Loose stools all day what to do. Loose stools in an adult for a long time: causes and treatment

Diarrhea- frequent loose stools, which appears as a result of a violation of the digestive processes in the body. You should know that diarrhea is not a separate disease, but a symptom of the disease, and it can occur both due to infection and for other reasons, such as malnutrition and even stress.

The long-awaited summer is a period of holidays, an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits on the table, hot weather. And this is the time when the risk of diarrhea is especially high. Every summer in Bishkek, there is an increase in diseases accompanied by diarrhea.

About the formidable symptom editorial website talked with the infectious disease doctor of the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital Zarina Baltabaeva. Also, additional medical literature was used to prepare the material.

What are the types of diarrhea?

Infectious diarrhea is caused by various pathogens. She happens:

• viral (due to damage to the body by various viral infections);
• bacterial, when the body is affected by bacteria.

For each individual cause of diarrhea, a different clinical picture occurs, therefore, the treatment should be different, suitable for a particular case.

How to identify viral diarrhea?

The most common causes of viral diarrhea are rotavirus and enterovirus infections. Their clinical picture is characterized first by the development of symptoms of a viral infection (general malaise, weakness, headache, sore throat, lacrimation and discharge from the nose), after which vomiting and loose stools may appear.

With viral diarrhea, loose stools are watery, without admixture of blood, pus. The temperature in these cases usually rises to 37-38 degrees, sometimes there may be pain in the abdomen, but not intense and passing after the appearance of loose stools. The viruses that cause these diseases can be transmitted both by airborne droplets (when sneezing, coughing, with dust, if there are viruses in it), and by household contact (by contact with objects touched by a sick person).

How to identify bacterial diarrhea?

The occurrence of bacterial diarrhea is caused by bacteria of the Escherichia group (the most typical representative of this group is E. coli - Escherichia coli), dysentery and, in severe cases, salmonellosis. All bacterial diarrhea is characterized by a high temperature of 39-40 degrees, vomiting in these cases will be repeated, and stools will be more frequent than with a viral infection: from 5 times or more.

Ways of transmission: household contact and through the mouth when eating contaminated or stale food or after contact with dirty hands.

How does dysentery manifest itself?

With dysentery, the stool will be frequent, more than 5 times, with an admixture of mucus and blood. With the further development of the disease, tenesmus is a characteristic symptom - these are frequent, sometimes every 3-4 minutes, urge to empty the intestines, but without the appearance of secretions. In turn, for Escherichia against the background of high fever, repeated vomiting, diarrhea and weakness, an unstable, undulating course is characteristic, when the period of exacerbation is replaced by a period of relief.

What is characteristic of salmonellosis?

Salmonellosis is a serious infectious disease that, without appropriate treatment, can cause complications such as infectious-toxic shock and perforation (violation of the integrity) of the intestinal wall and inflammation of the peritoneum. With salmonellosis, repeated, often non-stop, vomiting will also occur, which can quickly lead to dehydration, the stools will be frequent, watery, with a fetid odor and foam.

How to treat diarrhea?

Self-treatment of diarrhea without an established cause is strongly discouraged. Often, our citizens go to a pharmacy and purchase products that are usually well-known to everyone or that someone recommended to them. But the fact is that the need for a particular drug, as well as its features of use, according to age and many other factors, can only be determined by a doctor. So, for example, young children are given loperamide or imodium, which are contraindicated for them. Antibiotics are often given without specifying the cause of diarrhea, for some reason tetracycline is especially popular for self-medication.

Shouldn't you take antibiotics for diarrhea?

Antibiotics are useless in the case of viral diarrhea, they are unable to act on the virus and quite often cause dysbacteriosis when used uncontrolled without a doctor's prescription.

Antibiotics are prescribed for bacterial diarrhea, after testing and determining the causative agent of the disease. But only a doctor can do this.

With rotavirus and enterovirus diarrhea, treatment should be symptomatic, aimed at alleviating the patient's condition, preventing complications, and eliminating dehydration. In mild cases, the patient is advised to drink saline solutions, the most famous and affordable of them is rehydron. In more severe cases, treatment is carried out according to clinical protocols approved by the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the amount of fluid needed by the patient is calculated individually.

So what to do?

Contact the CSM doctor. In case of a severe form of the disease, call an ambulance.

What symptoms should you see a doctor immediately?

• Violation of consciousness.
• Cold clammy sweat and cyanosis of the skin. Especially quickly these signs appear in children. Pay attention to the lips, the wings of the nose and the space under the nose, if you find cyanosis there, which has not been noted before, this is a good reason to see a doctor.
• Frequent noisy breathing. Breathing accompanied by wheezing. Intermittent breathing.
• Seizures.

