What to do if the feces are liquid. If loose stools what to do. Diet and optimal diet

Any problems with the work of the intestines not only cause great discomfort and ruin all plans, but also seriously harm the body. And one of the most common pathologies is diarrhea with water in an adult, the treatment of which should be carried out with the obligatory elimination of the main cause of the ailment. In this case, due to the threat of dehydration, therapy should be carried out promptly.

During normal operation of the gastrointestinal tract, up to 3 acts of defecation occur during the day. In this case, the water level in the feces reaches 60%. Diarrhea is considered a phenomenon when more than 4 bowel movements occur in a day.

Watery diarrhea in an adult begins when pathogenic organisms or poor-quality food enter the intestines and are not immediately excreted. At the same time, the main danger lies not in the bacteria themselves, but in the toxins that are released with the products of their vital activity. At the same time, unlike the normal state, the water level in the feces during diarrhea can reach 90%. Most often, the problem of stools that are liquid like water occurs in the warm months of the year. This is due to the extremely low activity of enteric pathogens in winter.

Causes of watery diarrhea

Most often, the causes of such a phenomenon as diarrhea with water in an adult are ignoring the rules of personal and food hygiene. In other words, a person simply forgets about the need for thorough hand washing both after the street and contact with animals, even domestic ones, and after visiting the toilet. In addition, the correct processing of food products is not always observed.

But besides this, there are many more factors that provoke diarrhea with water in an adult. These include:

insufficient purification of drinking water;
the use of unwashed vegetables and fruits;
eating very fatty foods;
long-term adherence to mono-diets or fasting;
transferred severe stress or prolonged psychological stress;
illegible food incompatible with each other products;
consumption of spoiled food or toxic products;
ignoring hypersensitivity to certain products and eating them.

Also, a similar phenomenon can occur during pregnancy, due to the restructuring of the work of the whole organism, and sometimes during the intake of medicines.

However, such a phenomenon, when almost only water comes out and frequent diarrhea does not stop, may indicate the presence of serious pathologies or diseases. Most often it is:

rotavirus intestinal infections;
infectious lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
bleeding in the intestines;
obstruction of the gallbladder;
lack of the required amount of enzymes;
Crohn's disease;
flu and colds;
chronic diseases, the main ones being enteritis and colitis;
improper metabolism, in which the digestive process is disturbed.

Frequent, loose stools that pass more than 3 times a day can be cause for concern. Regular loose stools, but not diarrhea, in an adult are usually a sign of illness, especially if there is blood, mucus or fat in it. In such a situation, you should abandon home treatment and consult a doctor as soon as possible. Check what diseases the above symptoms can indicate, what are the reasons for frequent urination.

A characteristic feature is the constant feeling of the need to defecate. Such a disease can alternate and be a symptom of many serious diseases.

A factor in the development of loose stools in the morning and after each meal can be a disease:

Irritable bowel syndrome.

This is a chronic disease - its symptoms can persist throughout life. The presence of blood is rarely observed, and there is also unexplained weight loss (despite the use of a balanced diet) and a feeling of fatigue. Often the need to defecate appears at night.

Colon cancer.

During the disease, changes occur within the cells of the colon mucosa. A loose stool appears, which may contain an admixture of blood (as a result of bleeding from the tumor). Often the only symptom of developing cancer is a change in the rhythm of the stool: diarrhea and constipation. It is worth knowing that the symptoms of rectal cancer are diverse and depend on the location of the tumor.

Nonspecific ulcerative colitis.

The disease is a chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane of the rectum or colon. Its symptom is, in particular, frequent urges, which look like loose sediments mixed with blood. The disease is very dangerous, because its complications can be liver failure, colon perforation and even cancer.

Crohn's disease.

This is an inflammatory disease of the colon of unknown etiology that leads to destruction of the intestinal wall. The inflammatory process initially includes the mucous membrane, eventually occupying all layers of the colon wall. Symptoms of the disease are often loose stools, weight loss and changes in the membrane (ulcers, abscesses, fistulas).

celiac disease

Celiac disease is an inflammatory disease of the small intestine, the essence of which is gluten intolerance. In people who struggle with this type of malabsorption, inflammation occurs as a result of exposure to gluten supplements. The consequence is slow damage to the mucosa of the small intestine. A characteristic symptom of the disease is loose, pale, admixture with a strong pungent odor. It is excreted from the body in a large volume of loose stools.

Hyperthyroidism.

Excessive production of thyroid hormones causes an acceleration of the patient's metabolism, resulting in frequent urination, diarrhea. At the same time, there is a decrease in body weight, despite the fact that the patient's appetite does not decrease.

Typhoid fever.

This is a disease that can be contracted during a stay in tropical countries. It is caused by bacteria from the genus Salmonella. In the first week, fever and abdominal pain appear. In the second, severe headaches and a dry cough are observed. Only in the third week does loose stool appear.

Cystic fibrosis.

Urination freely, severe diarrhea immediately after eating with a strong smell is one of the characteristic symptoms of this disease. From the gastrointestinal tract, other symptoms also appear: an increase in the volume of the abdomen and blockage of the salivary glands with thick, viscous mucus.

Other causes of frequent diarrhea and dysbacteriosis:

medication - Many drugs, such as diabetes pills, laxatives, or hydrochloric acid antacids, can cause loose stools as an unwanted side effect of taking them. If there is a suspicion that medications are the cause of diarrhea, they should be stopped and consult a doctor. Antibacterial drugs often cause dysbacteriosis;
the use of large quantities of a sugar substitute (sorbitol, mannitol or xylitol).

Chronic diarrhea is a symptom of an illness that lasts more than 14 days. During this period, the patient gives more than 3 liters of fluid during the day. There can be many reasons, ranging from food allergies to life-threatening diseases.

What to do with loose stools in an adult

Some patients start the disease. Diarrhea can last for more than a year. In this case, there is a high risk of dehydration. With loose stools for a long time, it is important to conduct a comprehensive examination to eliminate the risk of developing a dangerous disease.

At the first symptoms and often recurring diarrhea, it is important to eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Medicines such as:

Smekta.
Enterosgel.
Enterofuril.
Activated charcoal.
Imodium.
StopDiar.

