Consistently loose stools in an adult, main causes and treatment. Loose stools in an adult for a long time: causes and treatment Why constantly loose stools but not diarrhea

29.03.2017

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

Chronic diarrhea symptoms

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

With diarrhea, the mass of loose stools increases to 250-300 g per day, the water content in feces increases to 60-85%.

With diarrhea, food liquefaction occurs, its incomplete digestion, so food pieces can be observed in the feces. Stool characteristics can vary depending on pathogenesis.

Pathogenesis

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

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

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

Osmotic diarrhea

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

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

Secretory diarrhea

In this disorder, the secretion of electrolytes and water prevails over absorption. This may be due to:

infectious diseases (toxicoinfection, salmonellosis, cholera, yersiniosis, E. coli, staphylococcus aureus),
hormonally active tumors (carcinoid, gastrinoma, VIPoma),
hereditary diseases (for example, chloridorrhea),
non-infectious reasons: long-term use of drugs and laxatives, acute poisoning with arsenic, mushrooms, heavy metal salts, alcohol.

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

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

Exudative diarrhea

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

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

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

Motor diarrhea

Irritable bowel syndrome occurs due to increased bowel motor function. Often observed after removal of the stomach or parts of it. Food enters the intestines faster, and diarrhea occurs due to insufficient digestibility.

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

Diarrhea treatment

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

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

Diarrhea associated with a hormone-producing tumor will require serious medical attention. If the diarrhea persists for this reason, surgical removal of the tumor will be required.

What to do with different types of diarrhea:

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

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

Rehydration for diarrhea

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

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

Diet for diarrhea

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

During treatment, the patient must exclude fatty and dairy dishes, alcohol, spices and spices, spicy foods, plums, beets, sweet foods, sauces, black bread from the menu. Boiled white rice, white bread crackers, boiled or steamed low-fat meatballs, meatballs or cutlets, mashed apples and potatoes are allowed.

Stomach hurts and diarrhea occurs most often with indigestion and the penetration of toxins into the body. Attention should be paid to the quality of food (especially the shelf life and storage conditions), the degree of water purification, personal hygiene (hand washing).

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

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

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

Liquid stool in an adult for a long time not only causes inconvenience in everyday life, interferes with work and makes you stay at home. It should be viewed as a symptom that signals a health problem that requires identification of the cause and targeted treatment. Acting at random, taking folk recipes, antidiarrheal drugs without knowing the reason is irrational and can be dangerous. With these actions you are only wasting time, but you need to act competently.

We will analyze what may be the reasons for persistent loose stools and what to do at home, what sequence of actions must be taken.

The normal functioning of the digestive system can be judged by the regular act of defecation, which normally occurs more often than once, sometimes twice a day or every other day. The feces in this case are decorated, colored in different shades of brown, and do not have a very strong putrid odor.

Chronic diarrhea

If for a long time there is constantly liquid stool, which proceeds almost without symptoms, every day or at frequent intervals, it is imperative to look for the cause until a dangerous state of dehydration and deficiency of trace elements necessary for normal vital activity in the body occurs.

For acute diarrhea, in contrast to prolonged loose stools, repeated frequent emptying of the intestines is characteristic, accompanied by abdominal pain, fever, deterioration of the general condition, and sometimes nausea and vomiting.

Clinical symptoms of chronic loose stools:

defecation with liquid feces more often than 3 times a day for 4 consecutive days or more;
abdominal pain, flatulence, rumbling;
the tongue is coated, dryness of the mucous membrane in the oral cavity, viscous saliva;
decreased skin tone;
lethargy, weakness, headache;
sometimes an increase in body temperature;
irritation of the anus - hyperemia, small painful cracks.

Acute diarrhea is called if the diarrhea does not go away for a week, a more prolonged bowel disorder is chronic, in some cases the disease becomes permanent with some interruptions. And this is a clear signal of a malfunction in the body, it is necessary to identify the cause of prolonged loose stools, this will help in its correct treatment.

Causes of long-term diarrhea

Systematic prolonged diarrhea can be the result of chronic diseases of internal organs - hepatitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, thyroid diseases. In addition, long-term diarrhea can be caused by:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Functional disorders are usually hereditary or appear against a background of constant stress. Symptoms indicate the disease - unexpected sharp cramps in the lower abdomen, increased gas production, bloating, loud rumbling in the intestines.