If you notice these signs in a patient, you should immediately call an ambulance or go to the hospital. Even if before that treatment was prescribed and the patient was released home. These signs indicate a deterioration in the condition.

How to protect yourself and loved ones from the occurrence of diarrhea?

1. First of all, diarrhea is a disease of dirty hands. In the first place in preventive measures is hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet, after visiting public places, after returning home from the street, and before eating. If for some reason it is not possible to wash your hands, use antiseptics.
2. Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed under running water before eating.
3. When cooking, a sufficient degree and time of heat treatment is very important. Boil or fry meat well, boil milk. And, of course, pay attention to the quality and expiration date of the products you buy.
4. Try to avoid buying and eating ready-made food bought from the street.
5. Do not leave cooked food out of the refrigerator. Do not store food that has already been cooked for too long.
6. To prevent viral infections, avoid crowded places, use face masks.
7. If there is a sick person in your house, follow the bed rest, limit the contact of children with him, get him separate dishes, which must be washed well after use. Carry out daily wet cleaning in the room where the sick person is located. Ventilate the room twice a day.

What complications can be with incorrect or untimely treatment?

• Dehydration, leading to severe metabolic disorders, can lead to kidney failure and failure of other internal organs without treatment.
• Infectious-toxic shock.
• Intussusception of the intestine (in non-medical usage called volvulus).
• The formation of ulcers on the walls of the intestine, which in the future, without treatment, can lead to perforation of the ulcer and the outflow of intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity.

Diarrhea is a problem that every person has encountered, and it often happens that intestinal upset occurs frequently and lasts for a long time. A mistake that adults often make is to carelessly treat an alarm signal and write it off as a common ailment. Few decide to consult a doctor and find out what exactly provoked prolonged diarrhea. If loose stools in an adult do not stop for a long time and do not lose their intensity, this indicates a problem that requires an immediate solution. The cause may be dangerous diseases.

What does persistent loose stools mean?

There are many factors that can provoke prolonged diarrhea, and not all the reasons can be determined independently. In order to prevent complications and the development of serious diseases, it is better to seek the help of a doctor. The doctor, after examining and conducting tests, will find out why the diarrhea does not lose intensity for several days, prescribe an effective treatment and recommend effective folk remedies.

The main causes of prolonged loose stools in adults:

• alcohol abuse;
• allergic reactions of the body to internal or external stimuli;
• dysbacteriosis or its consequences;
• treatment with aggressive pharmaceutical preparations;
• violations of metabolic processes in the body;
• helminth infection;
• infectious disease at the stage of exacerbation;
• chronic pathologies of the digestive tract;
• injury to the intestinal mucosa;
• prolonged nervous disorders, stress;
• malnutrition, abuse of dishes that abound in spices, salt, fat.

Less dangerous factors for health are also capable of provoking prolonged diarrhea, but it is better not to try to determine them yourself. A complete examination is the only way to find out the underlying cause of the ailment.

Diagnostics

If an adult has diarrhea for a week, a visit to the doctor is a mandatory measure. The first stage of the examination is an oral questioning of the patient. It should be told not only about prolonged diarrhea, but also about additional signs that occur against the background of stool disorders. Among them, the most common are:

• pain and discomfort in the abdomen;
• nausea, often turning into bouts of vomiting;
• temperature jumps;
• changes in the shade of the skin;
• in the feces, blood clots, yellow mucus are clearly visible;
• urine becomes dark unnatural color.

To determine the cause that provoked the appearance of liquid diarrhea, the doctor prescribes a series of studies. Be sure to pass the feces for analysis, undergo an ultrasound procedure that allows you to determine the pathologies that develop in the abdominal cavity, endoscopy. Often this is enough to accurately diagnose the disease. If the doctor has doubts, a coprogram and tests for the presence of helminths are prescribed.

Medical treatment - what to apply?

After determining the disease, which is accompanied by prolonged loose stools, the doctor prescribes treatment. It all depends on the underlying disease that develops in the body. To influence the problem, the doctor recommends:

• antibacterial drugs (Levofloxacin, Zinacef);
• antidiarrheals (Imodium, Enterobene, Nifuroxazide);
• hormonal drugs (Somatotropin, Thyroxine);
• drugs against helminthic invasion (Vermox, Nemozol, Mebendazole).

A prerequisite for successfully getting rid of the problem is the strict implementation of medical prescriptions. It is strictly forbidden to self-medicate, use pharmaceutical preparations without a doctor's prescription, exceed the recommended dosages or the number of doses. Improper treatment or careless attitude to medical recommendations threatens to develop additional problems and increase the intensity of diarrhea.

If the cause of prolonged diarrhea in adults is malnutrition or alcohol abuse, the doctor recommends folk remedies, restorative drugs, and a special diet. Do not forget that prolonged diarrhea can cause dehydration of the body, which threatens with considerable trouble.

