What does loose stools mean. Diarrhea in an adult (diarrhea) - what to do, treatment

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 do not stop in an adult for a long time.

To such a disorder, which lasts not just for days, but for weeks or months, one 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.

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 it could 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 constipation, which causes 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-essential 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 especially 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. It often co-occurs with other clinical manifestations.: abdominal pain, rumbling, bloating, false urge to go to the restroom, nausea and vomiting, fever, loss of fluid that can lead to cardiovascular insufficiency. 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,), blood (general analysis and biochemistry);
colonoscopy, CT scan of the abdominal organs, endoscopy, ultrasound and more.

If you do not 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, and so on.

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, which contribute to the motor activity of the intestine, 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:

Imodium

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.

Smecta

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.

Enterol

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

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 paramount. 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 and 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 hand washing 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.

Diarrhea is not a disease, but only a symptom. It may be a sign of one of several dozen diseases. It can be difficult to understand the causes of loose stools without consulting a specialist and examinations.

Causes of loose stools

Diarrhea in an adult can be caused by various factors.

Infectious diarrhea (the most common) is the result of the action of pathogenic bacteria (with dysentery, salmonellosis, cholera), viruses (rotavirus, enterovirus), protozoa (amebiasis) or helminths.
Toxic diarrhea occurs against the background of poisoning with heavy metals, poisonous mushrooms or products of one's own metabolism (for example, against the background of uremia in severe kidney disease).
Drug diarrhea - as a side effect of taking antibiotics, iron preparations, foxglove, some psychotropic drugs, with an overdose of laxatives.
Gastrogenic loose stools are observed against the background of gastritis with reduced secretory function, gastric cancer, after gastric resection.
Pancreatogenic - accompanies acute and chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic cancer.
Hepatogenic diarrhea is associated with chronic liver diseases - hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Hereditary and congenital deficiency of one or another enzyme leads to malabsorption in the small intestine and loose stools. Lactose deficiency is a normal variant and is manifested by diarrhea when eating dairy products.
Removal of an extended fragment of the small intestine also interferes with normal absorption processes and leads to liquefaction of the stool ("short bowel syndrome").
Allergic reactions to food affect not only the skin, but also the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea (“intestinal allergy”).
Inflammatory damage to the colon changes its motility, which is manifested by diarrhea (any colitis, irritable bowel syndrome).
Colon tumors can cause stools to thin or alternate between diarrhea and constipation.
Some endocrine pathologies lead to unpleasant symptoms - thyrotoxicosis, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus.
Metabolic disorders (amyloidosis, hypovitaminosis) also prevent the formation of a normal stool.
Autoimmune diseases (scleroderma) may be accompanied by liquefaction of feces.
Neurogenic diarrhea is also distinguished against the background of neurological and mental diseases. A fairly common example is "bear disease" - episodes of stool liquefaction associated with short-term stress (before an exam, public speaking, etc.).

What is loose stool

Fecal masses with diarrhea can vary in color and consistency. This is very important for proper diagnosis and proper treatment.

Black liquid stool indicates the admixture of a sufficiently large amount of blood. It is designated by a special term - melena. The appearance of such an alarming symptom requires emergency hospitalization, search for the source of bleeding and its elimination.
Certain foods can also stain stool. Remember if you have consumed beets, prunes, dark berries, tomatoes, coffee, liver over the past two days.
The black color of feces can be caused by taking iron, bismuth, activated charcoal preparations.
Infectious diarrhea is usually very loose stools (like water), often frothy, and in some bacterial infestations green or yellow.
With any inflammatory lesion of the colon, the stool can be with mucus and blood clots.
With a disease of the pancreas, the feces are not only liquid, but also fatty - they shine and are poorly washed off the walls of the toilet bowl.
Loose stools with foam occur when carbohydrates are not completely digested, for example, with the same lactase deficiency.

Infectious diarrhea is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever in the range of 37 - 38 ° C. In patients, the stomach “twists”, spastic pains are expressed in the umbilical (and in dysentery - in the left iliac) region. There is weakness and signs of intoxication of the body. Immediately after eating, loose stools are released when there is a violation of the motility or nervous regulation of the gastrointestinal tract.

