Diarrhea in an adult in itself is not separate disease, but a symptom that occurs in a wide variety of ailments. Therefore, in order to successfully normalize stool, it is necessary to understand the causes of diarrhea in each specific case and, if possible, eliminate them.

What is diarrhea in adults?

Diarrhea (diarrhea) is a pathological condition when there is an increase in stool frequency in adults more than 3 times a day, as well as a change in its consistency: it becomes watery, maybe with mucus and bloody discharge. Acute diarrhea lasts up to 2 – 3 weeks. Chronic diarrhea lasts more than 21 days.

Classification of diarrhea by mechanism of occurrence

Sodium and chlorine ions accumulate in the intestinal lumen, which leads to an increase in osmotic pressure. High osmotic pressure causes additional water intake and a sharp increase in the volume of intestinal contents. Typically, this type of diarrhea is characterized by very large and loose stools, as well as loss of water and electrolytes.

In severe cases, without timely treatment, secretory diarrhea can lead to fatal outcome due to the occurrence acute shortage fluid and the development of hypovolemic coma.

This type of diarrhea is observed with cholera, salmonellosis, viral intestinal infections, and hormonally active tumors. In addition, some laxatives and prostaglandins cause increased stool frequency in this way.

To some extent similar to secretory, since in this case increased osmotic pressure also leads to excessive accumulation of water in the intestinal lumen and an increase in volume feces. However, here hyperosmolarity does not arise due to increased secretion of sodium and potassium ions, but due to the fact that the intestinal contents initially have high osmotic pressure. This type of diarrhea usually occurs when rotavirus infection, as well as in case of overdose of saline laxatives.

IN lower parts Inflammation develops in the intestines, which impairs the reabsorption of water. Observed in dysentery and amoebiasis.

Dilution of feces occurs due to additional release of blood, protein exudate, mucus or pus into the intestinal lumen. This type of diarrhea is typical for diseases accompanied by inflammation of the intestinal mucosa - Crohn's disease, intestinal tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis, etc.

Characterized by acceleration of intestinal motility. Typically observed in cases of stress, functional disorder digestion, diabetic enteropathy, amyloidosis, scleroderma.

Main causes of diarrhea in adults

The leading causes of diarrhea in adults are:

• food poisoning;
• excessive consumption of “heavy” foods;
• diseases of the digestive system, accompanied by inflammation of the intestinal walls (enteritis, enterocolitis);
• food allergies;
• enzyme deficiency;
• taking some medicines(for example, synthetic sweeteners, laxatives);
• sudden change in food style and conditions (travelers' diarrhea);
• stomach flu and other infections;
• lead and mercury poisoning;
• stress.

When diarrhea is accompanied by a fever of up to 380C, vomiting, or diarrhea with blood or water, it is important to immediately consult a doctor in order to receive adequate treatment and avoid the development of serious complications.

Why is frequent diarrhea dangerous?

If stools are watery and frequent, you are more likely to develop dehydration and electrolyte loss, which can be fatal. For this reason, you should immediately see a doctor and immediately provide assistance to the sick person if the following symptoms are observed:

• dry mucous membranes;
• increased heart rate;
• chapped lips;
• rare or complete absence of urination;
• decreased blood pressure;
• the appearance of muscle cramps;
• disturbance of consciousness.

Be sure to consult a doctor in the following situations:

• diarrhea does not stop for 3 or more days;
• bowel dysfunction occurs and develops without reason;
• in addition to diarrhea, yellowness of the sclera and skin, intense abdominal pain, sleep disturbance and high fever are observed;
• stools are dark black or green in color, mixed with blood.

First aid for diarrhea

If you experience diarrhea and vomiting or diarrhea and fever, it is better to consult a doctor as soon as possible, as these symptoms may indicate the development of a serious illness, for example, acute intestinal poisoning. First aid until the patient is examined by a doctor is to prevent dehydration and significant loss of minerals. In this regard, experts, in case of diarrhea, recommend the following:

1. Drink plenty of minerals. For this purpose, Regidron (and its analogues) is best suited. If it is absent, then you can take lightly salted water, saline solution.
2. Stick to a strict diet. When diarrhea begins, it is better to generally abstain from 1 – 2 or more meals, unless the doctor recommends otherwise. To relieve intestinal inflammation, you can drink tea or decoctions of anti-inflammatory herbs.