If on the second or third day diarrhea does not reduce its intensity, be sure to take funds that normalize the water-salt balance in the body. Usually Regidron is prescribed for this purpose, it is recommended to drink the solution throughout the entire treatment. Means preparation:

1. Bring water (1 L) to a boil.
2. Cool the liquid.
3. Pour a sachet of Regidron into the water.
4. Stir until the powder is completely dissolved.

Drink liquid throughout the day. Dosage - no more than 100 ml at a time. It is recommended to use the remedy every hour. With too frequent bouts of diarrhea, increase the number of doses - drink the medicine up to two times an hour.

Folk remedies for prolonged diarrhea

What should I do if an adult has had diarrhea for a week and the number of visits to the toilet does not decrease? The answer to the question is unequivocal - consult a doctor. If no pathologies dangerous to health have been identified, with the permission of a doctor, you can use herbal folk remedies. Herbal decoctions and infusions have wonderful qualities - relieve pain, strengthen feces, protect the body from washing out nutrients.

Decoction of oak bark

If on the second or even third day diarrhea does not go away on its own, it is recommended to use one of the most common remedies - a decoction based on oak bark. The tannins in the composition have a strengthening effect on the feces, quickly coping with diarrhea.

Cooking:

1. Grind oak bark (50 gr.), If you use hand-picked raw materials, rinse thoroughly and dry.
2. Bring water to a boil (600 ml), pour the prepared raw materials.
3. Put the container on a small fire, simmer under the lid for up to half an hour.
4. Infuse for 2 hours, to increase concentration, wrap with a scarf.
5. Strain, after complete cooling send to the refrigerator for storage.

Take a decoction of the bark every three hours. Dosage - 100 ml at a time. It is not recommended to add sweet ingredients - sugar or honey, which can reduce the effectiveness of home remedies. Usually, after taking the remedy, diarrhea loses its intensity, visits to the toilet occur much less frequently. If after five days the diarrhea has not stopped, go to the doctor for a follow-up visit.

Decoction of sage

If the causes of persistent diarrhea in adults are not associated with dangerous diseases, it is recommended to use a decoction of sage for treatment. This plant has many positive qualities, including: strengthening, anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects. To get rid of intestinal disorders, traditional medicine recommends this remedy:

1. Grind 200 gr. fresh leaves of the plant (if dry grass is used, 50-70 grams of sage will be needed to prepare the product).
2. Boil water (1 l), brew the prepared vegetable gruel.
3. Close the container tightly with a lid, wrap with a scarf.
4. It will take at least an hour to infuse, and then filter it.

Take 100 ml at a time. Use the product every 3-4 hours. Continue treatment of diarrhea for 4 days, if during this time there are no positive results, go to the doctor.

Hypericum infusion

Having found out with the help of a doctor why loose stools do not pass, in the absence of serious diseases, treatment is recommended to be carried out with an infusion of St. John's wort. This plant has long been revered in folk medicine. On the basis of St. John's wort, various means are prepared, grass is used in combination with other plants.

Against prolonged diarrhea, alternative medicine suggests using this recipe:

1. Send dry St. John's wort (20 gr.) To the container for preparing the product, add 10 gr. calendula flowers.
2. Brew vegetable raw materials with boiling water (400 ml).
3. Insist until completely cooled.
4. Strain, use gauze cloth for this (roll it up in 3-5 layers).

Take an infusion of 30 ml every hour. The duration of treatment for diarrhea should not exceed 5 days. Even the most intense diarrhea during this time completely disappears, but on condition that it is caused by non-communicable diseases.

St. John's wort is a rather aggressive plant and often causes an allergic reaction. It is recommended to continue the treatment with infusion to monitor the general condition of the body. If unpleasant signs are noticed in the form of irritation on the skin, increased diarrhea, nausea or malaise, immediately stop taking the home remedy and resort to other traditional medicine.

Decoction of burdock

Often diarrhea is combined with additional symptoms that bring a lot of discomfort. If the second day is disturbed by diarrhea and a stomach ache, it is recommended to use homemade medicine from the leaves and rhizomes of burdock. This plant is often used in the treatment of prolonged diarrhea and diseases of the digestive tract. Features of burdock - fixing, analgesic effect.

Cooking:

1. Thoroughly rinse the roots (100 g) and leaves (200 g) of burdock.
2. Chop the plant material, use a sharp knife for this.
3. Brew with boiling water (400 ml), simmer in a steam bath for half an hour without removing the lid.
4. Infuse for at least an hour, filter.

Take 30 ml every hour. On the second day of treatment, you can reduce the number of doses - use a decoction of burdock every 2-3 hours. What to do if bouts of diarrhea do not reduce the intensity? Stop taking, consult a doctor about further treatment.