Dysbacteriosis. This is a decrease in the intestines of microorganisms involved in the process of food digestion. As a result, food undergoes putrefactive processes, inflammation of the intestinal mucosa occurs throughout. The cause of dysbiosis can be long-term treatment with antibiotics, which have a detrimental effect not only on the pathogenic microflora, but also on the normal one. Dysbacteriosis usually manifests itself in loose stools until the normal microflora in the intestine is restored.

Some kidney diseases also cause digestive upset.

Constant use of low-quality, expired products or water. Such nutrition leads to irritation of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, destroys the normal microflora, the intestine reacts to this with a disorder.

Ulcerative enteritis or colitis. Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the small or large intestine. Along with prolonged loose stools, the patient loses weight, complains of abdominal pain, often below, on the left, streaks of blood and mucus appear in the feces over time.

Individual immunity to certain foods, most often fresh milk protein, gluten (a protein in cereals), or lactose, which is present in many drugs. In addition to lingering loose stools without abdominal pain, the patient is worried about nausea, flatulence.

Crohn's disease. The disease is characterized by ulcerative lesions of all parts of the digestive tract, starting with the oral cavity. The cause of the pathology is a hereditary predisposition, and provocative factors are general infectious diseases of the body, including the digestive organs, or stressful situations.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons, some of them require accurate diagnostics, instrumental examination of the body, blood and feces tests.

What to do if diarrhea persists

If the diarrhea lasts more than a week, you need to find the source of the problem before choosing the right treatment strategy.

First you need to measure body temperature, if it is elevated, suspect an inflammatory process in the internal organs. It is possible that pathogenic bacteria, fungi or protozoa have entered the intestines, which cause inflammation and disrupt its work.
Look at the feces, determine their color, consistency, the presence of blood or mucus.
Observe whether there is a connection between the problem and psycho-emotional experiences or stresses.
Analyze the diet. If the quality of food and water is not in doubt, remember whether you have used fresh milk, cream, ice cream or baked goods, baked goods. Some people suffer from an inability to metabolize milk protein and gluten.

The basis of nutrition during a period of indigestion should be porridge in water from rice, semolina, oatmeal, boiled or baked potatoes. Soups based on vegetable broths without beets and cabbage. From meat you can boiled or baked chicken, turkey, rabbit. Low-fat boiled fish is allowed - pike perch, pollock, hake. You can stew and boiled potatoes, zucchini, carrots, applesauce. White bread of yesterday's baking.

For the entire period of treatment and for some time after, it is worth refraining from raw vegetables and fruits, dairy products, everything fatty, fried, spicy, salty, pickled. And in the future, it is better to abandon all those products to which the body responds with an allergic reaction.

Then, with the results of independent observations, consult a doctor. The gastroenterologist will be able to determine the cause of prolonged diarrhea and, after the examination, prescribe the treatment necessary in this case.

Treatment for long-term diarrhea will consist of the following:

It is necessary to independently begin to treat long-term diarrhea by replenishing the fluid and microelements lost during the period of the disease. To do this, pharmacies have a large number of over-the-counter rehydration drugs: Rehydron, Trihydron, Hydrovit and others. Also drink more sweet tea, rosehip decoctions, herbs, still mineral water.
As an effective aid to the intestines, enterosorbents can be used - Polysorb, Smecta, activated carbon, Enterosgel. These drugs bind toxins and waste products of pathogenic microorganisms and, together with feces, remove them from the intestines. They need to be taken 1-2 hours before or after meals or other medications.

Why does diarrhea last for 3 or more days?

If, after using rehydration agents and enterosorbents, diarrhea does not go away and lasts 3-4-5 days or more, you should consult a doctor.

Since a lingering bowel disorder can be caused by various diseases, a doctor should prescribe drug treatment depending on the type of pathology. Loose stools for a long time in an adult is a dangerous syndrome that cannot be ignored. This can be a sign of serious changes in the internal organs, especially the digestive tract or endocrine system, and "non-intervention" can lead to serious health problems.

