There are a number of diseases that people do not like to talk about, and sometimes they are even ashamed. These include diarrhea. Meanwhile, this condition is dangerous. It is a sign of existing disorders in the body. Not to mention the fact that this condition in itself can lead to dehydration and death. Especially should be alert if there is diarrhea with blood. But at the same time, not all people know how to treat diarrhea and at what point you need to stop self-medication and consult a doctor.
What it is
Despite the fact that almost everyone experienced an upset stomach on their own experience, the mechanism of its occurrence sometimes remains in the shade. Therefore, we understand the concepts. Diarrhea is usually called the condition when a person commits acts of bowel movement very often. There are no exact figures here, since for everyone the body works in its own mode. You can be guided by the following rules:
- A normally eating person should empty the intestines from 1 to 2 times in two days.
- If bowel movements occur more than twice a day, this can be considered a sign of diarrhea.
But a common disorder can even be the result of mild stress and does not require immediate treatment. Diarrhea with blood is a more serious symptom that needs to be taken carefully.
The second determining factor to consider is the consistency of the chair. Normally, the excrement of the chair is designed in the form of sausages. With diarrhea, it is a liquid slurry, sometimes just water. Doctors divide it into acute (symptoms persist for up to two weeks) and chronic.
Accompanying symptoms
Diarrhea with blood is not an independent disease, but only a symptom. Or rather, one of them. But according to one fact, it is impossible to determine the disease. It is extremely rare that diarrhea occurs against the background of complete health. Therefore, the doctor should be aware of other symptoms. It could be:
- Temperature rise.
- Weakness.
- Nausea.
- Increased gas formation.
- Stomach ache.
How to make a diagnosis
For this, the doctor will need a large amount of additional information. Therefore, you need to prepare a detailed story about your feelings and observations. For example, an indicator such as the consistency of a chair is important. Porridge-like, liquid, watery diarrhea can indicate various gastrointestinal diseases.
Diarrhea with blood is another scenario. Additionally, mucus and undigested pieces of food may appear in the feces. To make a diagnosis, you need to consider the color of the discharge, their volume (copious or meager) and smell (fetid or not).
Causes
The causes of this condition may be different. And if you can’t quickly install it, then the treatment will be much more effective. Otherwise, you can lose a lot of time, especially when it comes to the child. With a small body weight, dehydration develops much faster.
Unlike a common disorder, the causes of blood diarrhea are somewhat different. Consider the most likely ones.
- Infectious diseases. Their number is quite large. Diarrhea with blood can be a symptom of dysentery, enteritis, salmonellosis. The mechanism in these cases is the same. As a result of the activity of pathogenic bacteria, the intestinal mucous membranes are damaged. As a result of ulceration and erosion, blood can be secreted and mixed with feces.
- Gastric or duodenal ulcer. In this case, it will not be possible to independently recognize the disease. Gastric or intestinal bleeding is characterized by the fact that feces, mixing with blood, become brown or black. Therefore, to make a diagnosis, you need to pass feces for analysis.
- Inflammatory diseases. Ulcerative colitis and some other pathologies lead to changes in the intestinal walls. This increases the likelihood of damage to them, and hence bloody discharge in the intestinal lumen.
- Anal fissures. A common cause of adult diarrhea with blood. Diarrhea causes irritation of the anus, which leads to short-term bleeding from existing cracks.
- Hemorrhoids. It can be external or internal. It is usually accompanied by acute pain and bleeding.
- Oncological diseases. With the formation of tumors, vascular damage is possible, which leads to slight bleeding. And the blood in the stool indicates the decomposition of the tumor.
Diarrhea with blood in a child
This is an alarming symptom that can plunge parents into complete confusion. This disorder suggests that there are serious disorders in a small body that require immediate medical attention. The best thing you can do is to see a doctor and undergo a full examination.
The causes of this phenomenon are the same as in adults. In addition, pediatricians consider the likelihood of developing parasitic diseases, such as amoebiasis, giardiasis, helminthiases. In breast-fed infants, such symptoms may indicate intolerance to cow's milk.
If there is a temperature
Diarrhea and blood in the stool are rarely accompanied by fever. But if vomiting also joins these two symptoms, this most likely indicates poisoning. Reception of poor-quality food can provoke a similar reaction after 1-12 hours. An increase in temperature in this case indicates an inflammatory process, most often damage to the pancreas. In this case, the patient should be shown to the doctor as soon as possible.
Blood diarrhea, which is accompanied by high fever and lasts more than a day, is very serious. During this period, the gastrointestinal tract undergoes significant changes due to the pathological process. Only a doctor will be able to understand what was the cause and prescribe an effective treatment.
