without complications, it is important to understand that constant diarrhea is a separate symptom, not a disease.
For this reason, its treatment will be prescribed depending on the overall picture of the disease and its primary sources. Some treatments are common to each lesion, but basically they are significantly different from each other.
Taking antibacterial drugs
It is necessary to treat chronic diarrhea with antibacterial agents to restore the main barrier functions of the natural intestinal microflora.
In the presence of bacterial lesions, antimicrobial medications and antiseptics are used that give negative side effects:
- Means "Entoban" helps to suppress the action of intestinal bacteria and fungi. Includes tilichinol and dodecyl sulfate. In the treatment of parasitic lesions, the doctor prescribes 4 to 6 tablets per day for up to 10 days.
- Combined drugs are prescribed to patients one tablet three times a day, the treatment time lasts seven days.
- Suspension "Dependal-M" includes furazolidone and metronidazole. You need to take the drug in a course (5 days) on a spoon after eating.
Reception of bacterial agents
In the treatment of chronic diarrhea in adults, a good effect can be achieved by taking bacterial drugs:
- The drug "Bactisubtil" includes calcium carbonate. Taking the drug lasts 10 days, you should drink one capsule twice a day
- After taking a course of taking antibacterial agents, doctors prescribe Linex, Bifecol, Enterol to patients to normalize the intestinal microflora. Such therapy should continue throughout the month.
- The Hilak-Forte drug, which is a concentrated composition with metabolic products, slows down the process of damage.
Adsorbents to improve the condition
In the treatment of a chronic form of diarrhea, patients are often prescribed adsorbents of an astringent and enveloping nature:
- Smecta. The active substances in the composition of the drug help maintain and normalize the state of intestinal microflora. The drug helps to protect the intestines from microorganisms and has an enveloping effect.
- "Kaopektat" is a solution that can bind toxins, reduce the action of pathogens and cleanse the body of them. It is allowed to receive in the presence of chronic diarrhea of different origin. The only contraindication when taking the drug is considered to be combination with antibiotics, it is important to wait a few hours before use.
- Tannacomp has astringent and anti-inflammatory effects. The tool copes with the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Diet Design
With chronic diarrhea, a diet is considered a prerequisite for effective treatment. A sick patient must strictly follow the rules of nutrition. The food consumed is obliged to restrain the process of defecation, to reduce the output of liquid and electrolytes. Food should correspond to pathological processes in the intestine, for this reason, experts during the treatment period recommend eating exclusively light food. All dishes should be steamed, and the ingredients in them should be well-wiped. List of prohibited foods:
- dairy products and legumes;
- sweets, confectionery;
- grapes and some fruits;
- fatty, spicy, salty foods, spirits and various canned foods.
The use of other products will be determined depending on the characteristics of the disease and its main causes. Most importantly, in this condition, restore the water balance in the body and saturate it with trace elements, therefore, protein, pectin and potassium should be included in the diet. The following foods must be present in the daily diet: boiled eggs, boiled meat, crushed bananas and apples, potatoes boiled with peel.
If a patient with chronic diarrhea consults a doctor, at the very beginning of treatment, the doctor thoroughly diagnoses the patient to identify the cause of the disease. Many diseases are distinguished by a particularly complex diagnosis, the purpose of which is to determine the hidden etiology. Further treatment of the patient will depend on the symptoms of the lesion. Most often, the treatment of chronic diarrhea takes time, since such a lesion is considered quite serious and dangerous.
Diarrhea and pancreatitis
Many lesions of the gastrointestinal tract have the same symptoms, from time to time they can aggravate or differ in stability throughout the course.
Gastritis, ulcer, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis lead to problems with the digestive system. Diarrhea with pancreatitis is considered the main distinguishing feature of this disease, it indicates changes in the pancreas:
- feces change their color to lighter, acquire a greasy consistency with an unpleasant odor;
- also feces can acquire a yellow or green hue;
- the amount of excreted feces per day becomes larger;
- in fecal masses you can find a large amount of undigested food;
- diarrhea begins almost immediately after eating, it proceeds against the background of feelings of nausea, heart palpitations, and also chills in the limbs.
If you do not start timely and effective treatment of the disease, then the main symptoms will only worsen, which will lead to secondary symptoms associated with a lack of nutrients in the body:
- the body suffers from dehydration;
- there is pain and a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen;
- the weight of the patient is rapidly decreasing;
- complete or partial loss of appetite;
- peeling of the skin, a change in its color;
- fragility of hair and nails is manifested;
- insomnia;
- the patient regularly feels tired and unwell.
Pancreatitis
It is quite difficult to stop diarrhea with the appearance of pancreatitis, since the treatment of pathology requires complex measures that will help restore the condition and alleviate the symptoms. The patient must strictly follow all the advice of a specialist, follow the rules of dietary nutrition and take the right dose of medication.