Treatment of diarrhea: diet

Complete treatment for diarrhea includes the following dietary recommendations.

1. It is allowed to eat such foods as white crackers, slimy porridges, vegetable purees, steamed and boiled fish, low-fat varieties meat, rice water, tea.
2. It is prohibited to eat spicy, salty, sour foods, or foods containing large amounts of coarse fiber. In addition, milk, brown bread and anything that can cause increased gas formation and “fermentation” are not recommended.
3. In the first days, foods that stimulate the release of bile are excluded from the diet: eggs, fatty meat, butter, etc.

Gradually, the list of permitted products is expanding, and the patient, as stool normalizes, can switch to a normal diet. In situations where diarrhea is caused by enzyme deficiency or any chronic intestinal diseases, systematic diet is one of the most effective means ongoing therapy.

How to treat dehydration with acute or chronic diarrhea

As a rule, glucose-saline solutions are prescribed until stool normalization. They replenish the loss of mineral salts and fluids in the body. The most well-known drugs in this group are Regidron, Gastrolit, Citroglucosan. In the absence of them on hand, you can independently prepare and use the following solution: for 1 liter of water, take ½ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of potassium chloride, and also add 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. Instead of potassium chloride, you can take a decoction of dried apricots (dried apricots).

How to treat diarrhea with medications

The most common drugs used to treat diarrhea are:

The best prevention of diarrhea is maintaining personal hygiene, eating only high-quality foods and timely treatment various chronic intestinal diseases.

In the adult body, during the process of intestinal function, various disorders and failures may appear, one of which is diarrhea. It is also called “diarrhea”, and it consists of frequent bowel movements of liquid feces. It occurs both with minor poisoning and with the appearance of a serious, possibly chronic, disease. In the first case, diarrhea will go away on its own with almost no treatment in 2-3 days, but in other cases, diarrhea lasts four days or more, and may be accompanied by other dangerous symptoms such as fever, pain in the stomach and intestines, general weakness. If you do not take the disease seriously and do not start treatment, then diarrhea will lead to dehydration and the appearance of intractable acute and chronic diseases.

In most cases, diarrhea can be cured using a standard, well-known set of manipulations. However, sometimes home methods are not enough, and sometimes the situation worsens from many popular remedies. The answer to the question “what to do if diarrhea does not go away for 4 days?” The answer is clear: consult a doctor immediately.

Why does diarrhea occur?

Diarrhea in adults can occur for the following reasons:

• Poisoning from stale food.
• Treatment with medical supplies, causing diarrhea.
• Individual intolerance to certain foods.
• The body's reaction to neurosis.
• Acclimatization of the body.

If diarrhea continues for the fourth day, then most likely the patient may be diagnosed with one of the following diseases:

1. Dysentery.

2. Intestinal infection(intestinal flu, rotavirus, cholera).

3. Salmonellosis.

4. Intestinal tuberculosis.

5. Enzyme deficiency.

6. Exacerbation chronic illness(colitis, dysbacteriosis).

7. Inflammation of one of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

First aid

If the unpleasant disease has become protracted, then it would be best to consult a doctor to diagnose the disease and find out the reasons for its occurrence, however, long-term diarrhea in an adult can be treated independently:

1. You need to drink any sorbent drug that will help the patient gastrointestinal tract(Smecta, Filtrum-Sti, activated angle).

2. Since diarrhea is very dangerous due to dehydration, you need to drink large amounts of boiled water or weak, unsweetened tea.

3. Reception herbal teas will help replenish the supply lost during the disease nutrients, vitamins and minerals. If diarrhea with fever, positive impact Linden or currant tea will have an antipyretic and diaphoretic effect.

4. Performing a cleansing enema. Water released during diarrhea washes away not only beneficial microelements, but also various pathogenic bacteria and toxins. Through diarrhea, the body tries to get rid of toxins. Using an enema cleanse will help remove bacteria that was not passed through the stool. This will prevent them from being reabsorbed into the intestinal walls and causing the problem to reoccur. Washing should also be done because it has an additional beneficial effect - reducing elevated body temperature due to the absorption of water.

Enema treatment includes the use of not only clean water, but also decoctions of various medicinal herbs (chamomile, sage, oak). For them, make a solution at room temperature. For adults, enemas with a volume of 750 ml to 2 liters are used.