The doctor may prescribe probiotics to improve internal intestinal motility (Linex, Bifidumbacterin).

If loose stools are accompanied by vomiting, then the cause of this may be a rotavirus infection or gastroenteritis. Enterofuril tablets can help to cope with a bacterial lesion. They have antibacterial and healing properties.

Soft stools after each meal are more likely to develop dehydration. Be sure to drink sweet tea or salted water in small portions. There is a special drug Regidron, which helps to cope with dehydration with rapidly developing diarrhea.

If an adult has loose stools, but not diarrhea, which bothers you for a long time, then you should definitely undergo an examination. It will help identify triggers. You should not self-medicate. After all, the disease can lead to intoxication of the body, significant weight loss and appetite.

The very fact of having diarrhea can not only worsen a person’s quality of life, but also negatively affect his general health. Diarrhea is always accompanied by discomfort and loss of strength, not to mention the situation when loose stools in an adult do not stop for a long time.

For such a disorder, which lasts not just for days, but for weeks or months, you can apply the concept of “protracted” or “chronic”, which means that the problem is very advanced and will no longer be able to go away on its own without unpleasant consequences. Diarrhea is just the tip of a large iceberg, signaling less visible, but even more dangerous pathologies. Prolonged diarrhea brings the body to dehydration. With loose stools, not only moisture is lost, but also mineral salts and nutrients - everything that takes part in metabolism and regulates the water-salt balance.

It is impossible to ignore this condition, but, unfortunately, it is not so easy to diagnose the cause.

The main causes of prolonged diarrhea

Diarrhea is not a full-fledged disease, but only a symptom that indicates a violation of the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract or other body systems. If diarrhea does not go away for a long time, then this may be due to a number of reasons:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This disease is included in the group of a whole complex of intestinal disorders and can take place in two formats. The first form is systematic pain in the lower abdomen and frequent loose stools, which are uncontrollable and spontaneous. The second form in adults is bloating and constipation, which cause no less painful sensations.
Wrong nutrition. And the point is not that once a person ate something spoiled and got poisoned, but in the systematic consumption of stale and poor-quality food, which are most likely infected with harmful microorganisms. Incessant loose stools can also be the result of drinking contaminated tap water, which is rarely taken to the laboratory for additional tests. The risk group can also include people who have intolerance to any product or component, but they do not even know about it. It can be gluten, lactose, or milk sugar, often found in even the healthiest and most balanced diets.
Nonspecific ulcerative colitis. With this chronic disease, the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed. It is accompanied by prolonged diarrhea with an admixture of blood and mucous passages in the feces, pain in the left abdomen, rapid weight loss and even fever.
Crohn's disease. This disease is similar in nature to ulcerative colitis, which is expressed in such symptoms as: prolonged diarrhea, weakening of the body and weight loss. But there is one small but significant difference in its content: Crohn's disease affects the entire gastrointestinal tract, starting with the oral cavity and ending with the rectum. An infection, stress or heredity can provoke the occurrence of such a disease in adults.
Dysbacteriosis. Long-term diarrhea can be the result of a decrease in the population of beneficial microorganisms that are always present in the intestines and help the normal course of all digestive processes. The cause of dysbacteriosis can be self-medication or illiterate use of antibiotics, which kill both pathogenic and health-necessary bacteria. Incessant diarrhea makes itself felt in 90% of such cases.
Infection. There are a huge number of infectious diseases that can provoke prolonged diarrhea: salmonellosis, dysentery and shigellosis. They are often accompanied by an increase in body temperature, nausea, vomiting and general weakness. If such a disease is treated incorrectly, then the infectious agent becomes a chronic carrier, disrupting the stool and the usual way of life of a person.
Postpartum diarrhea. The entire period of pregnancy is accompanied by physiological and hormonal changes in the body of a woman, which make the digestive tract particularly vulnerable. After childbirth, everything begins to return to normal, but this path may be accompanied by periodic disorders in the form of diarrhea. A balanced diet, proper rest, healthy sleep and taking care of the main rules of breastfeeding will help to cope with it.

Of course, this is not a complete list of possible causes of prolonged loose stools. If you find yourself with such a symptom and diarrhea does not go away for a week or more, then it's time to seek qualified help from a doctor who can conduct a thorough diagnosis of your painful condition and, with the help of additional tests, identify the exact cause and prescribe the correct treatment.

Loose stools are an unpleasant condition that can not only reduce the quality of life, but also temporarily deprive a person of full working capacity, which can directly affect his emotional and financial well-being.

Associated symptoms

general weakness;
change in the level of consciousness;
dizziness;
fainting;
fatigue;
fever and chills;
flu symptoms;
rapid heartbeat and breathing;
shortness of breath;
weight loss.

When is it time to see a doctor?

Diarrhea rarely occurs as a single symptom of the disease. Often it is combined with other clinical manifestations: abdominal pain, rumbling, bloating, false urge to go to the bathroom, nausea and vomiting, fever, fluid loss that can lead to cardiovascular failure. If prolonged diarrhea in an adult lasts more than a couple of weeks, then it can already be called protracted with confidence, and this is a good reason to come for a consultation with an experienced doctor.

Modern medicine allows for the most accurate diagnosis, which will become a reliable basis for drawing up the correct and effective therapy. For the accuracy of the diagnosis, only one examination by a qualified physician is not enough.

There is a whole list of mandatory and desirable methods and tests that a doctor can prescribe for you.

The patient should not refuse them, because his health and well-being is at stake:

history taking and examination. The patient reports all his symptoms, the number of bowel movements per day, his daily diet, medications used, as well as available chronic diseases such as: cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis, and so on. Even the presence of similar pathologies in the next of kin is taken into account;
laboratory tests: feces (analysis, culture, coprogram), blood (general analysis and biochemistry);
colonoscopy, CT scan of the abdominal organs, endoscopy, ultrasound and more.

If you don’t know what to do if the diarrhea does not go away, then any doctor’s referral can save you from the danger of a pathological condition and complications, of which there are a huge number: dehydration, shock, acute renal failure, metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia and hypocalcemia, convulsions, bleeding, chronic diarrhea, etc.

