Diarrhea in adults: causes and treatment tablets. Diarrhea or diarrhea - what it is, prevention, causes. Conditions requiring urgent medical attention

Almost every person has encountered such a problem as diarrhea. But what to do if diarrhea does not go away for a week in an adult?

Description of the disease

Diarrhea is a condition in which a person passes loose stool several times a day. This condition has 2 forms:

  • spicy. Diarrhea may not stop for up to two weeks;
  • chronic. Diarrhea may last more than two weeks.

Diarrhea does not count separate disease. It is rather a symptom that indicates any disruption in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. intestinal tract. Diarrhea can be caused by for various reasons. It manifests itself in adults and children. The condition is unpleasant and brings a lot of discomfort if it occurs in adults. But, if it is observed in a child, parents are overwhelmed with anxiety and not in vain.

You can ignore the malaise, which lasts 1–2 days, but if the diarrhea cannot stop on the 6th day, you need to contact a specialist. If you do not seek help in a timely manner, various complications may arise. It is very important to know the reasons for prolonged diarrhea and how to get rid of diarrhea.

If, in the presence of diarrhea, an adult does not have stomach pain, then the body independently cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of toxins, mucus, and rotting products that accumulate after stagnation inside the tract. This functional disorder may go away on the second day after following the diet. If diarrhea persists for 4 days or more, contact a specialist.

Why does diarrhea occur?

Diarrhea that lasts 1 to 2 days and does not cause pain can be caused by:

  • food poisoning;
  • alcohol poisoning.

Loose stools for 1, 2, 3 days can be observed during pregnancy and menstruation. The body is cleansed, then the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is improved.

The cause of diarrhea may be:

  • neurosis;
  • food poisoning;
  • intolerance certain products nutrition;
  • acclimatization of the body;
  • long-term use of medications that provoke diarrhea (anticoagulants, laxatives, synthetic sweeteners, antiarrhythmic drugs).

Diarrhea that occurs for one of these reasons goes away very quickly, literally in 3 to 4 days. If diarrhea is caused by one of these factors, it will not be difficult for you to figure it out. If stool disorder does not go away after 3-4 days, seek help from a specialist.

Weekly diarrhea may indicate one of the following diseases:

  • intestinal infection (rotavirus, influenza, cholera);
  • dysentery;
  • intestinal tuberculosis;
  • salmonellosis;
  • exacerbation of existing chronic illness(dysbacteriosis, colitis);
  • enzyme deficiency.

Features of diarrhea provoked by various factors

During diarrhea, the following processes occur in the body:

  • increased secretion of salts and water into the intestinal cavity;
  • disruptions in the process of absorption of food (digested) from the intestinal cavity;
  • accelerated intestinal motility;
  • disruption of food digestion.

OKI. Diarrhea caused by acute intestinal infections occurs due to the influence of various microorganisms on the gastrointestinal tract. Microbes produce toxins that paralyze the intestines. Usually, with ACI, diarrhea has an acute form, sometimes it develops into a chronic form (with dysentery).

Dysbacteriosis. He is characterized by a violation normal microflora intestines (there is an increase in bacteria that are not characteristic of the intestinal microflora, a decrease in the number of “useful” microbes. Diarrhea is characterized chronic course. Diarrhea may last three days or more.

Chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Diarrhea can last all day various diseases gastrointestinal tract:

  • chronic enteritis;
  • Crohn's disease;
  • chronic colitis;
  • ulcerative colitis.

The danger of prolonged diarrhea in a child

If diarrhea is not in an adult, but in a child, you need to be careful. If the diarrhea is severe and lasts 2, 3, 4 days, signs of dehydration may appear. This condition is dangerous due to the occurrence of dysfunction of all internal organs. When does diarrhea occur? long time The child needs to be closely monitored for his condition, any changes, deviations from the norm. It is imperative to call a doctor if diarrhea does not stop for several days or abdominal pain appears.

If diarrhea does not go away for a week, dehydration occurs, which is not safe, especially for a child’s body. The child may lose about 3% of his weight. To determine the moisture balance, you should monitor the frequency and number of urinations. Alarming symptoms are:

  • darkening of urine;
  • concentrated urine;
  • long breaks between urination (more than 8 hours).

In this case, the patient experiences:

  • nervousness;
  • dry mouth;
  • dizziness;
  • depression;
  • disorientation.