Diarrhea is not a disease, but a symptom. It can be a sign of one of several dozen diseases. It can be difficult to understand the reasons for the appearance 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 a consequence 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 its own metabolism (for example, against the background of uremia in severe kidney disease).
Drug-induced diarrhea - as a side effect of taking antibiotics, iron supplements, digitalis, some psychotropic drugs, with an overdose of laxatives.
Gastrogenic liquid stool is observed against the background of gastritis with reduced secretory function, stomach cancer, after gastric resection.
Pancreatogenic - accompanies acute and chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and cancer of the pancreas.
Hepatogenic diarrhea is associated with chronic liver diseases - hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Hereditary and congenital deficiency of this or that enzyme leads to malabsorption in the small intestine and loose stools. Lactose deficiency is a variant of the norm and is manifested by diarrhea when eating dairy products.
Removal of an extended fragment of the small intestine also disrupts normal absorption processes and leads to stool thinning (“short bowel syndrome”).
Allergic reactions to food are reflected not only on the skin, but also on the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea ("intestinal allergies").
Inflammatory lesion of the colon changes its motility, which is manifested by diarrhea (any colitis, irritable bowel syndrome).
Colon tumors can cause liquefaction of stool or alternating diarrhea and constipation.
Some endocrine pathologies lead to unpleasant symptoms - thyrotoxicosis, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus.
Metabolic disorders (amyloidosis, hypovitaminosis) also prevent the formation of normal stools.
Autoimmune diseases (scleroderma) can be accompanied by liquefaction of stool.
Also, neurogenic diarrhea is distinguished against the background of neurological and mental diseases. A fairly common example is "bear disease" - episodes of stool thinning associated with short-term stress (before an exam, public speaking, etc.).

What can be loose stools

Stool for diarrhea can vary in color and consistency. This is very important for correct diagnosis and correct treatment.

Black loose stools indicate that a sufficiently large amount of blood has been mixed. It is designated by a special term - melena. The appearance of such an alarming symptom requires urgent hospitalization, search for the source of bleeding and its elimination.
Certain foods can also color the 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 the intake of iron, bismuth, activated carbon.
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 mucus and blood clots.
With a pancreatic disease, 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 occurs with incomplete digestion of carbohydrates, for example, with the same lactase deficiency.

Infectious diarrhea is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever within 37 - 38 ° C. In patients, the abdomen "twists", spastic pains are expressed in the umbilical (and with dysentery - in the left iliac) region. There is weakness and signs of intoxication of the body. Immediately after a meal, loose stools are excreted in case of disorders of motility or nervous regulation of the gastrointestinal tract.

A one-sided approach to treatment will not eliminate the underlying cause. 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 underlying cause. However, there are basic postulates of stool thinning behavior.

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 should be thermally, chemically and mechanically gentle. This means that dishes are best steamed, boiled or baked. Porridge, mashed potatoes, soups are welcome. Do not eat dry food that is 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.
Watch out for dehydration. Together with liquefied stool, the body loses a lot of water and salt. Their deficiency must be replenished with special solutions (Regidron, Oralit). If it is impossible to drink the missing volume of fluid, intravenous administration of saline with the addition of potassium, calcium and other electrolytes is prescribed.
Reception of sorbents (Smekty, Polisorba, Enterosgel, activated carbon) will make trips to the toilet less frequent, since the drugs have a blocking 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 treatment of diarrhea. Any breakdown of the gastrointestinal tract reduces the ability to digest and absorb food. The administration of medicinal digestive substances helps to maintain the weakened function.

What to do with diarrhea?

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

If you have loose stools, do not resort to folk methods. Self-medication 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.

Liquid stools cause a lot of inconvenience to a person, be it an adult or a child. The symptom is unpleasant and negatively affects the state of health, health and lifestyle.

During normal stomach function, bowel movements occur once or twice a day.

If a violation of the digestive tract is observed for a long period of time, they speak of (not diarrhea). How to determine the cause and correctly start treatment is a question that requires a serious approach and attention.

Chronic loose stools in an adult speaks of health problems. This is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous and can lead the body to dehydration. Together with feces, a large volume of water, useful trace elements, minerals, nutrients are released. They are necessary to maintain water-salt balance and normal functioning of the digestive tract. With dehydration, the following signs are distinguished:

Lethargy, drowsiness, constant feeling of weakness;
Dryness of the skin;
Weight loss;
Feeling thirsty, dry mouth;
Decrease in the amount of urination.

Remember! Prolonged loose stools with a smell in an adult should not be ignored. The symptom is dangerous to the body. If you ignore the symptoms, there is a risk of severe harm to health, and serious treatment will be required.

There is a palpable difference between loose stools and diarrhea. Loose stools differ from diarrhea in that the feces acquire a liquid consistency; it can persist for a long period of time without other symptoms. It manifests itself daily, every other day, or occurs periodically. Diarrhea is a frequent and sudden bowel movement. It is accompanied by a number of symptoms: acute abdominal pain, high temperature, and the state of health is rapidly deteriorating.