Effective treatment

If unpleasant diarrhea does not go away for a week, then the person will need first aid, which consists in measures aimed at avoiding dehydration. Lost water and salts are compensated by a full drink, including dehydrating solutions (Rehydron, salted water, chamomile tea).

You need to start taking appropriate measures already at the moment when it comes to understanding that loose stools have been more than a few times and have not gone away for several days.

There are many popular drugs that promote intestinal motility if the patient’s diarrhea does not go away for a week, but they should be taken carefully and with the recommendations of a doctor, since self-medication can be fraught with unpleasant consequences:

The drug is prescribed for acute diarrhea not associated with various infections, diarrhea during travel, as well as for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome.

Imodium is not prescribed to children under the age of 6 years, in the first trimester of pregnancy and in case of hypersensitivity to its components included in the drug.

Buy a pack of 6 pcs. 2 mg can be in any pharmacy for 230 rubles.

Used for acute intestinal infections. It is prescribed for both adults and children.

Contraindications include: intestinal obstruction and fructose intolerance, hypersensitivity to the drug, and so on.

A package of 10 sachets of 3 g costs about 150 rubles and is sold without a prescription.

The drug is used in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea.

Contraindications: children under the age of 1 year, rejection of the components, the presence of an installed central venous catheter.

A pack of 10 capsules costs about 300 rubles and is available at any pharmacy in your city.

Linex is a complex of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, enterococci, which effectively show themselves in the treatment of acute forms of diarrhea, even in infants.

Contraindications: hypersensitivity to any of the components of the drug or to dairy products.

The price in a pharmacy is about 300 rubles for 16 capsules.

Any drug treatment should be accompanied by adherence to the regimen of the day, diet and doctor's prescriptions, since self-medication can help or harm a person's health. If, even in the case of active treatment, diarrhea in adults does not go away and loose stools are observed all the time, then hospitalization may be necessary.

Traditional medicine can also contribute to a speedy recovery, but you need to understand that it should be part of a whole integrated approach, and not the only way to deal with diarrhea.

There are many recipes that can alleviate the patient's condition:

Oak bark. 1 tbsp the mixture is poured with a glass of boiling water and left for an hour, after which it is carefully filtered. Infusion should be consumed in a few spoons all day.
Rice porrige. A decoction is prepared from rice cereal, which is taken orally in a quarter of a glass every 3 hours.
A decoction of pomegranate peels. Dried pomegranate peel is poured with water in a ratio of 1 tsp. per 1 liter of liquid and boiled in a water bath for about 40 minutes. It should be taken up to 5 times a day for 2 tsp.
Blueberry infusion. Blueberries are poured with a glass of water, brought to a boil and boiled for another 5 minutes, filtered. The decoction is cooled and drunk throughout the day as a tea.
Chamomile flowers. 1 tbsp is thrown into a glass of water. l. dried chamomile, the liquid is boiled for 15 minutes, then cooled and filtered. It is taken 100 ml before meals.

Diet and optimal diet

The causes and treatment of diarrhea are closely related. But, regardless of the type of disorder, diet is of paramount importance. Only a complete and thoughtful diet can help achieve good and fast results. During the period of illness, you need to increase the amount of fluid consumed, but exclude store-bought juices and carbonated drinks. Also, do not abuse fatty, smoked, fried, spicy and sweet foods. You can safely eat: stale bread and crackers, lean meat tenderloin and dietary fish, weak broths and boiled eggs, as well as cereals on the water. It is better to replace dessert with low-fat cottage cheese and home-made jelly. As for the drinking regimen, the liquid should be consumed in moderate doses, but regularly at regular intervals.

This mode will help the body recover faster and with minimal losses and solve the problem of what to do if prolonged diarrhea does not go away.

Watch a video on prolonged diarrhea

Preventive measures

Diarrhea can be treated or prevented. To do this, it is enough to carry out simple preventive measures that contribute to the normal functioning of the digestive tract. These include: regular washing of hands with soap before and after eating, good handling of fruits and vegetables, using only fresh and proven products, caution in eating exotic food or food whose origin you are not able to trace.

Ordinary diarrhea can unsettle a person for a long time, depriving him of the opportunity to fully manage his life. Diarrhea should never be ignored, as even a slight manifestation of it can indicate deeper problems. And even diarrhea that has passed with complications can cause irreparable harm to health.

Stock up on patience and doctor's prescriptions and start a new day with a new approach to your health.

Note!

The presence of symptoms such as:

Diarrhea
smell from the mouth
heartburn
stomach ache
feeling of heaviness in the stomach
constipation
belching
increased gas production (flatulence)

If you have at least 2 of these symptoms, then this indicates a developing

gastritis or ulcer. These diseases are dangerous for the development of serious complications (penetration, gastric bleeding, etc.), many of which can lead to

LETHAL

exodus. Treatment needs to start now.

Read the article about how a woman got rid of these symptoms by defeating their root cause with a natural method. Read the material ...

If loose stools are observed in an adult for a long time, it is necessary to look for the causes. Some begin self-treatment, but the futility of such an attempt often leads to the need to seek help from specialists.

Due to the protracted nature of diarrhea, there are violations of the performance of some body systems. Lack of proper treatment leads to persistent forms of the condition. In this case, the stool has a liquid consistency, and acts of defecation occur more than twice a day. This pathological condition is called chronic diarrhea.

Factors that cause loose stools

Loose stools can occur in an adult for a long time due to a number of reasons. By stopping the impact of some factors, it is possible to restore the consistency of the stool. Some causes are temporary, and during this period it is only necessary to help the body a little in order to restore the correct defecation process. However, some factors are pathological in nature, in which diarrhea cannot pass without a diagnosis and further treatment.

The reasons for the manifestation of loose stools, disturbing for a long period, include:

irrational nutrition;
infections;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract);
disorders in women due to physiological causes;
stress.

Influence of food

The cause of diarrhea that persists for a long time may be malnutrition. In a completely healthy person, after a large amount of fatty foods flavored with spicy or spicy seasonings, as well as foods that contain a lot of fiber (vegetables and fruits), loose stools may appear. If such a diet is repeated every day, then one should expect the occurrence of a long-term diarrhea.