Diet for diarrhea

An important factor in treatment loose stool is to adhere to a special diet. The diet includes consumption large quantity neutral liquid.

During prolonged diarrhea you need to follow the nutritional rules:

1. The basis of the diet is liquid food, low-fat soups and broths, light puree.

2. The diet requires foods rich in fiber (baked apples, bananas, dried fruits). For bread, preference is given to white or bran.

3. Cereal porridges should be made mucous or semi-mucous. Large grains are strictly prohibited, as they can injure already irritated intestinal walls.

4. Lean meat and fish are allowed.

When treating diarrhea, the following are prohibited:

• Fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Seasonings, large amounts of sugar and salt, green tea, coffee.
• All types of canned, smoked and dried foods.
• Any carbonated drinks, all types of dairy products.
• Fat, junk food, interfering with the normalization of intestinal function.

Treatment of diarrhea with medications

Before deciding how to treat diarrhea, you must first find out the cause of the disease.

For diarrhea of ​​any type, the following will definitely be prescribed:

• Sorbents ( Activated carbon, Smecta).
• Preparations that restore ionic balance after dehydration (Regidron).
• Antidiarrheals (Loperamide, Imodium).
• Pro- and prebiotics that restore the balance of intestinal microflora (Bifiform, Linex).

If the diarrhea was caused by a disease of an infectious nature, then the specialist doctor will prescribe for admission:

• Antibiotics (tetracyclines, macrolides, amoxicillins).
• Intestinal antiseptics (Furazolidone, Ftalazol, Sulgin).

These drugs should not be used for self-medication. Doing this is strictly contraindicated because they are selected according to the results of research and analysis. They are selected individually for adults and children. The patient must take a course of them.

Consultation and examination with a doctor is necessary when:

1. Three days after the start of treatment, it still does not help.

2. The temperature remains stably above 38° throughout the day and is not reduced by antipyretics.

3. Taking antidiarrheal medications causes rejection, allergies, skin rash and other reactions, including those of a psychosomatic nature.

4. The appearance of blood in the stool or the coloring of liquid stool in dark brown or black.

5. Not passing painful sensations and pain in the stomach.

6. Signs of being too dehydrated: sunken eyes, dry tongue, bad breath.

7. The disease affects consciousness.

If you have at least one of the symptoms listed above, you need to urgently go to the hospital. In this case, extensive diagnostics are carried out and laboratory tests, on the basis of which treatment will be prescribed.

It is a disorder of the digestive process, characterized by a thinning of the consistency, an increase in the amount of feces and an increase in bowel movements. It may be accompanied by abdominal pain of varying intensity, nausea, vomiting, increased or decreased body temperature, painful tenesmus and other unpleasant symptoms. If they worsen and diarrhea lasts 2 days or more, consultation with a specialist is required.

Causes of diarrhea

There are many reasons that can cause diarrhea. Let's take a closer look at the most common of them.

Food poisoning. If diarrhea continues for more than 2 days, it may be caused by poor quality food. The most common cause of diarrhea is staphylococcal toxins. In addition, loose stools in an adult for 2 days can be caused by botulinum bacillus, mold mycotoxins, some plants and poisonous mushrooms.

Poor nutrition. Diarrhea lasting more than 2 days is often a consequence poor nutrition(so-called nutritional diarrhea). The list of reasons that provoke its development includes:

• gross errors in diet;
• eating disorder;
• rapid swallowing of food, insufficient chewing;
• drinking large amounts of cold liquid after eating.

Long-term drug therapy. In some cases loose diarrhea, lasting 2 days, occurs against the background of antibacterial and chemotherapy, long-term use antacids and laxative abuse.

Methods for diagnosing diarrhea

Many people have a question: “What to do if diarrhea does not go away for 2 days?” First of all, it is necessary to identify the reason that provoked its development. This may require diagnostic examination, which includes the following activities.

Consultative appointment. The specialist will examine the patient, collect anamnesis, clarify complaints, the nature of stool and the presence of other diseases.

Instrumental examination. It can be prescribed to identify organic/functional pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Includes colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, irrigoscopy, ultrasound, CT scan of the abdominal cavity and endoscopy.

Additional diagnostic methods. They include special tests to detect intestinal absorption disorders, determination of electrolyte concentrations and stool osmolarity.