A number of modern medications are used to treat diarrhea with blood in an adult. Sorbents and probiotics will help alleviate the condition. In addition, it is important to observe a special regimen: heavy drinking and a sparing diet. To stabilize the water-salt balance in the body, rehydron solutions are used. Antibiotics and antimicrobials are prescribed only by your doctor.
With food poisoning
We continue to examine in more detail various reasons. Diarrhea with blood in an adult in this case is accompanied by vomiting. If there is a suspicion (ate at dubious eateries), then consult a doctor. To block the absorption of toxins, you need to rinse the stomach.
In case of poisoning, Smecta, Enterosgel, and Polyphepan can help. These agents have a pronounced enveloping and binding effect. If an infection is diagnosed during the examination, then antibiotics are prescribed. But if exposure to toxins is stopped, then further treatment consists only in heavy drinking.
Stomach ulcer
Treating diarrhea with blood involves stopping bleeding by healing an ulcer. For this, various drugs selected by a gastroenterologist are used. It is necessary to take into account the moment that diarrhea with blood and mucus causes dangerous disorders in the body. Large fluid loss can lead to seizures and other dangerous consequences. It is important to take food and water in small, frequent portions.
In addition, blood loss will certainly lead to a decrease in hemoglobin. To return it to a normal level, special preparations containing iron will help. It can be Fenyuls, Ferrum Lek, Maltofer. Today, the pharmacy has syrups and pills.
Hemorrhoids
Diarrhea with streaks of blood can occur in this case, but there will be several reasons in this case. Indigestion itself can be caused by errors in nutrition, and the scarlet blood on toilet paper suggests that the internal hemorrhoidal nodes are bleeding and blood circulation in the intestines is disturbed.
Diarrhea in this case is treated with drugs that eliminate inflammation of the nodes and stabilize the stool. Usually people with such problems are embarrassed to see a doctor. Therefore, you need to have on hand drugs that can alleviate the condition. If a precipitated hemorrhoid is detected, it is necessary to use healing anti-inflammatory ointments and rectal suppositories. As soon as the medication begins to act, the bleeding will stop. Sea buckthorn candles help well; you can use the well-known Relief.
Pancreatitis
This is a complex disease that is an inflammation of the pancreas. In one patient, it occurs with constipation and flatulence; for others, diarrhea with streaks of blood is characteristic. This is due to the fact that violations in the function of the pancreas cause fragility of the capillaries and other damage to blood vessels. As a result, bloody mucus is present in the feces.
First of all, you need to switch to a strict diet. Refuse from fatty, fried, spicy is not just desirable, but necessary. The first couple of days it is better to switch to liquid food, this is water, rice broth. From the second day, it is permissible to add fermented milk products, kefir or yogurt. Rubbed soups and liquid cereals are gradually introduced.
Analgesics are used to eliminate pain. Further it is important to establish the work of the digestive gland itself. For this, anticholinergics, antibiotics can be taken, with insufficient production of enzymes, they are also prescribed in tablet form. Diarrhea on the background of treatment goes away by itself, usually no additional medications are needed to combat this symptom.
Oncology
If symptoms such as diarrhea and feces with blood persist for longer than 48 hours or recur after a short period of remission, then examinations cannot be avoided. And the faster this is done, the greater the chances of a successful outcome. With tumors of the digestive organs, bloody discharge from the anus is often observed. Often they are found on the surface of the feces and can be seen with the naked eye. But the higher the tumor is located, the darker the discharge will be.
Oncology requires specific treatment. The doctor will have to establish the nature of the education, its size, location and decide on therapy. This may be chemo- or radiation therapy, surgery. Sometimes several methods are combined to block the likelihood of metastasis.
Injury
This is another likely scenario in which blood diarrhea is possible. Treatment in an adult or child in this case should begin with an examination by the surgeon. An injury to the intestine or other internal organ causes damage to its walls, bleeding occurs.
If the condition is life-threatening, then the person will be placed in a hospital. The patient is given intravenous infusions of prescribed drugs and saline solutions, and intramuscular injections are given. With minor damage, the necessary treatment will be prescribed. Most importantly, do not self-medicate and do not expect the disease to go away by itself.
Instead of a conclusion
The human digestive system is very complex. If there are malfunctions, then you should definitely contact a therapist or immediately a gastroenterologist who can conduct an examination and give an opinion. In the event that a person is injured, you can immediately contact the appropriate admission department, where he will be examined by a surgeon.
There are a lot of possible reasons for the development of diarrhea and the appearance of inclusions or blood clots in it. Starting from banal dysbiosis and ending with the most serious diseases. In any case, you should not waste time in vain. Pay attention to the doctor and how the patient feels, whether there have been complaints of appetite, pain, malaise lately. All this will help to orient and make the correct diagnosis.