Also, one of the causes of loose stools are sweeteners, which are contained not only in the corresponding tablets, but also in cakes, sweets and even sweet carbonated drinks.

Some people have experienced diarrhea as a result of moving to another area. This process is influenced by the quality of the water used for drinking and cooking, as well as food unfamiliar to the stomach. Adaptation of the body to new conditions lasts up to two weeks, all this time diarrhea may not go away. This does not require special treatment, but the use of tablets, which contain enzymes, and the gradual inclusion of new products in the menu will help the stomach to quickly adapt to new water and food.

Other causes of diarrhea due to certain foods include:

Dyspepsia. This pathological manifestation has another, more understandable name for an ordinary person: lazy stomach syndrome. This disorder occurs due to a violation of the motor function of the stomach, affecting the process of digestion of food. Fermentative dyspepsia manifests itself after eating foods that provoke fermentation. Among them, kvass, beer and some fruits stand out.
celiac disease This is a multifactorial disease of a congenital nature. The disease is associated with intolerance to gluten (protein). It is found in large quantities in cereals (wheat, barley, rye). With the manifestation of the disease, the stool becomes frothy, sometimes with mucus, has a light color and a fetid odor. During illness, weight loss is noted, the person becomes lethargic.
Excessive and daily use of alcohol often leads to prolonged diarrhea. This is facilitated by the fact that alcohol enhances peristalsis, reduces the amount of beneficial microflora, and the absorption of fluid in the intestine is slow. In this case, no pills can help. Only moderate drinking will help get rid of diarrhea.

Infectious diseases

With tuberculosis, the symptoms of inflammation are mild. In the presence of loose stools, poor appetite, rumbling and heaviness in the abdomen, sweating and body temperature slightly above 37 ° C can disturb. Tuberculosis requires a long and complex treatment.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in adults are often accompanied by long-term loose stools, nausea, bloating and rumbling in it, heartburn. The following diseases lead to such symptoms:

the presence of a stomach ulcer or 12 duodenal ulcer;
colitis or enteritis;
pancreatitis;
gastritis;
cirrhosis of the liver or hepatitis;
the appearance of tumors.

After removal of the gallbladder, diarrhea may occur. Diet is the cornerstone of treatment. Strict observance of the daily regimen and the use of the necessary products contribute to the normalization of the stool.

Disorders in women

In many women, the period before and during menstruation is accompanied by diarrhea. At the same time, this manifestation is observed monthly. Why this happens and what measures to take is of interest to every woman who has experienced such an unpleasant repetition.

During the period of menstruation, a lot of prostaglandins are thrown into the body of a woman, and they are active substances, the biological effect of which has a fairly wide range. They act on the smooth muscles of the internal organs, reduce the production of gastric juice and lower its acidity. Due to such an active manifestation of prostaglandins, the development of prolonged diarrhea is possible.

Diarrhea can also occur during childbearing. Often it manifests itself as a sign of toxicosis. Also, diarrhea appears immediately before the onset of labor. This is a physiological phenomenon that promotes bowel cleansing. Sometimes at the same time as diarrhea, amniotic fluid also leaves.

In order to get rid of such a problem as prolonged diarrhea, treatment should include not only drugs for diarrhea, but also remedies for the root cause of its occurrence.

Often, when diarrhea occurs, activated charcoal is taken first. This tool is known to almost everyone. However, activated charcoal is a sorbent whose action is to absorb toxins. But along with harmful substances, it also removes fluid from the body. With prolonged diarrhea, dehydration of the body is already possible, and the use of activated charcoal only exacerbates the situation.

With the infectious nature of diarrhea, effective means are Mezim forte, Bifidumbacterin, Loperamide and Imodium. The last two drugs are good in the case when intestinal motility is increased, with irritation. However, these medicines are not recommended for infectious diarrhea.

If diarrhea in an adult is caused by poisoning, then the first action should be gastric lavage. At home, this can be done with boiled water and potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). The solution for drinking should be light pink, and its quantity should be large (up to three liters).

In the treatment of celiac disease, it is necessary to strictly follow the diet, excluding foods with gluten as much as possible. Lifelong therapy includes drugs containing enzymes, remedies for dysbacteriosis, as well as helping to perform a general strengthening of the body.

In the case of diarrhea due to the use of antibiotics, the beginning of treatment consists in taking antifungal agents, for example, Linex. Antispasmodic drugs, such as No-shpa or Papaverine, are used to relieve pain that has arisen in the lower abdomen. A remedy such as Regidron is used to restore the amount of useful minerals in the body.

Treatment with folk remedies

It should be remembered that long-term diarrhea with folk remedies cannot be cured. The resulting effect will only be temporary. Such recipes are welcome only in conjunction with medications. The following folk remedies will help with diarrhea:

Mint. To prepare a decoction, you need up to 6 leaves of the plant and 2 cups of water. Boil, insist for an hour. After straining, drink after meals up to three times a day.
Pour potato starch in the amount of 2 tablespoons into a glass of warm water. Mix well. Drink half a glass of the solution four times a day.
Take 5-6 blueberries, pour a glass of water and boil for 5 minutes. Strain, let cool. The decoction should be used instead of tea throughout the day.
Dry the pomegranate peel, and then boil three tablespoons of the product in crushed form for 20 minutes in two glasses of water. After straining and cooling, drink three tablespoons 30 minutes before meals.
Boil chamomile in the amount of one spoon for 15 minutes in 200 g of water. Allow the broth to cool, strain, take 100 g a quarter of an hour before eating.
Boil dry fruits of bird cherry in the amount of one spoon in 200 g of water. Allow to cool and strain, take the broth in small sips throughout the day.
Infusion of oak bark. Bring one spoonful of bark to a boil in 200 g of water, use according to the previous recipe.

It is also possible to use decoctions of thyme, St. John's wort and a number of other plants.

Intestinal upset, diarrhea, diarrhea - these names mean one not too pleasant phenomenon, which affects both adults and children. We are talking about frequent liquid bowel movements that occur for various reasons and are a source of increased dehydration of the body. In addition, a person loses many essential minerals and nutrients, which disrupts metabolic processes.