Treatment of diarrhea

Diarrhea for 2 days or more requires a mandatory visit to a specialist who will help identify the cause and, based on the results of the examination, decide on the advisability of prescribing a particular treatment method. In accordance with generally accepted therapeutic standards, for diarrhea of ​​various origins, diet, rehydration (restoration of water-salt balance) and symptomatic drug therapy are prescribed.

Medical nutrition

On the first day of diarrhea, it is recommended to almost completely refuse food and, in order to avoid the development of dehydration, drink a large amount of neutral liquid. Further, low-fat broths, soups, pureed purees, baked apples, cereal porridge on water, boiled lean meat or fish. Seasonings, fresh vegetables and fruits, canned food, smoked foods, carbonated drinks, spicy, fatty, fried foods are prohibited for diarrhea.

Restoring water-salt balance

To compensate for the loss of water and electrolytes, it is recommended to take special rehydration solutions containing sodium, potassium and glucose salts.

Drug symptomatic treatment

Enterosorbents, enzymes, antidiarrheals and probiotics are used as symptomatic treatment drugs to restore intestinal microflora. For severe pain, analgesics may be prescribed. If the cause of loose stool is a bacterial infection, antibacterial therapy is carried out strictly according to medical indications.

How to avoid prolonged diarrhea and prevent complications from developing

To prevent the development of diarrhea for several days, you must adhere to the following rules.

1. Strictly observe personal hygiene and food hygiene: keep your hands clean and the food fresh, observe sanitary requirements to the cooking process, avoid eating raw tap water, thoroughly wash fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs.
2. Conduct timely detection and treatment of gastroenterological, endocrine, infectious and other diseases that can provoke the development of diarrhea.
3. News healthy image life: optimize your diet, avoid if possible stressful situations, accept medicines only with the permission and under the supervision of the attending physician.

IMODIUM® in the treatment of diarrhea in adults

To normalize intestinal function and more quick recovery the body may be prescribed IMODIUM®. This antidiarrheal drug, containing in its composition active ingredient loperamide This substance, having an affinity for intestinal wall receptors, blocks the release of cellular inflammatory mediators. As a result, intestinal motility slows down, the urge to defecate becomes less frequent, and the tone of the anal sphincter increases. IMODIUM® is available in the form of lozenges. Before you start taking it, you should consult your doctor and read the instructions.

Every adult experiences diarrhea at least 1-2 times a year. This option is quite acceptable and getting rid of this unpleasant symptom is quite simple. But, if the cause is chronic diseases, then diarrhea in an adult can be observed at least 1-2 times a month, and its duration will depend on correctly selected methods of treating diarrhea.

First of all, diarrhea is aimed at cleansing the body of unfavorable microorganisms, bacteria and viruses that are actively “working” in its depths. In this way, the adult body protects itself from infections and toxins that are dangerous to health. Therefore, loose stools, in some cases, can be called an excellent protective agent that helps cleanse and detoxify the body. Regardless of the cause, diarrhea in an adult leads to dehydration. Even within the limits of a kind of norm - 1-3 times a day, the body is depleted. Along with processed food products, significant amounts of water, salts and useful substances, the restoration of which is vital.

There are so many types of diarrhea:

• infectious - caused by toxic food infections, dysentery, viral diarrhea, as well as amoebiasis;
• dispersion - occurs due to improper digestion food products body, lack of secretions in the stomach, bad work liver glands and secretion of negative enzymes by the small intestine;
• nutritional - appears as a result of allergies to various products;
• toxic – after poisoning with mercury or arsenic;
• medicinal – caused by an overabundance of medications during treatment and their negative impact on the human body;
• neurogenic - occurs due to fears, strong emotional experiences, fear of various phenomena.

Regardless of the type of diarrhea in an adult, its frequency varies. For some, having bowel movements twice a day and having a runny consistency is very noticeable. But for others, 5-7 bowel movements per day may not cause discomfort or cause any worries. Diarrhea in an adult, which is not long-lasting, goes away almost without leaving a trace. Since no traces of its manifestation remain in the human body. Prolonged diarrhea in an adult bloating abdomen, exhaustion of the body, constant rumbling, heartburn, tenesmus can lead to negative factors, acutely affecting the body.