The agent based on burdock is completely safe for the body, does not cause an allergic reaction and does not provoke additional complications. It is recommended to use the decoction for people prone to irritation and having problems with the digestive tract.

Proper nutrition is a mandatory stage of treatment

A prerequisite that must be observed during the entire course of treatment of prolonged diarrhea is the correct diet. It is recommended to exclude from the menu all products that can provoke additional complications.

• Flour products. Dried unsweetened biscuits, stale white bread, crackers (without spices, butter).
• Soups. Cook on low-fat broths, it is allowed to add lean meat, cereals, vegetables.
• Meat. Only low-fat types of meat are allowed, cook steam cutlets, meatballs, dumplings from them (do not use fat or oil in the cooking process).
• Fish. It is recommended to use low-fat types of sea fish. It is forbidden to fry or bake, cook steam cutlets, boil for a couple.
• Dairy. Only cottage cheese with a minimum percentage of fat. Can be used to make soufflé.
• Vegetables. It is forbidden to eat raw vegetables - use only for mashed potatoes, soups, boil for a couple. Cook with a little salt.
• Sweets, fruits. Baked apples are recommended, which are often used as a remedy for diarrhea, jelly from berries, jelly. There is no need to add sugar or in minimal quantities.
• Beverages. Green tea with anti-inflammatory effects, herbal decoctions (rosehips, black currants, blueberries).

What if an adult has diarrhea for 3 days without losing intensity? Pharmacy medicines or alternative medicines, which are best taken only after a preliminary visit to the doctor, will help to cope with the problem. You should not try to cope with diarrhea on your own - this will only aggravate the situation and cause unnecessary problems.

Most adults are accustomed to the fact that a person's stool should be hard, densely formed, brownish in color.

And when the stool becomes liquid, there is a panic, what to do?

First you need to find out why loose stools appeared, and only then sound the alarm, if necessary.

Loose stools or diarrhea

Loose stools are a normal condition of the body, which is accompanied by the excretion of a large amount of liquid feces due to the physiological needs of the body. A person should have a chair every day or twice a day, but not more often. Normally, the stool is firm, but sometimes it is slightly liquid, but not watery. If a person has a chair more than 3-4 times a day, then here we can already talk about diarrhea or diarrhea.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between these two concepts, but it is possible. To do this, it is necessary to take into account such criteria as:

• stool frequency;
• consistency;
• color and smell;
• side symptoms (twisting the stomach, flatulence, pain during bowel movements, weakness, nausea);
• the presence of inclusions in the stool (pus, blood, undigested food residues).

Depending on what indicators are missing or not up to standard, it can be argued that this is loose stools, but not diarrhea, or vice versa.

And in order to distinguish loose stools from diarrhea, you can use the table below.

If in all respects it is clear that this is loose stool, then the adult has no reason to worry. But if diarrhea is diagnosed, then it is better to seek the advice of a doctor in order to avoid the undesirable consequences of this phenomenon. He will tell you what to do in this case and how to treat diarrhea.

What causes loose stools?

The reasons for the appearance of daily loose stools can be completely different. Namely:

Diarrhea differs from loose stools in that there is a lot of watery discharge, going to the toilet more than five times a day, the stomach constantly hurts and weakness is felt, symptoms of intoxication are noted, namely:

• nausea;
• vomit;
• pallor of the skin;
• dark urine;
• temperature rise;
• feces are mixed with mucus, pus, or even blood.

Diarrhea is already a sign of a serious illness, or a pathological condition of the digestive tract. Diarrhea can be caused by:

1. Infectious diseases such as cholera, salmonellosis, shigellosis, typhoid fever. Each of these diseases will differ in the nature of the feces, its consistency, color, smell, there may be tenesmus, characteristic symptoms of the disease.
2. Viral hepatitis.
3. Gastrointestinal bleeding. Extremely dangerous for the body and are marked by characteristic diarrhea.
4. Operations on the digestive organs: pancreas, stomach, intestines, liver.
5. Crohn's disease.
6. Diverticulosis.
7. Nonspecific ulcerative colitis.
8. Bowel cancer.

If the cause of frequent loose stools is one of these diseases, then you should immediately consult a doctor to stop the disease at an early stage.

One of the main causes of constipation and diarrhea is use of various drugs. To improve bowel function after taking the drugs, you need every day drink a simple remedy ...

Child chair

Young mothers always panic when they see something in their baby that they are not used to noticing in themselves. And very in vain.

Children's chair has different characteristics than an adult. The baby can empty up to 15 times per knock after each meal, and this is normal.

Frequent loose stools in infants are due to the immaturity of the food system. When the baby begins to eat, like adults, then his stool will look like their stool. It is important to say that the consistency and color of feces in babies is unstable. It can be yellow, light yellow, with white patches, but absolutely odorless. And even more so, normally it should not be offensive. If, with frequent bowel movements, the baby remains cheerful and continues to eat well and gain weight, then there is no reason for concern. It's just loose stools, not diarrhea.