If diarrhea does not stop for a week, it can cause coma, fatal outcome without timely treatment. You should not delay going to a specialist if your child has watery diarrhea, the secreted liquid has a greenish color.

First aid for diarrhea

If you have prolonged diarrhea, you need to visit a specialist to determine the cause of its occurrence and select the appropriate treatment. The duration of diarrhea should be the impetus for making a decision on diagnosis and treatment. You don't have to endure diarrhea every day. You can try to eliminate this unpleasant symptom yourself, for this you need:

  1. Take a sorbent drug (“Smecta”, “Activated carbon”, “Filtrum-Sti”).
  2. Drink more water (boiled), weak weak tea. This will help avoid dehydration.
  3. To restore stock of lost nutrients, minerals, vitamins are recommended to drink herbal teas. If you have a fever, it is useful to drink tea with currants and linden.
  4. Cleansing enema (can be given once). Through a cleansing enema, we remove bacteria from the intestines. This procedure also helps lower the temperature due to the absorption of water into the intestinal walls.

The need for a diet for diarrhea

Diet for diarrhea is also important. Past diarrhea can return after the substances that caused it (poor food, medications, bacteria) enter the body. After undergoing the treatment recommended by a specialist, you need to be more attentive to your body. To restore normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, a diet is necessary. Experts recommend that adult patients and children follow it.

The diet is based on drinking large amounts of liquid. After diarrhea, the patient must follow basic nutritional rules:

  1. Consume liquid foods (light pureed purees, low-fat soups, broths).
  2. Cereal porridges should be prepared as mucous, semi-mucous. It is forbidden to consume large grains so as not to injure the intestinal walls.
  3. You should eat foods containing a lot of fiber (dried fruits, bananas, apples).
  4. You need to eat white, bran bread.
  5. You can eat lean meat and fish.

The following should be excluded from your usual products:

  • vegetables, fruits (fresh);
  • canned food, smoked meats;
  • dried products;
  • tea (green), coffee;
  • seasonings;
  • salt, sugar in large quantities;
  • dairy products;
  • soda;
  • fatty food.

Drug treatment for diarrhea

If diarrhea does not go away on the third or fourth day, contact a specialist to find out the cause. After making a diagnosis and clarifying the cause that triggered the onset of diarrhea, the doctor will prescribe appropriate treatment. Usually it consists of taking the following drugs:

  1. Sorbents (“Smecta”, “Activated carbon”).
  2. Antidiarrheal drugs (Imodium, Loperamide).
  3. Drugs aimed at restoring ionic balance (Regidron). They are needed after dehydration of the body.
  4. Pro/prebiotics (“Linex”, “Bifiform”). They are needed to restore the microflora inside the intestines.

If you have diarrhea infectious nature development, the specialist prescribes:

  1. Intestinal antiseptics (“Sulgin”, “Fthalazol”, “Furazolidone”).
  2. Antibiotics (macrolides, tetracyclines, amoxicillins).

You should not use these medications for self-medication for diarrhea. Each of the drugs should be selected taking into account such features as: the condition of the patient, the cause of diarrhea. Medicines are prescribed in a course that should be completed to the end, and not stopped after disappearance unpleasant symptom(diarrhea). Also, don't forget about your diet. It is an important aspect in the treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

In most cases, diarrhea in an adult occurs in acute form. However, in some patients, diarrhea does not stop within 3 weeks. Gradually it turns into chronic stage. Treating diarrhea at home can be just as effective as treating diarrhea in a hospital, but be sure to inform your doctor.

Types of diarrhea

Depending on the mechanism of occurrence, there are several types of diarrhea:

  1. With secretory diarrhea, sodium and chlorine ions accumulate in the intestines. A person suffers from copious, loose stools. As a result of frequent trips to the toilet, the patient loses a lot of water and electrolytes. The cause of secretory diarrhea is infection with salmonellosis, E. coli or cholera, that is, acute intestinal infections.
  2. Osmotic diarrhea is in many ways similar to the secretory form. It occurs due to falling into digestive system rotavirus infection.
  3. Inflammation of the colon leads to invasive diarrhea. Symptoms of the disease appear in dysentery or amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery). At the same time, the reabsorption of fluid in the intestine worsens.
  4. When mucus, pus and blood enter the intestines, they cause stool liquefaction. This is how the exudative form of diarrhea develops. Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive organs - characteristic feature Crohn's disease, colitis and intestinal tuberculosis.