Consider the causes and treatment of loose stools in an adult patient. Diarrhea can occur on the background of food poisoning or due to exposure to bacterial and viral agents. Each type of diarrhea has its own symptoms, and incorrect or untimely therapy can lead to complications. Therefore, even a seemingly frivolous disorder requires close attention.

Reasons contributing to the formation of the condition

Sometimes diarrhea is a short-term condition that passes quickly enough. In other cases, stool disorder is observed over a long period, which cannot but disturb. Possible reasons:

The problem may be irritable bowel syndrome. This functional failure can be caused by heredity or psycho-emotional states. Symptoms accompanying the disease are sharp, frequent and uncontrollable urges, bloating, long constipation, impaired gas discharge. There are spastic pains in the lower abdomen.
Quite often, they suffer from loose stools due to poor-quality or bacteria-infected foods and water. There is also the possibility of intolerance to certain foods, which is associated with insufficient production of certain enzymes designed to digest food. In addition to diarrhea, this kind of pathology can be accompanied by nausea, bouts of pain, swelling and sometimes vomiting.
In chronic ulcerative colitis, liquid stools are mixed with mucous secretions and blood. Due to ulcerative inflammation of the mucous layer of the large intestine, abdominal pain occurs on the left, weight loss is observed, frequent diarrhea is replaced by constipation, and fever is observed.
In Crohn's disease, the symptoms are very similar to the pathology described above, however, the disease affects all parts of the gastrointestinal tract - from the oral cavity to the rectum, pain develops in the lower abdomen on the right. The disease can develop against the background of stressful situations, heredity, infections and other factors.
Dysbacteriosis occurs due to an imbalance in the microflora, when conditionally pathogenic organisms begin to prevail over lactobacilli. Most often, dysbiosis provokes prolonged use of antimicrobial drugs or non-compliance with the doctor's prescriptions for their use.
Infectious diseases, including salmonellosis and dysentery, can also become the root cause of diarrhea. In addition to diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and general weakness are observed.

The disorder may arise due to the use of unusual foods.

Also, diarrhea can develop against the background of ulcerative exacerbations, the development of malignant neoplasms, poisoning with mushrooms or household chemicals, and non-compliance with basic hygiene rules.

In some cases, immediate treatment to the clinic is necessary, as evidenced by the following signs:

nausea, vomiting;
persistent urge to defecate;
pain in the abdomen, heaviness;
increased gas formation;
too high body temperature;
yellow tint of liquid stools;
black color of feces or an admixture of blood in it;
frothy green diarrhea in an adult patient.

Traditional therapy for diarrhea

The main danger with diarrhea is rapid dehydration, especially if vomiting is added to frequent bowel movements. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly restore the water balance - you need to drink plenty of water. The ideal option is boiled water and herbal teas, special solutions that help compensate for the loss of trace elements, Regidron is most often prescribed. When vomiting, water should be drunk in small sips as often as possible.

It is impossible to effectively treat diarrhea without correcting nutrition. Restoration of the gastrointestinal tract requires the appointment of a sparing diet, the basic principles of which are as follows:

Drawing up a balanced menu that allows you to ensure normal life.
Reducing the load on the digestive system.
Gradual and cautious expansion of the diet.

There are a number of rules that must be followed. Products should be boiled or cooked in a double boiler, all served dishes should not be excessively cold or hot. You should switch to fractional nutrition: increase the number of meals, while reducing portion sizes. So the stomach will be easier to restore normal functioning.

With diarrhea, preference is given to the following products:

unsweetened crackers or "yesterday's" bread products;
low-fat - better vegetable - broths;
dietary meat and low-fat fish dishes;
boiled eggs;
lean cottage cheese;
baked apples;
weak teas and berry kissels.

After the unpleasant symptoms disappear, the diet can be gradually expanded, while carefully monitoring the reaction of the body. If there is no diarrhea, the next product is introduced into the diet.

As for taking medications, only a specialist should deal with their appointment. When self-medicating with antidiarrheal drugs, the risk of damage to the intestinal mucosa is high. In cases where diarrhea occurs against the background of inflammatory processes, complex treatment is required. Infections are eliminated with the help of antimicrobials.

Acute diarrhea, accompanied by pain, spasms, bouts of vomiting, requires the use of drugs that reduce intestinal motility. With dysbiosis, restoration of microflora is required, for which probiotics and prebiotics are prescribed, and a vitamin course is also prescribed.

The most effective recipes for the treatment of diarrhea

If diarrhea is not complicated by other symptoms, you can use folk recipes to eliminate it, used on the background of the diet. There are a number of commonly used decoctions and infusions, time-tested.

Oak bark

An ideal remedy for diarrhea - a decoction of oak bark. To prepare it, a glass of boiling water requires a pinch of crushed ingredient. Then the mixture should be kept in a water bath for ten minutes, filtered and drunk three times a day. A single serving should be 18 grams.

A decoction of walnut partitions

The peel of a pomegranate and a partition of nuts possesses the fixing properties. In 500 ml of boiling water, add a large spoonful of walnut partitions, leave for 20 minutes, filter and take in the morning before breakfast. The recommended serving is 100 ml.

Recipes for vodka tinctures

You can prepare vodka tincture. Walnut partitions in the amount of three large spoons are poured with a bottle of vodka or diluted alcohol and insisted in heat for 12 days, filtered, drink 100 ml in case of diarrhea.

Unripe walnut fruits collected in June and July are also used. Recipe for the tincture:

20 fruits are washed, finely cut along with the peel;
place the raw material in a glass container;
add half a liter of vodka;
the container is closed and insisted for two weeks;
the tincture is filtered, poured into a bottle;
store the drug in the dark.

Take the remedy should be a large spoon three times a day, after the main meals.

Alcohol tincture of walnut partitions

Another recipe recommends pouring 30 grams of crushed walnut partitions with alcohol in a volume of 250 ml and insisting for three days, shaking the container regularly. The agent is filtered, taken with diarrhea from six to ten drops three or four times a day. Drink the drug should be before meals, drinking it with water. Some caution should be exercised when using nut products, as allergic reactions may develop with hypersensitivity. Also, the nut is not indicated in the presence of neurodermatitis, eczema or psoriasis.