Causes of prolonged loose stools in adults

If a person is worried about loose stools for a long time at least once a day, this indicates pathological processes in the body. They can cause serious illness and complications. Stool difficulties are of a different nature.

Factors contributing to stomach upset:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can cause problems with stool. The disease is a functional disorder of the intestine. It is characterized by cramps and pain in the lower abdomen and diarrhea (frequent bowel movements, diarrhea). Desires are sharp, a person cannot control them. IBS is also manifested by increased flatulence (gas), bloating, severe stomach boiling, and constipation. Perhaps the symptom is without abdominal pain. The disease can be hereditary or appear against the background of constant stressful situations, disorders of the psycho-emotional state.
Diseased kidneys. With renal failure, there is a disorder of the digestive system.
The reason is the food consumed for a long time. If spoiled, expired products are often found in food, this leads to a violation of the intestinal microflora, normal metabolism, and the normal functioning of the digestive tract is disrupted. Infected pathogens enter the body with low-quality food, poisoning occurs. Dirty drinking water negatively affects the digestive tract. After eating, there is discomfort in the stomach, nausea is felt.
Individual intolerance to substances (gluten, lactose, milk sugar) that are part of the products, constantly taken medications. In this case, loose stools are accompanied by nausea, increased gas production,. There is diarrhea without pain.
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the mucous membrane of the large intestine. In this case, the patient notes acute pain in the left side of the abdominal cavity, weight loss, prolonged loose stools. Blood clots and mucus appear in the feces. The body temperature rises periodically.
Crohn's disease. Symptoms are similar to ulcerative colitis of the colon. It differs in that all parts of the gastrointestinal tract and the oral cavity are affected. Localization of pain is noted in the lower right abdomen. Pathogens, infections, severe stressful situations, heredity can provoke Crohn's disease.
Dysbacteriosis. An imbalance of the intestinal microflora, in which there is a decrease in lactobacilli. Microorganisms are involved in digestion processes. Dysbacteriosis can occur with the wrong use of medications (antibiotics). Medicines have a detrimental effect on both pathogenic bacteria and beneficial microorganisms. The result is prolonged indigestion, especially in childhood.
Infection of the body. Signs are noted: nausea, vomiting, loose stools, increased body temperature. There is a deterioration in health, weakness, headaches, abdominal cramps. With the wrong approach to the choice of drugs or the ineffective intake of pills, the symptoms cause the infection to flow into a chronic form. The indicator can persist for six months or several years with diseases of the stomach organs.

The list of reasons is incomplete. The main factors provoking loose stools are given.

When to see a doctor

If a symptom is observed, you should not ignore it, even if nothing hurts. It is recommended to immediately call an ambulance if:

Unformed feces, odorless, is observed for a long time, daily (month);
Severe weight loss has occurred;
Feeling of constant nausea, bitter taste in the mouth;
After treatment, the symptom does not go away;
A fetid odor appeared;
A man has severe shortness of breath, heart rate increases;
Stools are very watery;
Blood clots and mucus appeared in the feces. This means that complications of the disease have begun.

If stomach problems persist for a long time, see your doctor. An adult must undergo a medical examination, undergo tests and undergo a course of treatment.

How to cure loose stools for an adult

It is required in the near future to find out the exact cause, determine the diagnosis and prescribe a comprehensive treatment, which includes:

Taking medications (anti-inflammatory, probiotics, prebiotics, antibacterial, sorbents, etc.).
The second advice is adherence to the dietary menu (foodstuffs that can have a laxative effect or overload a sick stomach are excluded).

The method of treatment directly depends on the cause of the upset stomach. The diagnosis may be different for each person with this symptom. How and what to treat is determined by the attending physician. Self-medication is prohibited! With the wrong treatment, there is a risk of harm to health.

Enterosorbents will help to provide first aid in this situation. The substances of the drug absorb and help remove toxic compounds from the body. Harmful substances together with sorbents naturally leave the body. The drug is used if there is a case of food poisoning. Sorbents include: Polysorb, Activated carbon, Smecta, Enterosgel, etc.

Medicine offers a selection of drugs that restore the stomach. Taking probiotics helps to normalize digestion (Bifidumbacterin, Linex, Bifiform).

It is important to take in more water to restore lost fluid. You can make water with added salt. Rehydration preparations are recommended to normalize the water-salt balance.