A one-sided approach to treatment will not eliminate the causes of the disease. Therefore, there is no universal pill for loose stools. Each case must be correctly diagnosed. The doctor will prescribe a comprehensive treatment, and then the diarrhea will go away along with the main cause. However, there are basic postulates of behavior when stool is thinned.

Stick to your diet. In order not to overload the gastrointestinal tract, give up fried, fatty, spicy, salty foods and smoked meats. Avoid sugary and carbonated drinks. Limit dairy products. The menu must be thermally, chemically and mechanically gentle. This means that dishes are best steamed, boiled or baked. Porridges, mashed potatoes, soups are welcome. Do not eat dry food, too hot or cold.
Organize a rational diet - in small portions, but often enough. In case of an infectious disease, eat according to your appetite.
Beware of dehydration. Together with liquefied stools, the body loses a lot of water and salts. Their deficiency must be filled with special solutions (Rehydron, Oralit). If it is impossible to drink the missing volume of fluid, intravenous saline is prescribed with the addition of potassium, calcium and other electrolytes.
Taking sorbents (Smecta, Polysorb, Enterosgel, activated charcoal) will make going to the toilet less frequent, since the drugs have a locking effect. They, like a sponge, absorb toxins and fragments of microorganisms, therefore they are especially successfully used for intestinal infections.
Enzymes are usually included in the complex treatment of diarrhea. Any failure of the gastrointestinal tract reduces the ability to digest and absorb food. The appointment of medicinal digestive substances allows you to maintain a weakened function.

What to do with diarrhea?

If stool thinning is not a single episode, there is an admixture of blood, mucus, pus in the feces, they have changed their normal color, consult a doctor. Acute diarrhea may be a reason for emergency hospitalization in the infectious diseases department of a hospital. If you feel satisfactory, consult a therapist or gastroenterologist, perform all the prescribed examinations.

If loose stools occur, do not resort to folk methods. Self-treatment is often not only useless, but also dangerous, as it delays the patient's request for qualified medical care. Every day of delay can threaten health and life.

Probably, every person from time to time is faced with such a rather unpleasant phenomenon as diarrhea. It often develops against the background of indigestion, but there are other factors that can provoke such a problem. It is worth considering that in no case should it be left unattended, since loose stools can indicate various ailments, including quite serious ones. If at the same time it is also quite frequent, such a phenomenon causes the fluid to be washed out of the body. To correct loose stools, you can use a variety of means, including traditional medicine preparations.

Why does loose stool occur? The reasons

Quite rare causes of diarrhea are considered to be Crohn's disease, as well as pseudomembranous colitis. In addition, such a symptom may appear due to the development of chronic pancreatitis or thyrotoxicosis. Loose stools are sometimes the result of surgical interventions on the intestines or the result of the systematic use of laxatives.

Sometimes it appears on the background of allergic reactions or intolerance to dairy products. Among other things, diarrhea can disturb a person if he has a lack of zinc in the body and uremia. It sometimes develops due to disorders of the autonomic nervous system, as well as as a result of the development of amyloidosis and some systemic ailments.

What to do if you have loose stools? Treatment

For effective treatment of diarrhea, it is first of all necessary to understand the causes of its development. It is not recommended to independently select medicinal formulations to correct such a problem, because the wrong choice can significantly undermine health. Thus, when loose stools appear, it is worth seeking medical help.

The specialist will collect an anamnesis, prescribe certain tests, and also select an adequate treatment. It is highly recommended to consume special medicinal formulations that effectively optimize the level of potassium, as well as sodium and chloride in the body. Such medicines include rehydron, as well as citrogluxolan.

Codeine phosphate may be prescribed to reduce the frequency of bowel movements. Also, the consumption of a wide variety of adsorbents, for example, smectite, activated carbon, etc., has a pretty good result. If an infectious lesion is detected, the doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotic drugs.

How does traditional medicine treat loose stools? Folk remedies

One of the most effective and at the same time simple remedies for the treatment of diarrhea is considered to be oak bark. This herbal remedy has truly unique astringent properties. To prepare a medicine, you should buy oak bark in a pharmacy, take a tablespoon of such raw materials and brew with one glass of boiled water only. Wrap up the future medicine well and infuse it for one hour. Then strain the infusion and consume it one or two teaspoons during the day. It is worth consuming the entire prepared volume of oak infusion per day.