Red wine tincture

If the disorder is very strong, it is recommended to pour a glass of walnut partitions with a liter of fortified red wine and infuse the remedy in the dark for seven days, shaking it periodically. Then the drink is filtered and taken before meals in a small spoon. There should be at least three such receptions per day. The drug should be taken with warm water.

pomegranate peel

Dry pomegranate peels are no less effective remedy. Three large spoons of the crushed ingredient should be poured into 500 ml of liquid and boiled for five minutes, then insisted until cool and filtered. If diarrhea is frequent and severe, adult patients should drink 250 ml in the morning, evening and afternoon. With mild manifestations of the pathology, half a serving in the morning and before bedtime is enough.

Other folk remedies for diarrhea

In addition to nuts, pomegranate and oak bark, there are many effective ways that effectively eliminate diarrhea:

With liquid stools, dry blackberry fruits are often used. Berries must be mixed with natural honey and eat in the morning, afternoon, evening hours in a small spoon.
Medicinal tea is obtained from blueberries. The drink is consumed three times a day.
A large spoon of chamomile color should be poured with boiling water in a volume of 200 ml, insist until cool. Filter and drink 0.5 cups in the morning, evening and lunch.
Potato starch also helps curb the disease. In 250 ml of strong chilled tea, you need to dilute a small spoonful of the substance and drink it all at once.
You can chop the rosehip branches, pour a small spoonful of the plant with a glass of boiling water, simmer the remedy in a water bath for half an hour. Then the drink is filtered and taken in the morning, in the afternoon and evening, a third of a glass.
An effective plant against disorders is St. John's wort. Ten grams of the plant is brewed with 250 ml of boiling water, cooled, filtered, drunk in a large spoon in the morning, evening and at lunchtime.
Cowberry and bird cherry leaves are crushed, mixed in a ratio of 1:1. Two large spoons of the collection pour 500 ml of boiling water, infuse the liquid for two hours, drink 0.5 cups several times a day.
Bird cherry berries in the amount of one large spoon are brewed in a glass of boiling water, kept on the stove for another five minutes, after which they insist for two hours. Drink the remedy should be three times a day for a quarter of the initial volume.
One ripe pear should be cut into small pieces and thrown into boiling water (500 ml). Then cook for 15 minutes and insist for 120 minutes. It is necessary to drink the remedy before meals. The number of doses per day is four, the volume of each serving is 100 ml.

Diarrhea is never an independent disease, but indicates a malfunction in organs and systems. Diarrhea can be a symptom of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The greatest danger is dehydration during diarrhea, as well as the loss of vitamins and minerals, and as a result, vitamin deficiency. Loose stools in an adult for a long time is dangerous, as it can cause hypovolemic shock if the patient is not given rehydration therapy.

Symptoms of chronic diarrhea

In chronic diarrhea, the patient has systematic loose stools 3 or more times a day for at least 3 weeks. If diarrhea persists for no longer than 3 weeks, they speak of acute diarrhea. With diarrhea, there are emergency, sometimes uncontrollable, urges. Frequent liquid or mushy stools are accompanied by flatulence (increased gas formation), rumbling, and abdominal pain. With diarrhea, fever and a general weakening of the body can be observed.

With diarrhea, the mass of unformed stool increases to 250–300 g per day, the water content in feces increases to 60–85%.

With diarrhea, food is liquefied, its incomplete digestion, so pieces of food can be observed in the feces. Depending on the pathogenesis, the characteristics of the stool may vary.

Pathogenesis

What to do if diarrhea occurs? First you need to determine the type of diarrhea. There are the following types of diarrhea:

Secretory diarrhea - profuse (more than 1 liter) watery diarrhea, usually painless. Prolonged diarrhea is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, the frequency of stool increases up to 15 times a day, there are no false urges.
Osmotic diarrhea is profuse, frothy stools that may contain blotches of semi-digested food. Prolonged diarrhea is accompanied by abdominal cramps.
Exudative (invasive) diarrhea is liquid, non-abundant feces, in which pus and spotting are often observed.
Motor diarrhea - moderate discharge with particles of undigested food.

Diarrhea can be infectious or non-infectious. Often, diarrhea is provoked by prolonged use of medications: antibiotics, magnesium-containing antacids, various laxatives, nonsteroidal drugs. Medicines can cause mixed type of diarrhea (exudative-secretory, motor-secretory, etc.).

Osmotic diarrhea

Due to the increase in the content of electrolytes in the intestinal lumen, water is discharged, followed by its retention in the intestine. Osmotic diarrhea is caused by:

An important difference between osmotic diarrhea and other types is its termination after 2-3 days of fasting.

secretory diarrhea

In this disorder, secretion of electrolytes and water predominates over absorption. The reason for this may be:

infectious diseases (toxic infection, salmonellosis, cholera, yersiniosis, Escherichia coli, staphylococcus),
hormonally active tumors (carcinoid, gastrinoma, VIPoma),
hereditary diseases (for example, chloride),
non-infectious causes: prolonged use of drugs and laxatives, acute poisoning with arsenic, fungi, salts of heavy metals, alcohol.

After the elimination of enterotoxin, the work of the gastrointestinal tract is getting better, the incessant diarrhea disappears.

In addition, a rare case of this type of diarrhea may be hereditary diarrhea due to gene mutation.

Exudative diarrhea

Incessant diarrhea in this form is caused by inflammation of the colon mucosa. The causes of inflammation are the following diseases:

tuberculosis,
diverticular disease,
ischemic colitis,
acute intestinal infections such as dysentery,
tumor processes in the intestine,
ulcerative colitis,
radiation colitis (radiation exposure),
vasculitis,
Crohn's disease,
adeno and rotoviruses,

This form of diarrhea, as you can see, can be infectious and non-infectious. Infectious occurs due to the penetration and spread of pathogenic strains (for example, the human immunodeficiency virus), as well as protozoa (amoebae). The non-infectious form is usually associated with ulcerative colitis.

Motor diarrhea

Irritable bowel syndrome occurs due to increased intestinal motility. It is often observed after the removal of the stomach or parts of it. Food enters the intestines faster, due to insufficient digestion, diarrhea occurs.

A decrease in motor function is observed with dermatomyositis, diabetic polyneuropathy, and scleroderma.