With the correct diagnosis and adherence to treatment, you can get rid of loose stools in a week.

Diet with loose stools

Proper nutrition will help your stomach to work quickly. Strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations regarding the diet will shorten the treatment period.

The diet includes:

Eating low-fat foods;
Lean broth;
Rusks, crackers;
Porridge on the water (oatmeal, rice porridge);
Boiled potatoes;
Steam-cooked vegetables;
Bananas.

With loose stools, you should refrain from alcoholic beverages, coffee, dairy products, fatty and spicy foods, baked goods, water with gases, fruit juices.

Prevention

It is better to prevent disease than to cure. Preventive measures:

Always wash your hands before eating;
Choose food carefully;
Lead a healthy lifestyle;
Undergo an annual preventive examination.

A single, rare loose stool is not dangerous, but if a person has it for no reason and is regular, the symptom requires surgical treatment.

Diarrhea cannot be called a disease; rather, it is a specific syndrome, accompanied, in addition to the presence of characteristic liquid and frequent bowel movements, an increase in body temperature, abdominal pain with cramps, nausea or vomiting. Diarrhea can be caused by various causes. Adults tolerate diarrhea, a condition of diarrhea, somewhat easier than children, since the child's body is more sensitive to the phenomenon of dehydration. However, the onset of diarrhea in an adult should alert anyone who cares about their health, because without effective treatment of this syndrome, serious complications are possible.

Loose stools in an adult can be not only due to common problems with the work of the gastrointestinal tract, but also be the result of other causes and complications, ranging from a person's diet (food choices) and ending with other, more serious and chronic diseases of various organs and organ systems in the human body.

Loose stools in an adult can be both acute and chronic. Depending on the type of diarrhea, there are treatments for diarrhea that are determined by their effectiveness. To properly treat diarrhea and quickly get rid of diarrhea in an adult, you must first determine the cause of frequent and loose stools.

What is diarrhea, liquid diarrhea?

Intestinal infections need to be treated in a hospital setting, so you should not delay visiting a doctor at the slightest suspicion, otherwise the consequences can be very serious. Diarrhea is acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea is when the symptoms of frequent and loose stools last from 3 to 7 days. If frequent and loose stools torment more than 1 week and up to 3 months, then this type of diarrhea can be called chronic. In any case, the diagnosis of chronic diarrhea can only be made by a specialist doctor based on the results of additional tests.

What diseases can be if symptoms and signs of chronic diarrhea appear? Frequent diarrhea can be caused by diseases such as chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal giardiasis, and adenocarcinoma.

Why does an adult have loose stools, reasons

Loose and frequent bowel movements can appear due to the ingestion of untreated or poorly boiled water, as a reaction to the use of certain types of drugs, as well as due to allergies to certain foods or food poisoning. Stressful situations play an important role in the occurrence of diarrhea. One of the common causes of diarrhea is the penetration of an intestinal infection, which can enter the body due to neglect of basic hygiene rules.

The presence of such serious pathologies as ulcerative lesions of the intestine, Crohn's disease, oncological diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, an impaired absorption process in the intestine can also be manifested by the presence of loose stools. Often, adults do not resort to the help of specialists and try to cure sudden diarrhea on their own. Diarrhea usually goes away in a few days if the cause that caused it is not associated with a serious pathology or an intestinal infection that has got inside. Those who like to visit exotic countries need to take the necessary precautions so as not to fall prey to the widespread infections there, as they are very dangerous and can even lead to death.

To understand the causes of loose stools in an adult, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the presence of abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, increased or high body temperature, but also the color of the stool is very important. In an adult, by the color of feces, it is possible to assume with a high probability the cause of loose stools, why it could appear. Liquid feces in an adult are when feces are yellow, black, green, light yellow, feces with a red tint, or feces with a scarlet color. It is also important if blood clots, mucus, pus or other symptoms of a pathological problem are present in the stool.

Let's highlight the main and most common causes of loose stools in an adult, what it can be, which causes diarrhea. Immediately, all causes of diarrhea and an adult should be divided into pathological and physiological. If the cause of diarrhea is not dangerous and does not cause complications, it can be attributed to physiological. But if diarrhea is not just a temporary disorder of the digestive tract, but a consequence of serious problems with the intestines or stomach, then the causes of diarrhea can be called pathological.