You should approach your drinking regime with extreme caution. A sufficient amount of water, for any type of diarrhea, can protect the patient from many troubles. And most importantly, restoring the water-salt balance will help keep the body in good shape. Diarrhea in an adult is accompanied by many negative phenomena. Therefore, if symptoms persist for a long time, you should consult a doctor for an appropriate prescription. Perhaps the cause of diarrhea was not accurately identified. In some cases, treatment of associated symptoms is useless until the underlying disease is treated.

Regardless of the cause of diarrhea, it is necessary to follow a gentle diet. Therefore, for a while, until the condition improves, the diet should include crackers, rice, jelly, boiled low-fat meat, and porridge with water. Under no circumstances should you take fatty, fried, sweet, spicy, pickled foods, carbonated drinks, coffee and strong tea. Even in a recovered body, one small cup of coffee can provoke diarrhea in an adult. There is no point in talking about giving up alcohol, as the effect of diarrhea will only intensify, and the negative manifestations will be even stronger. A gentle diet should be on the table for at least a week after the end of diarrhea. By gradually introducing other foods, you can prepare the body for normal operation. Abrupt inclusion of the wrong dish in your diet will only provoke a negative effect.

Among the most popular folk recipes for the treatment of diarrhea in adults are:

• oak bark tincture;
• crushed

Firstly, medications for diarrhea do not act instantly, they only reduce intestinal motility, and secondly, the use of such medications is contraindicated in a number of diseases. What to do when you suffer from loose stools?

Diarrhea in an adult: causes and symptoms of diarrhea

Diarrhea is not a disease, but a symptom that indicates problems in the gastrointestinal tract or in the body as a whole. Therefore, it is impossible to cure diarrhea without knowing what causes it. Diarrhea is defined as the passage of loose stool either once or with an increased frequency of bowel movements. If such a violation goes away within 2-3 weeks, we're talking about about acute diarrhea, over 21 days – chronic.

IN in good condition the body of a healthy adult excretes 100–300 g of formed feces daily or at other intervals that are comfortable for a particular gastrointestinal tract. Liquefaction and accelerated evacuation of stool occurs due to sharp increase water content: with diarrhea, stool is 90% liquid. The amount of feces suggests the etiology of diarrhea:

• disturbances of intestinal motility usually do not increase the daily volume of feces; it is excreted frequently, but in small portions;
• if the problem is in the absorption of substances intestinal wall, there is a significant increase in the volume of feces due to the mass of undigested food.

The main causes of loose stools in adults:

• indigestion after a large meal with “heavy” dishes;
• mild food poisoning;
• intolerance to certain foods (allergic reactions, hypolactasia);
• taking certain medications (laxatives, antacids, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, synthetic sweeteners);
• stressful state (excitement, fear, fright, in which diarrhea is the result of the release of hormones);
• traveler's diarrhea (shift-related) climatic conditions and diet).

Such diarrhea usually goes away within 3-4 days, and the patient will most likely be able to associate the onset of diarrhea with previous events.

However, the causes of diarrhea in an adult can be more serious:

• infection with bacteria, viruses, protozoa (dysentery, salmonellosis, intestinal flu);
• inflammatory diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, hepatitis, UC (ulcerative colitis), ulcers);
• functional organ failure (deficiency of certain enzymes);
• gastrointestinal diseases unknown etiology(Crohn's disease);
• toxic damage (poisoning with lead, mercury).

In such cases, it is not enough to simply stop the diarrhea: a diagnosis must be made and qualified treatment must be carried out, often in inpatient conditions. As for the clinical manifestations of diarrhea, they may be mild. This applies to ordinary indigestion, when in addition to loose stools, cramping pain in the abdomen and dyspeptic symptoms (boiling, bloating, severe accumulation of gases in the intestines (flatulence)) may be observed.

In case food poisoning weakness is added to the pain, feverish state, nausea and vomiting, refusal to eat, fever may rise. Similar symptoms are accompanied by intestinal infections and viral diseases.

Alarming signs that require immediate attention are symptoms of dehydration. Dry skin and mucous membranes, cracked lips, extreme thirst, rare urination, darkening of urine occur with debilitating diarrhea, and this condition poses a great danger: the pulse increases, blood pressure falls, muscle cramps may begin.

