There are so many bowel diseases. A fairly common pathology is catarrhal colitis. It is an inflammatory process in the initial stage, developing on the mucosa of the large intestine. At the same time, its ascending and descending divisions are affected. Doctors do not consider such a disease serious enough. But if it is not treated in a timely manner, it passes into a fibrous form or becomes chronic in nature, smoothly flowing into a ulcerative.
Causes of occurrence
Catarrhal colitis can occur for the following reasons:
- when ingested with poor-quality water or food, infections such as staphylococci, streptococci, salmonella, etc .;
- due to diseases caused by parasitic worms;
- as a result of taking antibiotics and other drugs that irritate the intestinal mucosa;
- due to external and internal toxins;
- with frequent stresses;
- as a result of weakened immunity;
- due to dyspepsia;
- with improper nutrition.
Catarrhal colitis is quite often a symptom of the underlying disease. It develops due to intestinal diseases, dysbiosis, problems with stool: diarrhea, constipation. His outbreaks occur mainly in the summer, when a person begins to include in his diet a large number of berries and vegetables, rich in fiber and sugar. Such food contributes to the development of fermentation and putrefactive processes, leading first to dyspepsia, and subsequently to catarrhal colitis.
Symptoms
The ongoing inflammatory process often leads to the fact that the walls of the intestine begin to redden and swell. Its clearance is slightly narrowed. Because of this, cracks of various sizes often arise. Inflammation is able to cover both individual areas of the colon and its entire surface. If it is localized quite clearly, the diagnosis of focal catarrhal colitis is made. The disease lasts only three days. In this case, treatment should be started immediately so that the disease does not acquire a chronic form.
Thus, if catarrhal colitis occurs, its symptoms may be as follows:
- In the lower abdomen there is pain, which is cramping in nature.
- Loss of appetite, malaise, weakness, increased fatigue are observed.
- Concerned about indigestion, frequent diarrhea and constipation.
- There is bitterness in the mouth, there is bad breath, belching.
- The patient complains of bloating and increased gas formation.
- There is insomnia, irritability.
The onset of chronic catarrhal colitis
If the disease has not been cured in time, it often becomes chronic. It can be completely asymptomatic until small impurities of mucus appear in the stool. Chronic catarrhal colitis is divided into several types, each of which has its own characteristic features:
- distal (descending) - causes an increased tone of the sigmoid and descending region;
- spastic - contributes to spasms and increased tone of the intestinal wall;
- hypotonic - leads to hypertonicity of the entire colon, a narrow uneven lumen and spastic sections are observed.
The third type occurs most often in people who have recently experienced intestinal infections or dysbiosis. The risk group may include those who abuse flour and sweet products, as well as lack of vitamins and minerals.
Diagnosis of the disease
First of all, the doctor conducts an external examination and palpation of the patient’s abdomen . In addition, catarrhal colitis is diagnosed if the doctor uses such studies:
- biochemical and general blood test;
- microscopy and stool coprogram ;
- Analysis of urine;
- instrumental studies: colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy;
- fluoroscopy.
Thanks to instrumental methods, it becomes possible to examine the inner surface of the intestine and, if necessary, take a piece of tissue for examination. With colitis, hyperemia of the mucosa and its swelling, narrowing of the intestinal lumen are detected. Spot hemorrhages may occur. Analysis of feces helps to detect mucus, white blood cells, particles of undigested fiber.
Treatment features
If catarrhal colitis of the intestine is detected, treatment should be started immediately, since the disease at this stage lasts only a few days. Therapy is carried out immediately after the diagnosis is made. Typically, the patient needs to rinse the stomach and cleanse the intestines.
In this case, a weak solution of potassium permanganate and sodium bicarbonate is used during the procedure. The patient drinks several glasses of such a liquid, after which he artificially induces vomiting. In some cases, this procedure is carried out by means of a probe. To clear the intestines, the patient is given an enema.
Drug therapy
Medication is an effective treatment for catarrhal colitis. It is carried out under the supervision of a physician. He must take into account the cause of the disease and the features of its course. Infectious colitis is treated with antibiotics. If the disease is caused by poisoning, adsorbing agents such as Smecta, Enterosgel, etc. are used. Antidiarrheal drugs are prescribed with colitis accompanied by diarrhea. For example, Imodium. To prevent dehydration, saline solutions such as Regidron should be taken.
With helminthic invasions, antiparasitic drugs are used. If colitis is combined with impaired liver and pancreas, enzyme preparations - “Creon”, “Pancreatin”, “Festal” are recommended. In case of constipation, light laxatives are prescribed, for example, Dufalac. If dysbiosis occurs, pre- and probiotics help well. It can be Bifidumbacterin, Linex, Bifikol, Normobakt. To relieve severe pain, antispasmodics are used - "Halidor", "Revalgin", "No-shpu".
Diet for catarrhal colitis
To increase the effectiveness of drug therapy, accelerate recovery and prevent the transition of the disease into a chronic form, a special diet is prescribed to the patient. At first, he should drink a lot of water, a rosehip broth and weak tea without sugar. It is better to refuse to eat any food at this time.
After that, the diet is selected individually. And it depends on the symptoms that accompany the disease:
- for constipation, it is recommended to use products with a laxative effect;
- if diarrhea pesters, raw fruits, vegetables, fresh sour-milk products and plain milk should be temporarily excluded from the diet;
- with flatulence, you need to abandon foods that cause fermentation and putrefactive processes, such as grapes, muffins, cabbage, rye bread, legumes, potatoes.
Diet for colitis should consist exclusively of liquid and semi-liquid dishes - mucous grated porridge, meatballs, mashed soups, meat soufflé. You can include crackers, dried white bread, steam omelette in the diet. Only low-fat types of fish, meat, poultry are recommended, jelly are considered very useful. Products should be steamed, baked in the oven or boiled. You need to eat in small portions and drink as much water as possible.
Alternative methods of treatment
If catarrhal colitis of the intestine has been diagnosed , treatment can also be carried out using traditional medicine. Be sure in this case, you should consult a doctor who will take into account the individual characteristics of the patient, his general condition, the severity of the disease. Consider the most effective recipes:
- It is necessary to mix in equal proportions mint leaves, St. John's wort grass, caraway seeds and sage. Pour a spoonful of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, cool and strain the infusion. The resulting product should be divided into three parts. It is necessary to drink a decoction during the day before eating. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.
- Take half a glass of berries of viburnum and mix with half a liter of boiling water. The mixture is boiled for 5 minutes, cooled and a spoonful of honey is added to it. This tool must be consumed 3 times a day before meals, 100-150 grams.
- Mix 20 g of sage, chamomile flowers and centaury, pour a glass of boiling water and cook for several minutes. Once the composition has cooled, it is filtered and taken in several sips every two hours.
- In the morning, place a spoonful of flax seeds in a thermos and pour a glass of boiling water. The resulting infusion should be drunk before bedtime.
The treatment of colitis also involves some physiotherapeutic procedures. Also, the patient can visit a health resort for preventive purposes. During medical manipulations, the patient should rest a lot, sleep as much as possible and completely abandon physical activity.
Output
It should be remembered that in severe cases, catarrhal colitis can develop into a chronic form. To avoid this, when the first symptoms appear, treatment should be started as soon as possible. Otherwise, the disease can progress to the formation of ulcerative colitis. But this happens extremely rarely, since the patient promptly consults a doctor. Only in this case a full recovery is guaranteed.