Treatment of diarrhea

Since the causes of incessant stools are different, it is necessary to establish the mechanism of diarrhea before treatment. If diarrhea persists for several days, rehydration therapy is indicated for all patients, regardless of pathogenesis.

With non-infectious diarrhea, the underlying disease is initially eliminated. Antibiotics are prescribed if diarrhea is caused by bacteria or protozoa.

Diarrhea associated with a hormone-producing tumor will require serious medical intervention. If the diarrhea does not stop for this reason, surgical removal of the tumor will be required.

What to do with different types of diarrhea:

With secretory diarrhea, Smecta, Enterol, Bifidumbacterin, Furazalidon, Baktisubtil are prescribed.
With osmotic diarrhea, Imodium, Loperamide, Regidron, Codeine phosphate are prescribed; antibacterial drugs, for example, biseptol.
With motor diarrhea, Imodium, astringent adsorbents, for example, bismuth preparations, are used.
With exudative diarrhea, prebiotics and probiotics are mainly used (Bifiform, Linex, Hilak forte).

With diarrhea, as already mentioned, it is important to eliminate dehydration, that is, dehydration.

Rehydration for diarrhea

If diarrhea lasts for a long time, ready-made pharmaceutical preparations are used to restore the water-salt balance, which are diluted with water and drunk, or you can use self-prepared drink. A tablespoon of salt and 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar are added to a liter of water, mixed with a spoonful of soda. The prepared infusion is drunk during the day, if there is no nausea and vomiting. The patient is supposed to drink another liquid: fruit drinks, non-mineral and mineral water without gas. Fruit juices are contraindicated.

With any diarrhea, regardless of pathogenesis, there is a violation of the natural microflora, therefore, the use of prebiotics and probiotics, for example, Hilak forte, is indicated.

Diet for diarrhea

With prolonged diarrhea, a special diet should be followed. Diarrhea for several days and for a longer time is provoked by products with a laxative effect. Compliance with the diet will help speed up the treatment. A sparing diet is especially indicated for secretory diarrhea.

The patient during treatment should be excluded from the menu fatty and dairy dishes, alcohol, spices and spices, spicy foods, plums, beets, sweet foods, sauces, black bread. Boiled white rice, white bread crackers, boiled or steamed low-fat meatballs, meatballs or cutlets, apple and potato puree are allowed.

The stomach hurts and diarrhea occurs most often with indigestion and the penetration of toxins into the body. You should pay attention to the quality of food (especially expiration dates and storage conditions), the degree of water purification, personal hygiene (hand washing).

Diarrhea in an adult can be caused by lactase deficiency, intolerance to dairy products. With this pathology, milk should be excluded from the diet, in which case the diarrhea will pass in the near future.

What to do if diarrhea occurs away from home? Traveler's diarrhea is a specific form of bowel disorder. There is a disorder of the stool due to a change in climatic conditions, food unusual for the stomach, as well as the penetration of bacteria and viruses. Tourists traveling to countries with contaminated water sources (Asia, Africa, the Middle East) should be especially careful.

When traveling, it is better to take simple water filters, antibiotics and prebiotics. You should avoid dishes with raw meat and fish, unwashed vegetables. When the temperature rises above 38 degrees and bloody diarrhea appears, you should seek medical help from common viruses and microorganisms that travelers bring from vacation - Giardia, dysenteric amoeba, enterovirus, rotavirus, norovirus.

Disruptions in the digestive system are familiar to many. One of the typical symptoms of intestinal upset is diarrhea (diarrhea) - an unpleasant phenomenon that can not only disrupt all plans, but also seriously affect well-being.

What is diarrhea?

The main sign that we are not talking about episodic diarrhea, but about a complete disorder is the daily frequency of stools. Diarrhea is loose stools that occur in attacks three or more times a day. At the same time, the water content in the feces, which is normally 50-80%, increases to 95% 1 .

Diarrhea can be acute or chronic.

The acute form (up to 7 days) may appear as a result of poisoning, eating allergen foods, intolerance to certain foods, drugs, ingestion of certain viruses and bacteria.

Chronic (up to 3 months or more) - as a result of taking antibiotics, laxatives. Some diseases can also be the cause: chronic pancreatitis, celiac disease, intestinal giardiasis, diabetes mellitus, adenocarcinoma, irritable bowel syndrome.

The second most important sign is the condition of the feces. Color, texture and the presence of impurities may indicate various diseases. For example, watery and loose stools, as well as a greenish hue of feces, indicate the development of an intestinal infection. The cause of liquid stools of a light shade and a clayey appearance may be a lesion of the small intestine and its initial sections.

Causes of loose stools

Episodes of loose stools that torment a person for one or several days are not a separate disease. This is just one of the symptoms of functional, organic or nervous dysfunction. Loose stools that persist for a long time are often accompanied by other clinical manifestations: pain and cramps in the abdomen, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, dizziness. It is on the basis of a complex of symptoms that one can most correctly determine the cause of loose stools.

The most common causes of diarrhea in adults are:

food allergy;
lactose intolerance (almost instantaneous reaction to milk);
intestinal infection (stomach flu);
viral or bacterial infection;
neurogenic factor (stress, neurotic disorders, emotional breakdowns) 2 .

Liquid stool treatment: how to get rid of the problem

If frequent loose stools bother you for a long time, then most likely its causes lie in a serious imbalance and require immediate treatment. Unlike one-time diarrhea, systematic diarrhea involves complex treatment, which includes not only the elimination of symptoms, but also the impact on the underlying causes of the syndrome.

The doctor determines the treatment regimen, depending on the type of diarrhea, its causes and the individual characteristics of the patient.

infectious diarrhea

Treatment depends on the form of infectious diarrhea. With a mild form, home therapy is quite possible, including a diet, drinking plenty of water and taking adsorbent drugs. Severe gastroenteric diarrhea requires hospitalization with a whole range of emergency procedures and restorative therapy, which consists in restoring the lost fluid balance and diet.

functional diarrhea

Occurs in disorders of the digestive or nervous system. Organic changes in the gastrointestinal tract are not detected, and therefore the main treatment in this case is symptomatic. If it is possible to remove the causes of a nervous breakdown or irritable bowel, then loose stools can pass in one or two days 4 .