What to do for diarrhea in an adult - first aid

To prevent dehydration, the water and salts lost by the body must be compensated drinking plenty of fluids: it is best to take rehydrating solutions (Regidron and analogues); in their absence, you can drink saline solution, salted water, chamomile tea. Prevention of dehydration should begin as soon as it becomes clear that loose stools are not an isolated case.

Especially if the diarrhea is profuse and constant, has been going on for several days, and is accompanied by vomiting. It is also necessary to pay attention to the presence of blood in the stool. It may appear with dysentery, nonspecific ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease.

Depending on the established diagnosis, the doctor will select specific treatment, but there is general rules, which are prescribed for compliance with any cases of diarrhea. This dietary food, taking adsorbent drugs, enzymes.

Diet for diarrhea in an adult

The nature of the diet obviously influences bowel movements. Many foods have an irritating effect on peristalsis, and during diarrhea you should forget about them until full recovery. These are spices raw vegetables, plums and other laxatives.

Some foods have a fixing effect, so in the first few days of the diet you should limit yourself to the following set of dishes:

• wheat bread crackers;
• vegetable purees;
• slimy porridge;
• pureed meat and fish of lean varieties (steamed, boiled);
• tea, blueberry jelly, bird cherry fruit infusion, rice infusion.

You can start the diet on a “fasting” day: drink only strong sweet tea (8-10 cups during the day).

If diarrhea is caused by lactose or gluten intolerance, then diet is the main, and often the only, factor in treatment. For these diseases it is prescribed therapeutic nutrition, completely excluding products containing milk sugar and the cereal protein gluten.

Diet is important: you need to eat often (every 3 hours) and in small portions.

The diet must be followed throughout the treatment and beyond, but after the first “hard” days, you can remove the restrictions and expand the diet, adhering to the following principles:

1. Avoid foods that mechanically and chemically irritate the gastrointestinal tract (spicy, salty, sour, containing coarse fiber).
2. You should not eat foods that stimulate the release of bile (fatty foods, tomatoes and carrots, grape juice, cowberry).
3. Remove “fermenting” and gas-forming foods from the diet - apples, cabbage, brown bread, milk.

Thus, we list the prohibited products:

• any fried meat;
• offal;
• rich broths;
• fatty fish prepared in any way, and lean fish if it is fried, canned, smoked;
• milk, high fat cream;
• scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs;
• cabbage in any form, beets, spicy root vegetables, turnips, radishes, cucumbers;
• canned vegetables;
• mushrooms;
• sour berries and fruits;
• pastries and bread;
• carbonated drinks, kvass, cold drinks.

What then can you eat for diarrhea in adults? Here sample list dishes from which it is recommended to create a diet menu:

• steamed cutlets from minced meat, meat puree(can be from “children’s” jars), soufflé;
• boiled fish (such as pollock, cod), fish balls, steamed cutlets;
• cereal cooked in water; you can add a little milk and a piece of butter to the finished porridge;
• rice pudding;
• puree soups with vegetable or weak meat broth;
• boiled pasta;
• fermented milk drinks;
• fresh cottage cheese;
• omelet, soft-boiled eggs;
• boiled, baked or pureed vegetables: potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, green beans;
• baked fruits, in compote, a little fresh berries strawberries;
• jellies and mousses from berries and fruits;
• croutons from white bread, drying, cookies like “Maria”;
• water, tea, compote, cocoa without milk.

Preventing dehydration

In addition to diet, it is important to organize the right drinking regime. The fluid entering the body should be several liters in volume in order to fully compensate for the loss of water through diarrhea.

Since microelements are washed out with loose stools, plain water is not very suitable for drinking. It is better to take glucose-salt drinks, which will replenish the loss of electrolytes and maintain normal level blood sugar, and salt promotes fluid retention in the body.

There are special drugs for preparing rehydrating drinks, these are Regidron, Citroglucosolan, Gastrolit, but if they are not available, you can prepare the liquid yourself by diluting it in a liter of water:

Instead of potassium chloride You can pour a decoction of dried apricots and freshly squeezed orange juice into the solution. You need to drink in small portions, but constantly throughout the day.