Non-dangerous factors in the development of diarrhea in an adult: diarrhea, as a symptom of food allergies, diarrhea as a result of intestinal infection (for example, stomach flu), neurogenic diarrhea (emotional stress, neurotic disorders, prolonged stress and emotional stress). A relatively harmless cause of diarrhea can be a viral infection or a bacterial infection. In some people, diarrhea is the result of an allergic reaction to lactose intolerance.

Dangerous causes of loose stools in an adult are primarily diseases, including those of a chronic type. Diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis (including chronic, other problems with the development of inflammatory diseases in the pancreas), cystic fibrosis, hyperthyroidism (thyroid disease), hepatitis, metabolic diarrhea (hypovitaminosis), kidney disease (which are associated with systemic violation of metabolic processes in them).

What to do, how to treat loose stools in an adult

It should be noted right away that if a person does not know how to properly treat loose stools in an adult, then it must be understood that the treatment of infectious diarrhea and functional diarrhea is very different. That is why many cases of self-treatment of diarrhea are very ineffective or do not bring results at all.

Treatment of infectious diarrhea, when the causative agent of diarrhea is an infection, depends on which form of infection affects the body and causes loose stools as a result of its manifestation. If the nature of infectious diarrhea in an adult is mild, then the doctor may prescribe the necessary funds, tablets, drugs for diarrhea, which can be taken at home, to treat diarrhea at home. For mild infectious diarrhea, doctors usually prescribe adsorbent medications and drinking plenty of fluids until the diarrhea ends.

If the form of infectious diarrhea is severe, then hospitalization of the person and his further treatment in a hospital will be required.

If diarrhea in an adult is functional, then it also has its own special approach to treatment. What does functional diarrhea mean? What is functional diarrhea? This type of loose stool means that the emptying of the intestines with loose stools occurs due to a disturbance in the functioning of the digestive system or the nervous system. Treatment in this case is aimed at eliminating the symptoms, because pathology is not observed. With this type of loose stool, if the irritant is removed, then the stool of an adult is very quickly restored. Often, with functional diarrhea, if the cause of frequent bowel movements goes away, the stool is restored after 1 day, maximum two days.

Not all people understand that if diarrhea begins, if diarrhea suddenly begins, pills alone will not be enough to eliminate symptoms. The first thing to do when diarrhea appears, for a short time, 4-5 hours, is to stop eating. However, this does not mean that you need to starve for days. A weakening body needs nutrition, so you need to strictly follow a diet, make sure that the diet contains foods that are easily digested and do not overload the gastrointestinal tract.

What else should you do if an adult has diarrhea? The second rule is related to the prevention of the dangerous phenomenon of dehydration. Since a large amount of fluid is excreted from the body with diarrhea, it must be constantly replenished. But don't drink fruit juices, milk, or coffee. The best options here are herbal tea, warm fat-free broth, or just good quality water. It is important not only to drink the liquid itself, but also how to drink it. If a large amount of liquid enters the body at the same time, then it does not have time to be absorbed in the intestine and is excreted in transit, without fulfilling its important function of normalizing the water balance. Therefore, you need to take the liquid in small portions, but do it more often than usual.

Diarrhea is often accompanied by general weakness, nausea, and lack of appetite. In the absence of serious pathologies in an adult, such phenomena disappear within 1-2 days. During this time, until the symptoms of diarrhea completely go away, you need to drink more, and when your appetite is restored, it is advisable to include in your diet foods that help to strengthen the stool. Boiled hard-boiled eggs, rice dishes (porridge, pudding cooked without milk), crackers are perfect. Nutrition should provide a gentle regimen for the digestive system, without causing irritation of the intestinal mucosa and helping to strengthen the stool.

If the diet is followed, a couple of days are enough for the adult's condition to stabilize and the stool to return to normal. In the absence of a positive result, you need to help the body with medicines. The simplest and cheapest of them is activated carbon tablets. The most effective remedy for diarrhea is Imodium. The line of diarrhea medicines includes many options, each of which is suitable for a different case.

If within 2-3 days it is not possible to normalize the stool on its own, you need to contact a medical institution and consult a specialist. You may need to be tested to determine the cause of the diarrhea and to prescribe effective treatment.

Prevention of diarrhea, what to do to prevent diarrhea again

You can prevent the appearance of diarrhea by following a number of rules, including adherence to hygiene procedures and the correct attitude to nutrition. Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed, eggs, meat, fish must be properly heat treated. Cookware must always be clean. All products must be stored in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.