Treatment of chronic diarrhea in pancreatitis in both adults and children should be carried out in a hospital where the patient will receive intravenous administration of drugs, the effect of which will restore the water-salt balance in the body and saturate it with useful components.
In addition, the patient is prescribed cleansing measures to eliminate putrefactive bacteria from the intestine. For this, the patient is given an enema filled with plain water and baking soda and with a temperature of at least 37 degrees. Enema is placed several times a day for the next four days.
If with diarrhea a person has pain symptoms in the pancreas, then a specialist prescribes taking various medications:
- medicines fixing effect;
- drugs to restore the secretory function of the diseased gland;
- selection of probiotics and probiotics;
- complexes of vitamins and components important for the body.
It is important to know that trying to get rid of chronic diarrhea with antibiotics is not necessary, since such drugs can only worsen the general situation, destroying together with harmful microorganisms, all the beneficial bacteria in the intestine that play an important role in the digestive process.
Gastritis treatment
If you do not try to get rid of gastritis with chronic diarrhea, then the patient risks making severe pain and exacerbation. Timely treatment of gastritis will help suppress the negative processes that occur in the patient's digestion.
To avoid a chronic form of diarrhea, it is important to monitor the reaction of the digestive system to the intake of certain foods. Those products that provoke digestive disorders and various disorders, it is important to completely exclude from the diet. In addition, it is important to eliminate the following products from the diet when detecting gastritis with reduced acidity:
- some fruits;
- dairy products;
- honey;
- Rye bread;
- legumes.
In some cases, in people with low acidity, diarrhea occurs due to the use of ready-made meals. You can quickly eliminate diarrhea if you take medications prescribed by your doctor and eat only those foods that do not provoke an upset digestive system.
How to cure a baby
Chronic diarrhea in a child can be a symptom of the following diseases:
- intolerance to lactose or gluten;
- metabolic disorders;
- reaction to laxatives;
- inflammation in the intestines (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis with chronic diarrhea);
- intestinal infections of a chronic and acute nature.
Acute diarrhea in a child is detected with a sudden increase in bowel movements throughout the day. In most cases, the acute form of diarrhea either quickly resolves or changes to a chronic form. As a rule, chronic diarrhea indicates the presence of bacterial microflora, which provokes the appearance of such a condition. In this case, the pediatrician prescribes antibiotics for the child.
Dangerous symptoms:
- the presence of impurities in the feces of blood;
- the presence of pus (yellow mucus);
- the child physically cannot drink the required amount of water per day; due to frequent vomiting.
The main symptoms of dehydration include:
- dark urine;
- tiredness and a regular feeling of depression;
- dry mucous membranes and increased desire to drink;
- acute form of diarrhea.
Dehydration with chronic diarrhea is a great danger to young children and the elderly.
Home treatment
The main causes of chronic diarrhea in children are: food poisoning, problems with the intestinal microflora, eating poorly digested foods. It can also occur as a result of a bacterial or viral infection and certain diseases entering the body.
In the presence of acute diarrhea in the child, it is recommended that he give as much fluid as possible (3 to 4 liters) per day with a small amount of sugar and salt. Ready-made liquid for regular drinking can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription and added to plain water. For proper and effective treatment of a child at home, it is preliminary important to consult a doctor.
A sufficient volume of fluid consumed per day will be indicated by clarification of the color of urine to a light yellow hue. In this condition, experts also recommend eating foods with a high salt content and carefully monitor hygiene.
You need to restore good nutrition immediately after the child begins to have appetite. But if an attack of acute diarrhea still occurred, then for several days it is important not to consume dairy products.
Immediate medical attention is required if:
- if the child has chronic diarrhea, and there are other signs of the disease;
- if diarrhea begins immediately after arriving in another country or after a trip;
- if chronic diarrhea continues for several weeks.
Most often, diarrhea in a child is successfully treatable at home. He can pass independently after seven days. Medication is usually not required and is used in rare cases, as it can cause adverse reactions and lead to a chronic form of diarrhea. You need to get rid of diarrhea immediately after the main cause of its appearance has been eliminated.
The most widely known drug for diarrhea is considered loperamide or Immodium, but they are allowed to be taken in limited quantities, except in situations where blood, bile and purulent secretions are found in the feces.
When traveling, in order to avoid possible problems with the digestive system and stool, it is important to always boil drinking water or use exclusively purchased in a sealed plastic bottle. In addition, it is important to refuse to eat salads and ice cream on the trip. Since vegetables can be washed in bad water, they should be boiled or cleaned. It is also important to remember that the effectiveness of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria for preventing diarrhea in travelers is not exactly confirmed.