Medicines to treat diarrhea in adults

1. Sorbents are an important part of the treatment of diarrhea. They remove toxins, viruses, bacteria from the intestines, adsorb gases, and reduce bloating. It is recommended to take such drugs for intestinal infections and poisoning, but they must be taken separately from any other drugs (it is advisable to maintain an interval of 2 hours, otherwise the drugs will not be absorbed). If absorption in the intestine is severely impaired (enteropathy), sorbents are not prescribed so as not to aggravate the nutritional deficiency. The choice of enterosorbents is large, from traditional activated carbon (10 tablets) to modern drugs based on kaolin, calcium salts, bismuth (De-nol, Smecta), wood derivatives (Polyphepan, Balignin), magnesium and aluminum salts (Attapulgite).
2. Drugs that reduce the production of intestinal mucus. They are taken on the first day from the onset of diarrhea. These are anti-inflammatory drugs such as Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Sulfasalosin. If Crohn's disease is detected, it is used for this purpose. hormonal medications(Metypred, Prednisolone), of course, only with a doctor's prescription.
3. Herbal medicines. Reduce intestinal secretion and peristalsis of the plant with astringent properties. These are oak bark, bird cherry berries, alder cones, chamomile, and cinquefoil root. Decoctions and infusions are made from plant materials to drink throughout the day. To stop diarrhea, any folk remedies with a fixing effect.
4. Enzymes. If diarrhea is associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, enzymes help replenish the deficiency of digestive juices. Impaired absorption in the intestine also requires additional stimulation - medications based on pancreatin (Creon, Pancitrate, Festal, Mezim) are well suited for this.
5. Antidiarrheals and others that reduce intestinal motility. The choice of drug also depends on the cause of the disease. Loperamide, a well-known substance whose drugs stop diarrhea (Imodium, Lopedium), cannot be taken for intestinal infections, since some of the pathogens will then remain in the body and not be eliminated. Loperamide preparations are effective for irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. For enteropathies, hormones are prescribed that simultaneously paralyze the motor activity of the intestine and enhance its absorption capacity (Somatostatin, Octreotide). Antispasmodics also relieve excessive peristalsis (Papaverine, No-shpa).
6. Antibiotics are prescribed by the doctor based on the results of the tests performed and the identified causative agents of diarrhea. As a rule, for intestinal infections it is recommended antibacterial drugs wide spectrum of action. In the case of a viral etiology of the disease, Arbidol and immunoglobulins can be used, but in practice such diarrhea goes away without specific treatment.
7. Intestinal antiseptics are antimicrobials, acting exclusively in the intestines and not penetrating into the blood. Have a detrimental effect on staphylococci, streptococci, salmonella, E. coli, shigella and other infectious flora, but preserve beneficial microorganisms. An example of such a drug is Enterofuril. A medicine called Intetrix also destroys dysentery amoeba and candida fungi.
8. Probiotics. These drugs are indispensable in the treatment of diarrhea of ​​any etiology, since diarrhea, no matter what the cause, upsets the balance of the intestinal microflora. For example, Enterol is a complex antidiarrheal agent that works in several directions: it suppresses the activity of microbes, viruses, protozoa and fungi, removes toxins, restores the intestinal mucosa and strengthens local immunity, stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria. Preparations of specific flora (Hilak-Forte, Linex, Baktisubtil) help normalize the microclimate in the intestines.
9. Intestinal immunomodulators. Modern doctors include in the treatment regimen for diarrhea a drug such as Galavit, which is recommended for any infectious diarrhea. Galavit relieves symptoms of intoxication and provides rapid improvement in the condition of adult patients (not indicated for children).

As important advice It should be noted that diarrhea in an adult that has not gone away within 3 days is a reason to consult a doctor. Chronic diarrhea can indicate the presence of serious diseases, it even occurs with some forms of cancer.

It is also worth seeing a doctor if the temperature rises above 38 during diarrhea, signs uncharacteristic of indigestion or poisoning appear: rash, yellowness of the skin and eyes, dark urine, sleep disturbances. Constant excruciating pain in the abdomen should not be the norm (spastic pain before and during bowel movements is acceptable).

Black or green diarrhea, vomiting mixed with fresh or coagulated (dark) blood, fainting, signs of severe dehydration indicate that the situation is critical: it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance.

Diarrhea (diarrhea)

Causes of diarrhea

1. On digestive process significantly affects the quantity and quality of food. Thus, a lot of difficult-to-digest foods (foods rich in plant fiber and fats) are not fully digested, which leads to accelerated intestinal motility and increases the growth of bacteria.

Mechanisms of development of diarrhea