Diagnostics

If your stool becomes plentiful, there are various kinds of impurities and the general condition of the body leaves much to be desired, then this is a reason to see a doctor.

The specialist will prescribe you tests and examinations that will determine the cause of this phenomenon. A coprogram, an analysis for an eggworm, ultrasound of the abdominal organs, colonoscopy, endoscopy will allow you to find out what could be causing liquid feces.

Further treatment will be aimed not only at eliminating the symptoms, but also at eliminating the cause of such a failure.

Treatment

Having identified the disease that provoked the appearance of liquid or semi-liquid feces, the doctor will prescribe medication with antibiotics, antihelminthic drugs, enzymes, hormones, or whatever the circumstances require. But the most important thing and the first thing the doctor will prescribe is a diet. Diet for loose stools, as well as diarrhea should be as follows:

In addition to diet, it is important to lead an active lifestyle and stick to a daily routine. If you follow all the recommendations of the doctor, then loose stools will soon acquire a normal consistency and will no longer bother you.

Video: How to stop diarrhea?

If for a long time defecation in an adult occurs more than twice a day and at the same time the feces have a liquid consistency, this may indicate an ongoing inflammatory process in the body.

Most likely, this may be due to a disease in the gastrointestinal tract. Every person has experienced discomfort during diarrhea.

Causes of loose stools

The appearance of loose stools may indicate the presence of a viral or bacterial infection in the body. But sometimes this symptom can be a sign of other diseases.

The reasons for the appearance of loose stools must be determined. Self-treatment of prolonged diarrhea can lead to a weakening of the body and violations of its ability to work.

With improper treatment or its absence, loose stools can acquire a chronic type of disease. Treating the disease will be more difficult.

Patients have high fever with diarrhea. This symptom is characteristic of many varieties of diarrhea. The very first is a disorder associated with viruses and bacteria.

It is known that when microorganisms enter the body and collide with human immune cells, the production of antibodies begins. This process is constantly accompanied by high temperature.

In the absence of temperature in the body of an adult, this symptom may indicate an immunodeficiency state.

Why nausea and vomiting with diarrhea

Bouts of nausea with loose stools are quite common. This is due to a violation of the promotion of fecal and food mass, because of this, they are thrown in the opposite direction.

When intoxication occurs, then the absorption of harmful products into the bloodstream occurs. Thus, the intake of toxins passes through all organs. The brain reacts to this process always with a vomiting reaction.

Causes of abdominal pain with diarrhea?

Pain during an attack of diarrhea is a characteristic phenomenon. Most often it manifests itself in food and microbial poisoning. As a result, with pain, motility in the intestines always increases.

Pain sensations are paroxysmal in nature, they can intensify and subside until complete cessation. With a painful attack, a signal is given to defecate, after which diarrhea occurs.

The appearance of loose stools in an adult for a long time can be due to many reasons.

In order to stop the disease, it is necessary to determine what are its causes, why this symptom appeared. Only then will it be possible to stop the influence of the factors causing diarrhea.

Why there is an unpleasant belching with diarrhea

An unpleasant odor when belching is the primary symptom of diarrhea. It usually precedes the appearance of loose stools.

Its manifestation as the fact that enzymatic deficiency occurs in the pancreas, biliary system and stomach.

When food enters the body, it is not digested and the process of its decay begins. Thus, there is the formation of gases with an unpleasant odor, which comes out of the stomach with the help of belching.

Undigested food, moving into the intestines, provokes irritation and the appearance of a weak stool. A rotten smell on the background of diarrhea is the second sign of digestive disorders.

This indicates the disease and its further development. Don't waste your time, seek the advice of a specialist.

Symptomatic manifestations of disorders in the gastrointestinal tract

The appearance of diarrhea is associated with a symptomatic manifestation of a violation in the gastrointestinal tract. With loose stools, a person has a stomach ache, vomiting, nausea, and high fever.

During the day, the patient may have a bowel movement more than three times. The chair is plentiful, with frequent desires, general weakness is observed. If no action is taken, dehydration may occur.

In this situation, an urgent consultation with a doctor is necessary, do not waste time, call an ambulance, after examination by a specialist, treatment will be prescribed. He will tell you what to do in this situation.

Human feces are almost seventy-five percent ordinary water, everything else is a mass consisting of fiber enzymes, mucous compounds, some microorganisms, particles of intestinal epithelial cells, partially or completely digested food.

Diarrhea can be caused by an allergic reaction to a certain food. It can also be a reaction after taking the drug.

Loose stools appear if there is damage to the mucosa in the large intestine.