Causes of diarrhea

The main causes of diarrhea in adults include:

  1. Eating expired or low-quality foods.
  2. Diarrhea can be the result of an allergy to certain substances that are present in a person’s diet.
  3. People who constantly overeat suffer from indigestion. The body produces too few enzymes necessary to digest such large quantity food.
  4. Diarrhea can be caused by taking medications.
  5. People suffer from diarrhea when they change their place of residence, since their body is not yet accustomed to local water and food.
  6. With the help of diarrhea, the body tries to cope with mercury or lead poisoning.

When can diarrhea be treated at home?

You can get rid of indigestion at home, provided that the patient’s condition does not cause fear for his life.

The following situations cannot be avoided without the intervention of doctors:

  • the patient suffers from high fever that lasts for a long time;
  • traces of blood were detected in the patient’s stool;
  • the person feels dizzy and faints;
  • attacks of vomiting and diarrhea continue for more than a day.

  1. Digestive upsets such as diarrhea can lead to dehydration. To normalize the water-salt balance, you must take Citroglucosan or.
  2. To help the body remove toxins, it is necessary to take sorbents (, Polypefan). Be sure to observe the intervals between drug doses. They are best used on an empty stomach. Sorbents eliminate the manifestations of flatulence, as they adsorb gases formed in the intestines.
  3. You can cope with inflammatory processes in chronic diarrhea with the help of sulfasalazine and prednisolone. Attention! You cannot take these medications on your own, without consulting a doctor.
  4. If diarrhea is caused by a lack of enzymes, then experts prescribe or. You need to monitor the amount of food you eat at a time. Frequent, fractional meals in small portions are indicated. This will help eliminate the cause of indigestion.
  5. Infectious forms of the disease are treated with antibiotics.
  6. Treating diarrhea at home is impossible without eliminating the symptoms of dysbiosis. To normalize the microflora, doctors prescribe it to patients. These are products designed to restore normal intestinal microflora (Acilact, Bifidumbacterin).
  7. Sometimes indigestion occurs during antibiotic treatment. In this case, replacement with safer drugs is necessary.
  8. To reduce motility or Laremid. The drugs should not be used in the treatment of infectious disorders and poisoning.

How to cure diarrhea with herbs

Treatment of diarrhea using tinctures from medicinal herbs– one of the safest ways to eliminate digestive disorders:

  1. Place half a glass of washed bird cherry leaves in a saucepan and add 500 ml of water. The broth must be boiled for 30 minutes. After this, the infusion should simmer under the lid for an hour. The finished decoction should be taken 1 tbsp. spoon before each meal.
  2. Brew a few branches of chicory with a glass of boiling water and leave for 15 minutes. A warm decoction is needed after every meal. The herb has helped many people suffering from loose stools.
  3. Add st. a spoonful of dry galangal in a liter of boiling water. The decoction will be ready within 5 minutes. You need to drink 100 ml 3 times a day.
  4. Mix together raspberry and viburnum leaves in equal proportions. Pour 1 tbsp. spoon of the mixture with 2 cups of boiling water. The decoction can be drunk instead of black tea 4 times a day.

What berries and fruits help with diarrhea?

Folk remedies based on berries and fruits are in no way inferior to herbal infusions:

  1. To prepare dried blueberry jelly, you need to prepare 1 teaspoon of berries. Pour 300 ml of water over the blueberries and add a little sugar and starch to the mixture. Kissel needs to be cooked for 15 minutes. It needs to be refrigerated before use. Kissel envelops the intestinal walls, relieving their irritation. Gradually the diarrhea should stop.
  2. must be dried first. You can use a coffee grinder to grind them. Pour a glass of boiling water over a teaspoon of pomegranate powder and simmer the mixture in a water bath for 40 minutes. The decoction should be taken 1 tbsp. spoon 4 times a day.
  3. Finely chop the pear and fill it with 400 ml of water. Add 1 tbsp to the mixture. spoon of oatmeal. The solution must be boiled for 5 minutes. After this, the broth should be infused under the lid for 60 minutes. The infusion should be drunk 100 ml 2 times a day.

