It happens that you do not know what to do at all: constant diarrhea torments endlessly, and there is no salvation from it, and medications, if they help, do it for a very short time. Consider the features of chronic diarrhea, we will analyze what its dangers are, what can provoke such an undesirable condition and whether it can be cured.
general information
Constant diarrhea in a child, an adult - a condition that is called diarrhea in official medicine. It can occur in a chronic form, possibly in an acute form. Diarrhea in any form indicates the presence of problems in the digestive tract. Difficulties lead to frequent and voluminous bowel movements, while the excreted substance is quite liquid, watery.
Basic prerequisites
The easiest way is usually to understand why diarrhea is constantly worrying, in the case of a young child, as a rule, this way the body reacts to the inclusion of complementary foods in the diet. Diarrhea often occurs when an infectious agent is introduced into the intestinal tract. The phenomenon is possible if a person drinks water that has not undergone special treatment and eats low-quality food.
Understanding the causes of diarrhea in adults, constantly disturbing and reducing the quality of everyday life, it is worth paying attention to toxic food infection - it is this phenomenon in reality that becomes the prerequisite more often than others. There are often problems with diarrhea if a person has been poisoned or has begun to eat foods atypical of his former diet. For example, a similar problem lies in wait for many of our compatriots who chose to go on vacation to the warm southern countries, where classic food is very different from the temperate climate zone available to residents.
Terms and phenomena
It makes sense to begin to understand why diarrhea is constantly worrying if the stool is upset for several days in a row. An acute form of diarrheal disorder usually reduces the quality of life by about a couple of weeks. In addition to defecation with watery substances, a person is worried about soreness in the lower abdomen, from time to time spasms of this area occur. Some vomit, others have fever.
If watery discharge during bowel movements is observed for more than two consecutive weeks, it makes sense to talk about chronic diarrhea that appears in the form of a chronicle that reduces the quality of life. For a long time in a man, a woman, this phenomenon may indicate a malfunction of the digestive tract. There are many reasons for the pathological condition, in each case it is reasonable to consult a doctor for a detailed diagnosis. Having identified the prerequisites, the doctor will determine the appropriate treatment program.
Facts and Figures
As specialized statistical studies have shown, temperature and diarrhea constantly worry about 14% of the world's population. Chronic diarrhea is more common in men, although both sexes are affected. A long-developing unpleasant phenomenon may indicate serious malfunctions of the body. In some cases, diarrhea is a manifestation of a pathology, because of which a person needs urgent hospitalization. For example, diarrheal disorder can signal Crohn's disease.
If the constant diarrhea in an adult man, woman does not subside in a week, it is necessary to make an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible. Even in the case when there is no additional symptomatology, you should not be shy and drag out with a trip to the clinic, this may turn out to be a matter of life and death.
Theory and practice
If a person is interested in why loose stools, but not diarrhea, are constantly worried about whether this may indicate a health problem, you should consult a specialist. As professionals say, with a two-week inconvenience, there is already every reason to use qualified help. Arriving at the reception, the first thing the needy will receive a referral to specialized tests to detect infection with roundworms, helminths, worms of a different form. The doctor will give a referral to the coprogram, advise you to take tests in order to exclude enterobiosis.
Currently, medical practice is such that the doctor will not even make assumptions about what are the causes of constant diarrhea in an adult, a child, before receiving the results of the coprogram. This analysis is considered basic, universal, since it gives an idea of the chemical composition of secretions during defecation. In them you can find markers of the infectious process, the focus of inflammation. The study of feces gives an idea of the effectiveness of the absorption processes of beneficial compounds - those are localized in the intestinal tract. After the initial diagnosis, the professional will choose which additional research activities are relevant for a particular case, and based on their results will give a conclusion, recommendations for treatment.
Helminthic invasion
The most common cause of constant diarrhea in an adult, a child is worms. The problem is very widespread. Currently, there are about four hundred varieties of parasites that can live in the lumen of the human intestine, other elements of the gastrointestinal tract, in the liver and pancreas. Chronic helminthiasis can cause the parasite to enter the circulatory system, which makes the lungs and heart accessible to them. Statistics show that the highest risk in case of infection with roundworms. The spread of helminths with blood flow to the heart can lead to organ failure and death.