Or pathogenic bacteria have gathered in it. If the patient ate poor-quality food. Or it was not suitable for his body, due to the complex process of digestion in the gastrointestinal tract.

Also, if a person has undergone a stressful situation or he suffers from a mental illness, then a stool disorder may appear after this.

The main reasons for the appearance of loose stools:

• oncological formations;
• diseases associated with ulcerative colitis;
• diseases associated with pancreatic disease;
• disorders in the processes associated with the absorption of fluid;
• allergies to certain foods;
• intolerance to fermented milk products;
• loose stools caused by infection, bacteria, fungus, worms;
• with hemorrhoids;
• diarrhea after drug treatment;
• diarrhea after a stressful situation;
• lack of enzymes;

The appearance of loose stools in irritable bowel syndrome comes from excessive activity of the nervous system in an adult associated with a mental disorder.

If a person is in a stressful situation for a long time, then there may be disturbances in the work of the intestines associated with its motility.

In this regard, a sharp pain appears in the abdomen, flatulence and uncontrollable urge to empty. Loose stools (mushy type) after the completion of the defecation process temporarily stops.

Usually, activated charcoal is taken to get rid of loose stools. Activated charcoal has the property of removing fluid, adsorbing toxins and other harmful substances formed in the body after diarrhea.

Since watery stools already remove fluid from the body, dehydration can occur, activated charcoal can complicate the situation. Treatment may be lengthy.

With diarrhea after poisoning, it is imperative to rinse the stomach. To do this, boil water and add ordinary potassium permanganate to it.

The prepared solution should be light pink in color, you need to drink about 3 liters of water.

With celiac disease, it is necessary to exclude all foods containing gluten and follow a diet. A long process of therapy is also observed.

This disease needs to be treated for many years. Preparations with enzymes are connected, as well as medicines for dysbacteriosis and to strengthen the body.

If diarrhea was caused after taking antibiotics, treatment with the probiotic preparation "Linex" should be carried out.

To relieve pain, "No-shpa", "Papaverine" are used (all actions must be coordinated with the attending physician). "Regidron" helps to restore the water-salt balance in the body after diarrhea.

When treating diarrhea, you do not need to waste time on self-treatment, you should immediately seek the advice of a specialist to determine the cause of the onset of the disease. Otherwise, the treatment may be long.

Useful video

With diarrhea, or diarrhea, faced by everyone, even a healthy person. There are a huge number of reasons for its appearance, starting with foods that are incompatible with each other and ending with very serious infections.

In this article, we will not consider severe infections accompanied by excruciating diarrhea, such as cholera and others. This is a separate issue.

Watery diarrhea

Watery diarrhea occurs when the small intestine is involved in the pathological process. This may be a situation where food poisoning has occurred or in case of acute intestinal infections.

Sometimes the number of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines can be quite small. It is not the bacteria themselves that are dangerous, but the products of their vital activity, the toxins that they secrete.

In the cold season, watery stools are sometimes due to a number of viruses that are active in winter. These are the so-called rotavirus infections, which are very easy to catch.

Why is water diarrhea dangerous?

Diarrhea can be conditionally divided into watery stools without pathological impurities, such as blood, and blood-streaked diarrhea. If blood appears in the discharge from the intestine, this is a signal to seek medical help, because. the causes of such a symptom can be very serious: intestinal bleeding, hemorrhoidal bleeding, or a serious bacterial infection. All these conditions can threaten the life of the patient. But this also needs to be discussed separately.

So, if there is water diarrhea in an adult, treatment should be immediate. It should be noted that with watery stools there is a large loss of water, and if this process is also accompanied by vomiting, then we can talk about dehydration, and it can come very quickly if emergency measures are not taken.

The human body normally contains about 85-90% water. More precisely, the brain, muscles and heart contain approximately 76% fluid, blood - 84%, and only the human skeleton consists of 15-20% water. From this you can understand how important water is for a person. Each cell of our body consists of water, and with a lack of fluid, all systems and organs will suffer. In addition, with diarrhea, along with water, a huge amount of minerals are released, which are so necessary for the body.

For a small child, the loss of 10% of body weight with watery diarrhea is fatal. If a child weighs 5 kg, then the loss of 500 ml of fluid for him will be fatal. For adults, losing 10% of their body weight in a short time is more problematic, because. their weight is much greater, so they have time to make a decision. Dehydration (dehydration) is most dangerous for children and the elderly. Diarrhea in an adult - what to do? Of course, treat.

Diarrhea is not a diagnosis, but a symptom. To select the correct treatment tactics, it is necessary to establish the true cause of loose stools. Even if loose stools in an adult happen 2-3 times a day, which does not pose a threat to his life, anyway, over time (if it lasts for several days), the body will be severely depleted, and the water-salt balance will be disturbed. Recovery will take much more time than the illness lasted. If diarrhea is watery in an adult, treatment is necessary, especially if an elderly person suffers from this symptom.