Therapeutic diet

Diet can help you cope mild symptoms forms of diarrhea.

The main principle of treatment is to drink as much fluid as possible.

Mineral water without gas helps restore the water-salt balance.

If you have chronic diarrhea, you need to reconsider your diet. Doctors advise steaming or boiling dishes. The serving size should not overload the digestive system. If you want to get rid of the symptoms of diarrhea, you will have to give up fried and smoked foods.

Before purchasing products, check their expiration dates. After all, the main reason chronic diarrhea- unhealthy diet.

You can include the following products in your daily diet:

  • stale bread;
  • skim cheese;
  • crackers;
  • meat or vegetable broth;
  • jelly made from natural products(do not buy ready-made semi-finished products, as they contain many different additives);
  • weak tea.
  • It is better to replace coffee with a chicory drink.

Foods not to eat if you have diarrhea

If you do not want to provoke bouts of diarrhea, avoid several foods:

  1. Fried meat and fish have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive system.
  2. Whole milk stimulates intestinal motility.
  3. For the same reason, completely eliminate radishes, radishes, cabbage, beets and cucumbers from your diet.
  4. Treatment for diarrhea may be delayed if you eat confectionery and baked goods.
  5. If you have diarrhea, you need to drink plenty of fluids. However, this does not apply to soda, which even healthy people find difficult to tolerate.

Prevention of diarrhea

To avoid diarrhea, you must adhere to the following rules.

Vomiting and diarrhea in an adult is a rather unpleasant condition that may indicate various diseases.

This condition not only worsens the quality of life, it can cause pain, weakness in the body and muscles, and sometimes even threatens death.

As a rule, diarrhea with vomiting indicates intoxication of the body, and can be added to by an increase in temperature.

Causes

If diarrhea with vomiting suddenly appears in adults, then this is a sign that the body begins to defend itself and tries to get rid of pathogenic bacteria and toxins that enter the body.

In some cases, symptoms of the condition may indicate causes that are caused by serious illnesses, as well as changes in the mucous membrane and walls of the intestines or stomach.

There are reasons that most often appear in an adult:

  1. Common food poisoning resulting from eating spoiled food.
  2. Abuse of products, resulting in overeating. Diarrhea may occur after heavy consumption of fatty foods. In this case, the body does not have enough enzymes to process food.
  3. Bactericidal infection. This reason may include salmonellosis, dysentery or cholera.
  4. Viral infection, which includes rotavirus, as well as hepatitis.
  5. Gastrointestinal diseases, for example, gastritis, ulcers.
  6. Inflammatory processes that occur in the pancreas in adults.
  7. Vomiting and diarrhea can be diagnosed with cholecystitis, enterocolitis.
  8. Adults who work in factories and other places where chemicals are used may be exposed to poisons or toxins, resulting in vomiting and loose stools.

It is worth noting that vomiting and diarrhea are not the only symptoms; in some cases, nausea and fever appear.

If there is nausea, but no temperature is observed, then the reasons may be banal overeating or poisoning in mild form. This condition can go away on its own and doctor’s treatment in this case is not required.

With diarrhea, prolonged vomiting, and without fever, the cause may be irritable bowel syndrome, which appears due to frequent stress, anxiety and worry.

Treatment of this condition is carried out with the help of a psychologist, as well as the use of sedatives.

With the addition of temperature, the reasons also change and may indicate serious illnesses, since the adult’s body begins to connect additional means of defense, namely immunity.

The body tries to cope with the disease using all methods, and the person develops a feeling of weakness. This condition may indicate ulcers, pancreatitis or gastritis.

If the temperature reaches 38 degrees or more, then the reasons may include: malignant tumors. If this is the case, then diarrhea and vomiting are accompanied by severe pain.

First aid

When an adult experiences nausea, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, first aid measures will be required.

To do this, you will need to call a doctor so that he can accurately determine the causes of the disorder and prescribe quality treatment. If you can’t call an ambulance, you can provide first aid yourself.

When diarrhea and vomiting are so severe that they cannot be tolerated, then it is imperative to call ambulance In this case, even if the nausea and weakness are very strong, it is prohibited to use medications.

They can not only cause harm, but also will not show the exact picture to the doctor, so he will not be able to properly diagnose.