Diet is a reliable assistant in the treatment of diarrhea

Treatment of diarrhea resulting from administration or malnutrition, as well as malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract, is impossible without proper nutrition correction. If you adhere to the basic principles of a diet for diarrhea, the problem will be solved much faster, and at the same time it will serve as a prevention of possible intestinal dysfunctions.

Here are some simple diet rules for diarrhea:

the load on the digestive organs during diarrhea should be minimal (food should be consumed chopped and boiled);
Eat foods high in pectin, potassium, and protein, such as bananas, applesauce, fruit juices, bananas, beef, turkey, and chicken.
in the early days, it is worth eating only liquid food and gradually moving on to the usual diet, introducing foods as the frequency of loose stools decreases 5;
food intake should be fractional, in small portions 5-6 times a day.

A doctor will help to draw up an accurate diet menu for diarrhea and choose medications that eliminate unpleasant symptoms. It is important to remember that a long, exhausting liquid stool is a reason for an immediate consultation with a specialist. help.

Taking enzyme preparations for diarrhea

Often indigestion, and with it diarrhea, is associated with impaired pancreatic function, if the pancreas is inflamed, the production of digestive enzymes is disrupted and they become insufficient for normal digestion and breakdown of food.

In chronic pancreatitis, for example, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency develops, in which its enzymatic activity decreases - food is not completely broken down, and absorption processes are impaired. In these cases, enzyme preparations can come to the rescue, compensating for the lack of their own enzymes 6 .

Also, taking enzyme preparations will help in the complex treatment of infectious diarrhea.

Creon® is a latest generation enzyme preparation produced in the form of capsules with minimicrospheres of pancreatitis. Once in the stomach, the gelatin shell of the capsule dissolves, and the mini-microspheres are mixed with food, accelerating the process of splitting and facilitating the absorption of nutrients. Creon® helps to eliminate unpleasant symptoms associated with indigestion - loose stools, heaviness in the stomach, bloating, abdominal pain.

The material was developed with the support of Abbott to increase patient awareness of the state of health. The information in this material does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional. Contact your doctor

RUCRE172288 from 06/06/2017

1. Guide to gastroenterology: in three volumes / Ed. F.I. Komarov and A.L. Grebnev. T.Z.-M.: Medicine.-1996.

2. Belousova E.A., Zlatkina A.R. Diarrhea syndrome in the practice of a gastroenterologist: pathophysiology and a differentiated approach to treatment // Farmateka. - 2003.

3. Sahakyan A.G. Diagnosis and therapy of motor, enzymatic and morphological changes in the intestine / A.G. Sahakyan.-M., 1968.

4. Grebenev A.J1. Intestinal diseases / A.JI. Grebenev, L.P. Myagko-va.-M.: Medicine, 1994

5. Salupere V. Clinical gastroenterology / V. Salupere.-Tallinn: Valgus, 1998.

6. Ryss E.S. Introduction to gastroenterology. SPb. – Speciallite, 2005.

7. Boyko Yu.G. Acute and chronic pancreatitis / Yu.G. Boyko Grodno, 1990.

It is impossible to ignore this condition, but, unfortunately, it is not so easy to diagnose the cause.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This disease is included in the group of a whole complex of intestinal disorders and can take place in two formats. The first form is systematic pain in the lower abdomen and frequent loose stools, which are uncontrollable and spontaneous. The second form in adults is bloating and constipation, which cause no less painful sensations.
Wrong nutrition. And the point is not that once a person ate something spoiled and got poisoned, but in the systematic consumption of stale and poor-quality food, which are most likely infected with harmful microorganisms. Incessant loose stools can also be the result of drinking contaminated tap water, which is rarely taken to the laboratory for additional tests. The risk group can also include people who have intolerance to any product or component, but they do not even know about it. It can be gluten, lactose, or milk sugar, often found in even the healthiest and most balanced diets.
With this chronic disease, the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed. It is accompanied by prolonged diarrhea with an admixture of blood and mucous passages in the feces, pain in the left abdomen, rapid weight loss and even fever.
Crohn's disease. This disease is similar in nature to ulcerative colitis, which is expressed in such symptoms as: prolonged diarrhea, weakening of the body and weight loss. But there is one small but significant difference in its content: Crohn's disease affects the entire gastrointestinal tract, starting with the oral cavity and ending with the rectum. An infection, stress or heredity can provoke the occurrence of such a disease in adults.
Dysbacteriosis. Long-term diarrhea can be the result of a decrease in the population of beneficial microorganisms that are always present in the intestines and help the normal course of all digestive processes. The cause of dysbacteriosis can be self-medication or illiterate use of antibiotics, which kill both pathogenic and health-necessary bacteria. Incessant diarrhea makes itself felt in 90% of such cases.
Infection. There are a huge number of infectious diseases that can provoke prolonged diarrhea: salmonellosis, dysentery and shigellosis. They are often accompanied by an increase in body temperature, nausea, vomiting and general weakness. If such a disease is treated incorrectly, then the infectious agent becomes a chronic carrier, disrupting the stool and the usual way of life of a person.
Postpartum diarrhea. The entire period of pregnancy is accompanied by physiological and hormonal changes in the body of a woman, which make the digestive tract particularly vulnerable. After childbirth, everything begins to return to normal, but this path may be accompanied by periodic disorders in the form of diarrhea. A balanced diet, proper rest, healthy sleep and taking care of the main rules of breastfeeding will help to cope with it.

Associated symptoms

general weakness;
change in the level of consciousness;
dizziness;
fainting;
fatigue;
fever and chills;
flu symptoms;
rapid heartbeat and breathing;
shortness of breath;
weight loss.

When is it time to see a doctor?

There is a whole list of mandatory and desirable methods and tests that a doctor can prescribe for you.

The patient should not refuse them, because his health and well-being is at stake:

history taking and examination. The patient reports all his symptoms, the number of bowel movements per day, his daily diet, medications used, as well as available chronic diseases such as: cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis, and so on. Even the presence of similar pathologies in the next of kin is taken into account;
laboratory tests: feces (analysis, culture, coprogram), blood (general analysis and biochemistry);
colonoscopy, CT scan of the abdominal organs, endoscopy, ultrasound and more.