Another simple and at the same time very effective method of treating diarrhea is to consume rice water. To prepare such a medicine, boil half a liter of water, pour one and a half teaspoons of ordinary rice into it and cook at minimum power for forty minutes. After cooling such a composition and strain it. Consume the finished drug throughout the day. At a time, it is worth drinking about a quarter of a glass, and the interval between doses should be two to three hours.

To prepare the next medicine, you will need dried pomegranate peels. They should be ground with a coffee grinder and brewed with boiling water. For a teaspoon of dry plant materials, you need one glass of boiling water. Boil the medicine in a water bath for a quarter of an hour, then leave for another forty minutes to infuse. The resulting medicinal composition should be consumed two teaspoons four to five times a day.

Dill seeds can also be used to prepare a remedy for diarrhea. A couple of teaspoons of such raw materials should be brewed with four hundred milliliters of boiling water. Infuse the remedy for half an hour, then strain. Consume half a glass of the finished medicine three times a day about half an hour before a meal.

For the treatment of loose stools, you can use different products that every housewife has at hand. So a medicine based on potato starch has a good effect. A teaspoon of such a substance should be brewed with half a glass of cold pre-boiled water. Stir the composition well, then drink it in one go. Such a solution copes well with indigestion.

You should not start treating diarrhea if you are not sure of the causes of its occurrence. In some cases, such a symptom signals the development of quite serious diseases.

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.

Fecal masses in humans 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.

In the treatment of diarrhea, one should not waste time on self-treatment, it is necessary to immediately seek the advice of a specialist to determine the cause of the onset of the disease. Otherwise, the treatment may be long.

In the body of an adult during the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, any disorders and failures may appear, one of them is diarrhea. It is a continuous bowel movement with liquid feces. Appears during a minor poisoning and during the onset of a dangerous, probably permanent, illness. In the first option, diarrhea can go away on its own with little or no treatment in 2-3 days, but in other situations, diarrhea can continue for 4 days or more, accompanied by various dangerous symptoms (fever, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, general lethargy). If the disease is not taken seriously enough, if it is not treated, then diarrhea will provoke dehydration, the occurrence of severely treatable acute and chronic diseases.

Diarrhea is not a disease, but a symptom that indicates disorders inside the gastrointestinal tract or the body completely. Therefore, it is impossible to eliminate diarrhea without first knowing what factors caused it. Diarrhea is the discharge of liquid stools, both single and with an increased frequency of defecation. When such a disorder disappears after 2-3 weeks, this is an acute form of diarrhea, more than 21 days - chronic.

Causes of persistent diarrhea

In the normal state, the human body in adulthood is able to excrete up to 300 g of feces every day or at other intervals convenient for the gastrointestinal tract. Liquefaction and high evacuation of the stool can occur due to a sudden increase in water concentration: during diarrhea, stool is 90% liquid. The content of feces makes it possible to identify the origin of diarrhea:

disorders of peristalsis in the intestines often do not contribute to an increase in the amount of feces excreted per day, this happens often, but in small portions;
when the difficulty lies in the absorption of substances by the walls of the intestine, a significant increase in the volume of feces is observed due to the mass of undigested food.

The main causes of prolonged diarrhea in adults are:

indigestion after a large amount eaten along with "difficult" food;
minor poisoning;
susceptibility to any product (allergy, hypolactasia);
the use of certain medications (laxatives, antacids, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants);
psycho-emotional situations (anxiety, fear, fright, in which diarrhea in an adult is the result of a hormonal surge);
traveler's diarrhea (associated with climate change and nutrition).

Such diarrhea usually resolves by day 3 or 4, and the patient will most likely associate the persistent diarrhea with the above factors. If diarrhea does not go away within 5 days, this is a serious reason to consult a specialist.

But the causes of prolonged diarrhea in people in adulthood are much more serious:

infection with microorganisms, viruses;
inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract;
functional insufficiency of organs (lack of any enzymes);
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown origin (Crohn's disease);
damage by toxins.

diarrhea symptoms

In these situations, it will not be enough just to stop prolonged diarrhea: you need to diagnose and implement appropriate therapy, often while in the hospital. Regarding the clinical signs of the disease, they are mild. This refers to the usual indigestion, when, in addition to prolonged loose stools, there are spastic pain sensations inside the abdomen and dyspepsia (seething, bloating, flatulence).