If the cause is poisoning and there is 100% confidence in this, then you can immediately do a gastric lavage.

At home, it is enough to drink a lot of water or make a light solution of potassium permanganate and take it orally, after which you need to provoke vomiting artificially.

Treatment with medications

Depending on the cause, they may be used for diarrhea and vomiting. different methods treatment.

The basic rules are:

  1. It is prohibited to use medications for diarrhea that can affect intestinal activity, for example, Imodium, Loperamide, without the permission of doctors. This is due to the fact that all symptoms relate to natural factors due to which the body cleanses itself. If you try to stop this cleansing, toxins may begin to enter the bloodstream, which may result in complications.
  2. If weakness, vomiting and diarrhea appear, then sorbents can be used initially. In this case, it is allowed to use the usual Activated carbon or take more strong remedies, for example, “Smecta”, “Enterosgel”, “Sorbex” and others.
  3. If weakness and nausea appear, but it is not possible to use sorbents, it is recommended to do an enema.
  4. If vomiting and diarrhea are severe and continue for a long time, then a loss of nutrients occurs and fluid quickly comes out, and dehydration is possible. To prevent this problem, you need to drink a lot of water, or it is better to treat with a solution called “Regidron”.
  5. Diarrhea and vomiting caused by a lack of enzymes in the body or overeating are eliminated with the help of Mezim and Festal tablets.
  6. Diarrhea and diarrhea due to bacterial infection require treatment with antibiotics as well as antimicrobial agents. In this case self-treatment is strictly prohibited, since in case of mistakes or incorrectly selected medications, dysbacteriosis may occur. For an adult, Nifuroxazide can be used for treatment.
  7. If vomiting occurs frequently, you will need to drink more water in order to reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract. Vomiting can stop in an adult if you take Diazepam or Metoclopramide.

Separate treatment is necessary for an adult who becomes weak and whose temperature increases to 38-39 degrees.

This condition indicates inflammation in the body and it is not always necessary to use medications to bring down the temperature.

It is allowed to bring down the temperature, which becomes closer to 39 degrees, and if the temperature still rises, then you must definitely call an ambulance.

An adult should be placed on a bed and wiped with a damp towel until the doctor arrives, and also given the Regidron solution to drink.

Folk remedies

Diarrhea and vomiting can be treated with other methods using recipes traditional medicine. Some remedies can get rid of many additional symptoms, and also significantly improve your health.

To treat folk remedies, you can use the following methods:

  1. If intestinal spasms and other pain occur, you should prepare a chamomile-based decoction and drink it instead of tea.
  2. With the onset of fever and chills, a person should be treated with linden or cranberry tea. Rosehip decoction helps a lot. Sweating occurs when drinking, which is great for temperature and can reduce fever.
  3. Fennel infusion relieves diarrhea and pain well. It can normalize digestive function. The infusion should be taken 3-4 times a day in small portions.
  4. It is excellent to treat disorders and poor conditions with regular ginger tea. But you don't need to drink it in cups. To treat diarrhea and other symptoms, it is enough to drink 1 tbsp.

After this use, the patient stops vomiting and nausea decreases.

It is possible to treat diarrhea and vomiting using traditional medicine, but it is recommended to use it as additional measures.

Such means can significantly alleviate the patient’s condition without the use of medications, as well as quickly recover from illness.

Nutrition rules

In addition to the use of folk and medications In case of diarrhea and vomiting, it is necessary to use some rules for nutrition and care. To feel relief a person needs:

  1. Change your diet during treatment and use special diets. When you have diarrhea, you need to eat foods that are easily digestible and do not irritate or burden the intestines and stomach. It is recommended to use low-fat kefir, crackers instead of bread, a decoction based on rice, vegetables, as well as light meat broths, which are prepared from low-fat varieties of chicken.
  2. Meals should be frequent and in small portions. It is very important not to overeat in this state.
  3. During treatment, you need to eat more fastening porridges, which are made with water without adding oil or other products. Lean fish and meat are allowed and it is better to steam, oven or boil them.
  4. The drinking regime must be observed. Adults should drink 2-3 liters of water per day.
  5. When there is a fever, you need to wipe the patient’s face and body with a damp towel, and also regularly ventilate the room so that fresh, cool air comes in.
  6. At constant vomiting It is necessary to rinse the mouth. To do this, prepare a decoction or infusion of mint and chamomile.