Causes of diarrhea

Diarrhea is a kind of protective reaction to the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms, viruses and bacteria. Thus, the body itself is protected from the harmful effects of pathogenic microflora and conducts its detoxification. But if this condition does not go away within a few hours, help is needed. Especially if there is a temperature and in this case it is necessary. Hyperthermia (fever) may indicate a general intoxication of the body. Such a state requires an appropriate attitude. You can't let everything go by itself. Some people think that diarrhea is not really a disease. Diarrhea should still be treated if it lasts more than one day. So you can save the body from serious consequences.

If the patient complains of diarrhea, abdominal pain, treatment is also necessary. Pain is a serious symptom that may indicate a serious illness, such as pancreatitis, hepatitis, gallstones, or appendicitis. If there is pain during diarrhea, then you need to see a doctor. In some of these situations, surgical assistance is needed.

There are other causes of diarrhea:

• dyspeptic - this is the most common cause of diarrhea, it may occur due to insufficient secretion of the stomach, improper functioning of the glands and, as a result, improper digestion of the food consumed;
• infectious - can be caused by dysentery bacillus, various intestinal viruses, amoebas and food toxins;
• alimentary is an allergic reaction to food;
• toxic - poisoning with poisons and toxic substances, such as arsenic or mercury;
• medication - caused by side effects of medications, for example, some antibiotics in the intestine kill not only the pathogenic flora, but also the beneficial one, thereby causing diarrhea;
• neurogenic - can be caused by strong feelings or fear, such diarrhea is also called "bear disease".

Patients tolerate diarrhea in different ways, it depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. So, for example, loose stools in some people 2-3 times a day cause weakness and poor health, while in others, diarrhea 5-6 times a day does not cause negative consequences.

If diarrhea lasts for a short time, it usually does not cause negative consequences and passes without much harm to health. If diarrhea continues for a long time and is accompanied by bloating, rumbling, false urge to defecate (tenesmus), nausea, vomiting, heartburn and causes severe weakness (exhaustion), then this condition requires emergency medical care. It is not uncommon for patients with these symptoms to be hospitalized.

With any nature of diarrhea, it is necessary to consume a sufficient amount of fluid. Compliance with the drinking regimen can protect against negative consequences and support the patient's body in good shape.

It is better to drink mineral water without gas content in it, it will help maintain the water-salt balance. If there is prolonged water diarrhea in an adult, treatment is necessary. If home treatment does not help, and diarrhea does not go away within a few days, this is a serious reason to seek help from a medical institution. If severe diarrhea develops, the doctor will determine the causes and treatment.

Diet for diarrhea

Sparing, regardless of the reasons that caused it, is necessary. Until the condition improves and the symptoms of intoxication disappear, you need to follow a diet.

The following products are allowed:

• porridge on the water;
• jelly;
• lean boiled or steamed meat;
• steam cutlets;
• boiled or steamed fish.

Prohibited Products:

• fatty foods;
• fried foods;
• sweets;
• spicy dishes;
• pickled foods;
• any canned food;
• carbonated drinks;
• coffee;
• too strong tea;
• any alcohol.

After the disappearance of diarrhea and the improvement of the diet, you need to adhere to a few more days, at least for a week. By gradually adding other previously prohibited foods to the diet, the weakened body is prepared for the usual diet. You can't go back to your normal diet right away. A sharp return to the menu of the wrong dish can upset the balance that is fragile and unstable after illness.

Diarrhea: causes and treatment

The treatment for diarrhea depends on the underlying cause. What drugs are most effective for diarrhea? We will talk about this in this section.

First of all, any diarrhea should not be treated with antibiotics. This is done only in severe cases, for example, if the cause that caused the pathological process really poses a serious danger. This applies to diseases such as salmonellosis or cholera. In this case, the patient must be hospitalized, and he will undergo further treatment under the strict supervision of doctors. If there is water diarrhea in an adult, treatment should be aimed at preventing dehydration and restoring the water-salt balance. For these purposes, solutions such as Regidron or Oralit are suitable, you can also drink mineral water without gas.

Solutions are taken after each stool for half a cup. In addition, you should drink at least 4 glasses of one of these drugs within 12 hours.

Medicines for diarrhea

Medicines for diarrhea are not a panacea at all. In the treatment of diarrhea, a number of measures should be taken into account. The most important of which, as already mentioned, is the fight against. Consider the drugs for diarrhea in adults, which are used most often.

All of them are divided into several pharmacological groups:

• sulfanilamide preparations ("Ftalazol");
• antibiotics (tablets "Levomycetin", "Tetracycline");
• nitrofurans (drug "Furazolidone");
• antimicrobials ("Enterofuril", "Sulgin");
• antifungal (Intetrix) - used for;
• enterosorbents (activated carbon);
• antiviral drugs.