Acute helminthiasis indicates vomiting, nausea. It causes constant diarrhea. If the colonies grow actively, the inclusion of worms can be seen in the feces. Sometimes these are observed in vomit. Some people have a headache for a long time. Helminthiasis can cause skin rashes and a tendency to colds.
What to do?
Treatment of persistent diarrhea caused by helminth invasion involves the use of drugs that inhibit the vital activity of a pathological agent. Your doctor will choose the right systemic substance. Among the abundance of pharmaceutical products on the market, Pirantel and Vermox are considered especially popular. The tablet formulations are used, clearly following the instructions. For example, “Pirantel” must be chewed first, then swallowed with plenty of water. A single dose is three tablets. With a weight above 75 kg, volumes are increased per tablet. An alternative is a suspension for the preparation of a medicinal drink.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Another possible cause of persistent diarrhea is IBS. This is a pathological condition that is associated with human psychosomatics. At least that is what the vast majority of modern doctors think, although some fundamentally disagree with them. And to this day, studies have yet to be carried out in order to understand why IBS develops, how it is explained, how it is effectively eliminated. They clarified that the likelihood of the syndrome is influenced by the person’s life and the conditions of his social structure, activity in society, nervous excitement and regular stress. In many ways, IBS depends on the state of the ANS, CNS. In some, the syndrome indicates regular constipation, in others - prolonged diarrhea.
IBS is a symptomatic complex, including stool disorders, soreness and cramping, located in the lower third of the abdomen. Typically, the condition is accompanied by increased gas formation; many note that during the day the stomach constantly growls. Patients tend to frequent desires to empty the intestinal tract. After the process, the expected relief does not happen.
The nuances of pathology
IBS as the cause of constant diarrhea has attracted the attention of physicians across the planet, despite the refusal of many doctors to regard the symptomatic complex as an independent disease. Certain rules and techniques have been developed, approaches that help alleviate the condition. Diet comes to the fore. We will have to abandon products rich in purines and acids based on them. Consequently, nuts, non-heat-treated vegetables and seeds are practically excluded from the diet. Persons who are characterized by IBS are contraindicated in legumes and a number of cereals. A strict ban is imposed on alcohol, carbonated.
To alleviate the condition and get rid of undesirable manifestations of IBS, pro-, prebiotics should be used. So, the Enterol drug proved to be reliable, a kind of complex food supplement that quickly and efficiently normalizes the composition of the intestinal microflora. Under the influence of the components of the capsules, beneficial microorganisms develop more actively, while control over colonies of pathogenic and catch of pathogenic ones becomes more stringent. Enterol helps bring stool back to normal. An adult should use a couple of capsules daily for food. The course lasts 10-30 days.
Pancreatitis
It also happens that bothers with a certain regularity, constantly, diarrhea after eating. This phenomenon can be observed in patients with pancreatitis. This is especially likely if a person suffers from a disease in a chronic form, but has undergone aggressive factors that can trigger an exacerbation. The term is used to denote the presence of an inflammatory focus in the parenchymal glandular tissue of the pancreas. The process affects not only the mucous membranes, but also the layer under them. On average, every fifth adult inhabitant of our planet has the disease. Risk group - people who prefer an unhealthy diet, consume an excess of acute, fatty, alcohol. More often pancreatitis is detected in smokers. Medications can provoke a disease or exacerbation of a chronic form.
The passage of the chronicle into an acute phrase is accompanied by severe symptoms. To the right under the ribs it begins to hurt greatly, discharge during defecation becomes foamy, expressed watery, often tears the patient, and substances may include pieces of unprocessed food, bile acids. Pancreatitis provokes fever. Pathology can cause pancreatic fibrosis, that is, a process in which tissues are degenerated into connective tissues, scars form. This leads to prolonged diarrhea (20 days or more).