But only a doctor should determine the cause of the disease. Making a diagnosis on your own can be challenging.

You should definitely consult a doctor if symptoms do not go away within 2-3 days. In some cases, a doctor is needed immediately if there is blood in the stool or vomit.

Useful video

Water diarrhea in an adult is a symptom of intestinal dysfunction caused by a certain disease. Diarrhea left untreated for a long time can lead to serious consequences.

What are the dangers of water diarrhea?

Very loose stools like water in adults are not easy pathological condition, it causes serious disruptions to the functioning of many organs and systems of the body. If diarrhea torments a person for a long time, weakness appears and worsens. general health.


But the most important danger diarrhea poses to the water balance of an adult’s body:

  • The cells of the human body begin lose water, work less actively and age faster. It is difficult for an adult to lose more than 5 liters of fluid with diarrhea; if this happens, the outcome will be fatal.
  • Along with water from the intestines micronutrients and vitamins are washed away, without them, the body quickly weakens and cannot independently resist the disease that caused diarrhea.
  • Loss of fluid due to diarrhea, it leads to the washout of intestinal microflora, which protects the body and fights pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
  • Stool with water helps the intestines to pass food is not digested, and the body does not have time to get energy from it and now quickly weakens.
  • Severe diarrhea with water also affects intestinal muscles. Under pressure, they can tear or stretch; the sphincter of the anus also suffers; due to prolonged diarrhea, it can weaken and then not hold feces at all.

When diarrhea is tormented, you should not endure it; measures must be taken immediately, otherwise the consequences of diarrhea can become fatal for a person.

Watery diarrhea is very dangerous; adults and children should begin treatment immediately when, instead of stool of normal consistency, sudden diarrhea begins.

Don’t forget how dangerous diarrhea is, so that you don’t experience all the “delights” of diarrhea later.

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

Causes of diarrhea


Long-term and short-term diarrhea does not occur just like that; there can be many reasons for the appearance of diarrhea.

It is impossible to decide what to do about diarrhea until it is established why it occurred. The appearance of diarrhea is always caused by either external or internal factors.

Diarrhea can develop for the following reasons:

  1. Entry into the intestines of pathogenic protozoa, microorganisms of an infectious or viral nature (enteroviruses) that release toxins that enter the blood and disrupt the entire functioning of the small and large intestines. If it comes out of the intestines watery liquid, then it’s more likely to be struck small intestine, and if diarrhea is tormented often, but not particularly liquid, then the problem is most likely in the peristalsis of the large intestine.
  2. Improper functioning of the secretory glands - severe upset of the stomach and intestines, caused by excess digestive enzymes, can lead to a change in the consistency of the stool, its smell, and the frequency of trips to the toilet also increases.
  3. Acute diarrhea can be caused by exposure to toxins and poisons, industrial or plant origin into the human body. The frequency of bowel movements usually increases and the stool becomes watery.
  4. Food poisoning or simply changes in diet can lead to short-term diarrhea. The quantity and frequency of loose stools is usually limited and intestinal upset does not linger for a long time, but disappears within a day.
  5. Stool in the form of water, rather than formed masses, may become a symptom of taking medical supplies. Severe diarrhea is usually not observed, but still such a reaction of the body should not be ignored, since diarrhea is a protective reaction to an irritant, and the body itself understands when something does not suit it. But sometimes you can endure mild diarrhea for 5 days - one week, if the benefits of the medicine are greater. If diarrhea continues for more than a week, you may need to change your medication.
  6. Diarrhea in an adult can be caused by dysbiosis - a lack of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. If diarrhea began in the evening, but did not torment you all night, and went away by the morning, then you should not worry, but if loose stools continue all day and continue at night, then treatment should be started.
  7. Diarrhea can occur in adults nervous soil. “Bear disease,” as this condition is called, is more typical for adults, since they have more reasons for worry in life than children.

Each diarrhea requires an identification of the cause.

Without this, doctors cannot treat a person, since in this case they are only treating the symptom, not the disease.

Associated symptoms of diarrhea

Diarrhea is accompanied not only by loose stools. Any disease has several symptoms, which help establish a diagnosis and begin treatment.

Diarrhea is accompanied chronic fatigue.