Consider the most famous in adults. In which case is it advisable to take this or that drug?

activated charcoal for diarrhea

What to give from diarrhea to an adult? Enterosorbents are a group of drugs that have an adsorbing and enveloping effect. Treatment should begin with activated charcoal. Sometimes this is enough. These tablets for diarrhea in adults (and children) are not absorbed in the intestines.

Activated charcoal is taken at the rate of one tablet per 10 kg of the patient's weight. So, if the patient weighs 60 kg, then, accordingly, he should take 6 tablets and drink plenty of water.

Activated charcoal absorbs all harmful toxins, bacteria and viruses, and also binds water and covers the intestinal wall with a protective layer. After that, it is excreted naturally. It should be noted that after taking the tablets of this drug, the stool will be black. This is not something to be afraid of. If diarrhea occurred due to poor-quality products, then activated charcoal in most cases is sufficient for treatment.

The drug "Ftalazol" from diarrhea

This group is most appropriate to take with infectious types of diarrhea (dysentery, enterocolitis and colitis of an infectious nature). Taking the drug "Ftalazol" with allergic types of diarrhea and ordinary indigestion will be ineffective. Its effect is noticeable only on day 2-3, when the growth of pathogenic microflora under the action of the drug will be stopped.

Means "Imodium" for diarrhea

The drug "Imodium" (its other name is "Suprelol", "Lopedium" and "Loperamide") begins its action within the first 40-60 minutes. This drug is effective in diarrhea caused by poor-quality products, as well as irritable bowel syndrome and in the initial stages of infectious diarrhea. It helps a lot with frequent urge to vomit. This drug is convenient to take with you on the road. Diarrhea is a common travel companion.

Treatment with Loperamide and Simethicone

This is a new generation drug, it is a combined remedy for diarrhea "Imodium plus" and includes the so-called defoamer - simethicone. This substance eliminates bloating and adsorbs unnecessary intestinal gases. Thanks to him, spastic pains and a feeling of fullness of the intestine disappear. These are chewable tablets for diarrhea in adults. It is not recommended to give them to children under the age of 12.

natural remedies for diarrhea

This includes drugs such as "Smekta" and "Kaopectat". These drugs are used for those caused by rotavirus infections. It should be noted that the drug "Kaopektat" is contraindicated in childhood.

These drugs belong to the group of enterosorbents, they gradually reduce the frequency of going to the toilet, and also relieve bloating and rumbling in the abdomen.

Tablets "Lineks" from diarrhea

This remedy contains beneficial microflora and has a positive effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract. It includes 3 types of positive microflora:

• lactobacilli - positively affect the functioning of the small intestine;
• enterococci - have a similar effect and help the small intestine to function properly;
• bifidobacteria - actively work in the large intestine.

Folk remedies for diarrhea

Traditional medicine knows many ways to treat such an ailment as diarrhea. Folk remedies for treating diarrhea have been tested for centuries.

1. A decoction of pomegranate peels is considered an effective remedy for intestinal disorders. To prepare the medicine, you need to take a well-washed peel of one fruit and pour a glass of cold water. Boil on low heat for 10 minutes, cool and strain. Take this remedy every two hours for 2 tbsp. spoons.
2. Alternative treatment of diarrhea involves the use of rice water. Taking this remedy every 20-30 minutes for 3-4 hours will relieve bloating and stop diarrhea.
3. Wormwood will help to cope with diarrhea. But with this tool you need to be careful: do not exceed the dosage and do not use for too long. To prepare the medicine, 1 teaspoon of dry grass should be poured with one glass of boiling water and insisted for half an hour. Take the medicine 30 minutes before meals, 1 tbsp. spoon.
4. A very strong folk remedy for diarrhea using an alcohol infusion of walnut partitions has long been known. It must be taken without exceeding the permissible dose (5-6 drops each), otherwise it may provoke a backlash - constipation. As soon as the number of trips to the toilet decreases, you need to reduce the dosage to 2-3 drops. It is clear that only adults can use alcohol tinctures inside for treatment. To prepare the drug, take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ground walnut partitions and pour one glass of vodka. Insist in the dark for 5-7 days. This remedy is prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator. It is recommended to always have this medicine on hand for those who are prone to frequent bowel disorders.

Conclusion

With such an ailment as diarrhea, folk remedies can be very effective. Whatever the nature of the origin of diarrhea, this fact must be taken seriously. If you can’t cope with the intestinal disorder on your own, and besides, pain or fever joins, in this case you need to seek medical help. This is especially true for elderly citizens, because. they become dehydrated much earlier than young people in their prime.