As observations have shown, in chronic pancreatitis, diarrhea can be disturbing beyond the acute stage. There are frequent cases when a violation of the stool is the only manifestation of ill health.
Infection
An invasion of a pathological agent affecting the intestinal tract is a fairly common situation, and modern doctors regularly have to treat people for infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Most affected areas of the colon, small intestine. The cause of the inflammatory process is the reproduction, development of colonies of pathogenic microorganisms. The use of low-quality products or spoiled nutrition, insufficient heat treatment of food can provoke intestinal infection in an acute form. Sometimes the cause of stool disorders is a viral disease provoked by entero-, rotavirus.
With intestinal infection of the patient, pronounced symptoms are disturbing. Checking the temperature shows fever, it hurts in the stomach, cramps are felt in the intestinal tract. Diarrhea is acute, accompanied by vomiting and headache. Diarrhea is considered to be a key symptom of invasion of an infectious agent. Allocations become watery; foamy, mucous inclusions can be seen in them. The smell of rot is characteristic. Up to 12 bowel movements are possible per day, accompanied by unpleasant, painful sensations, and there is no relief.
Dangers and nuances
As a rule, stool disorder due to the introduction of an infectious agent disappears a week after the onset of primary symptoms. Less commonly, diarrhea bothers a couple of weeks or even longer. This is characteristic, in particular, of some forms of enteroviral infectious agent. Clinically, the patient's condition is assessed as severe. The patient is sent for treatment to a hospital to provide him with specialized care.
Long and painful
Extremely unpleasant and serious condition - loose stools, harassing for a month or more. Several factors and phenomena leading to such consequences are known. In some cases, the root cause is an unhealthy and unhealthy diet, while others reveal severe diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels, and blood-forming organs. Perhaps the most common is enteritis. This term is used to denote a pathological condition in which the mucous membranes of the small intestine become inflamed, which leads to degeneration, tissue atrophy, and, consequently, disruption of the absorption processes of useful components. Nutrient compounds during the passage of the small intestine are absorbed with a reduced degree of effectiveness.
Atresia of the bile ducts from the body can provoke long-term diarrhea. Obstruction of this zone is observed on average in 3% of the adult population of our planet. The risk group is men under 30 years old. Consider no less unpleasant condition celiac disease, a genetic disorder in which the human body does not tolerate gluten. This complex protein is part of the predominant amount of cereal crops.
Diseases and their features
Cause of prolonged diarrhea can be ulcerative colitis. The term hides under itself such a chronic disease, localized in the colon, in which there is an active focus of inflammation. The cause of colitis in some is due to genetic factors, in others, external factors. So, colitis is possible if a person is forced to take potent medicines.
Prolonged diarrhea is usually observed with gastritis of the atrophic type. This gastric disease is characterized by gradually progressive atrophic processes in the gastric mucous membranes and tissue layers under them. The walls of the organ are affected primarily. Risk group - persons over 45 years old. Atrophic gastritis is considered one of the precancerous pathologies.
How to warn?
If you are prone to diarrhea, you should review the nutrition program and exclude harmful products, alcohol. It is reasonable to give up smoking and other habits that negatively affect health, as well as undergo a full examination in order to determine latent diseases. If a doctor recommends taking a course of nutritional supplements, you should be responsive to the advice. Pre- and probiotics do not harm health, stabilize the digestive tract, help cleanse the body of toxins, supply useful compounds and components.
How to fight?
With prolonged diarrhea, an integrated approach is recommended. Treatment is chosen under the supervision of a doctor. Quite often, drugs that suppress the work of opioid receptors are prescribed to combat symptoms. The Imodium tool is popular, presented in pharmacies at a price of 250 rubles. The Loperamide tablets have proven themselves well, one package of which costs only 10 rubles. A reliable result is given by the Diara medicine (the price varies about a hundred rubles).
These funds give a good result with violations of the stool of an allergic, alimentary nature. They help with failures of the absorption processes, the multiplication of the infectious agent. Reception of suitable funds allows you to normalize metabolic processes. Short-term drug courses are effective in case of dietary disorders, digestive tract disorders if a person is forced to abandon the usual menu.