Diarrhea may be accompanied by:

  • Temperature rise, indicating flow inflammatory process, often infectious or viral. If an adult's temperature remains normal, then less serious causes of diarrhea can be assumed. Without fever, diseases develop with low immune defense and it is important to establish this in time.
  • Nausea often occurs in the fourth to fifth hour after the first loose stool. This indicates that intoxication has begun and is increasing due to loss of fluid.
  • If a person feels nauseous, vomiting may soon appear. If the vomiting is severe, repeated, and even a fountain, then you should immediately seek help.
  • An adult with diarrhea almost always has a stomach ache. Pain can vary in nature and strength. A long painful spasm often indicates increased work of the intestines or the appearance of a neoplasm in the intestinal lumen.

The doctor always takes these signs into account when making a diagnosis.

If you have severe diarrhea, you should not wait for it to appear; it is better to seek help immediately.

Should I see a doctor?


If you have prolonged diarrhea, you should consult a doctor.

Diarrhea is a protective reaction of the body to certain factors of the external and internal environment, as well as an indicator that something is wrong inside. Diarrhea occurs quite often in adults, but is not always a cause for concern.

You should consult a doctor or call an ambulance if:

  • Liquid stool flows the first, second, third day and does not acquire a normal consistency.
  • Abdominal pain and other symptoms are getting worse every hour.
  • Diarrhea is accompanied by pus or blood in the stool.
  • The stomach refuses to accept any food and vomiting occurs immediately after eating.
  • The stool has a terrible smell and is foul - this is a common sign of infectious diarrhea.
  • Dehydration, weakness, pallor and dry skin appear.
  • In the first day after the onset of diarrhea, a person loses more than two liters of fluid and does not replenish them.
  • An adult diarrhea is no longer liquid, but only mucus with impurities, the urge to defecate more than 10 times a day.
  • The patient's temperature has risen above 39 and is not falling.

Prolonged diarrhea is dangerous; the doctor must decide what treatment to prescribe to the patient as early as possible, so do not delay a visit to the hospital.

Diagnostic signs of diarrhea

The course and nature of the disease is determined by the type of stool of an adult.

Depending on its consistency and color, a presumptive diagnosis can be made:

  • Colorless transparent stool is a sign infectious disease, we can assume cholera. Colorless diarrhea can also occur with prolonged loose stools when the body simply has nothing to digest and excrete, and only mucus comes out.
  • Green stool is a symptom of damage to the adult intestines by bacteria or viruses.
  • Black water diarrhea indicates intestinal bleeding The darker the color of the stool, the farther along the intestines from the anus the fissure is located. Action should be taken here immediately.
  • If yellow liquid comes out of the intestines, then this is not the worst thing - peristalsis is simply increased and the matter can be corrected. Yellow-colored feces are often just a temporary glitch, but yellow liquid with prolonged diarrhea is already a pathology.
  • White, watery stools develop due to intestinal tumor damage.

The doctor establishes the diagnosis at the stage of examination and questioning of the patient, but for accurate confirmation it may be necessary to carry out certain instrumental studies or tests. Severe diarrhea are treated without waiting for results, general rules, and only after that specific therapy is introduced.

Principles of treatment of diarrhea

Treatment of diarrhea should be comprehensive, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, only some aspects are selected separately (type of tablets, need for antibiotics or refusal of them, etc.).

Video

The main measures aimed at eliminating constipation:

  1. Maintaining water balance.
  2. Diet food.
  3. Drug treatment of diarrhea.
  4. Ethnoscience.

Maintaining water balance


You should not reduce your fluid intake if you have diarrhea.

With diarrhea, patients often refuse water and food, which is not correct. Eating and drinking is very important to keep your body strong. Even in three days with liquid diarrhea, a person can lose a lot of weight and lose many important microelements. This is precisely why diarrhea is dangerous; people don’t die from dysentery, they die from dehydration.

Helps avoid dehydration mineral water, purchased at a pharmacy or supermarket in a special section. You can buy Regidron and its other analogues. Also saline solution can be prepared at home (for 2 liters of water, 2 g of soda, 15 g of sugar and 5 g of salt). Drinking helps the body function at a sufficient level and maintain internal balance.

The patient should drink minimally per day 2 liters any liquid. If the diarrhea is mild, then adults drink a little less due to their capabilities.

Liquid diarrhea will not stop, or even get worse, but this is only for the benefit of the body. Adults should be given water gradually throughout the day so as not to strain the kidneys.

Diet food


In case of intestinal disorder, expressed by diarrhea, food will help to consolidate the stool. The body must digest something and excrete and obtain energy from food, otherwise an adult will quickly weaken.

Dietary nutrition includes foods that promote fecal consolidation.

These include:

  • Homemade crackers.
  • Not fatty meat, fish, poultry, etc.
  • Rice porridge and rice water.
  • Low-fat fermented milk products.
  • Scrambled eggs.
  • Cereals (barley is not allowed).
  • Strong teas, decoctions and jelly.
  • Potatoes, carrots, eggplants.

All cooked food should not be spicy or peppery; there should be a little salt. The products are not consumed raw - only boiled and parboiled, you can also bake them. At first, it is better to drink tea with crackers, and introduce everything else into the menu gradually.

Prolonged diarrhea will take a long time to recover, since even after the diarrhea stops, the intestines of an adult are very weak and a sudden transition to normal food can provoke a new outbreak of the disease. When the diarrhea has been completely cured, you will have to stay on this diet for at least two more weeks, and better month so as not to expose the body to stress.

New foods are allowed to be introduced in small portions.

Drug treatment for diarrhea


Diarrhea must be treated, not stopped.

The drugs help stop diarrhea temporarily or eliminate its cause, and thereby cure an adult. Selection medicine should be carried out by a doctor according to the diagnosis. Exist different tablets, capsules, injections that can help the patient, they all belong to different groups medications and can be used in combination or separately.

Group of drugsExamplesScope of application
AntibioticsFtalazol, EnterofurilThe presence of pathogenic microflora in the intestines of an adult (viral, bacterial infections)
AdsorbentsActivated carbon, Kaopectate, Smecta,All kinds of diarrhea, but most often food poisoning
Drugs that reduce intestinal motilityLoperamide, Imodium, Simethicone, Loperamide-acriAny type of diarrhea, as initial symptomatic treatment
Agents that restore intestinal microfloraLinex, Bifidumbacterin, Acipol, Probifor, BaktisubtilFor a recovery course after therapy for diarrhea; in the treatment of diarrhea caused by taking antibacterial drugs

Any remedy or medicine must be prescribed by a doctor. If you use antibiotics on your own, and an adult has dysbiosis, the situation will only worsen. Therefore, it is worth taking a responsible approach to the treatment of diarrhea.

ethnoscience

If prolonged diarrhea is not caused by bacterial or viral infection, then in most cases you can get by with traditional medicine. The body of any adult is susceptible to one or another means, and therefore select folk medicine should take into account the human condition.


For severe and mild diarrhea the following will help:

  • Infusion from onion peel– pour a liter of boiling water over the husks and boil for 10 minutes, strain and take throughout the day.
  • Blueberry infusion is also prepared - 4 tablespoons of blueberry leaves per liter of water.
  • Vodka with salt – dilute half a teaspoon of salt per 100 ml of liquid. The mixture should be drunk immediately; you can take the second portion no earlier than 4 hours later.
  • Vodka with pepper and salt is prepared in the same way, plus half a teaspoon of ground red pepper is added.
  • Rice water - drink every three hours for an adult.
  • A decoction of pomegranate peels - the peel of one fruit should be poured cold water(200 ml) and bring to a boil, turn on low heat and keep for another 10 minutes. Every couple of hours, take 2 tablespoons of the decoction.
  • Carrot puree from 4 carrots - boiled in water and taken in small portions (3 tablespoons) 4 times a day.


A whole list of these remedies should not be used together; it can only make things worse for an adult, even though the diarrhea will subside. An adult body weakened by diarrhea may respond inadequately to any treatment, so medications should be selected with great care. Choice folk medicine for diarrhea, it is better to consult with your doctor, since some medications for diarrhea are poorly compatible with each other.

If diarrhea has already tormented an adult, but the person continues to feel quite acceptable, this is not a reason not to see a doctor. Water diarrhea is a symptom of intestinal pathology. The adult body always tries to cope with the problem itself, but in some cases outside help is needed. Otherwise, diarrhea can become a greater danger than what it is trying to rid the person's intestines of.

Video: why diarrhea starts