Every person has had an upset stomach at least once in their life. Rarely does anyone give this great value. But it happens that loose stools do not stop for a week or longer. What to do in such a situation and what complications to expect? Is it really possible to be cured? traditional methods or is it time to call an ambulance? What if you have diarrhea? infectious nature? You will find answers to all these questions below.

Causes of loose stools in children

If your child complains of abdominal pain, and later of diarrhea, then you first need to determine the cause. The further treatment strategy will depend on this. If a child has eaten an expired product, then it will be enough to take a course of bifidobacteria to get it working properly gastrointestinal tract. And if the diarrhea is of an infectious nature, then you cannot do without the help of a qualified doctor.

The most common causes of diarrhea in children:

• development of infectious or inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract;
• eating food that can cause liquefaction feces and bloating;
• using some antibacterial drugs;
• severe stress.

How to determine the nature of the disease

The exact cause of diarrhea will help determine the color of a child’s loose stool:

• black and green shades are possible when overeating stale grapes, dairy products, iron-containing preparations and activated carbon;
• light shades fecal masses are typical for infants who have recently been transferred to artificial feeding;
• brown stool - most often a violation of the intestines due to frequent use liquid food and drinks, excess carbohydrates (for example, the baby ate too much candy the day before);
• a yellow tint (especially if there is loose stool with mucus) signals danger: there are leaks in the child’s body hazardous processes. This could be a rotavirus infection, a violation of the outflow of bile, problems with the pancreas, hepatitis of various origins.

When is it time to ask for help?

Loose stool without fever usually does not cause concern for parents. Just think - well, the child ate something wrong. Most often this is what happens.

But if the temperature rises in the evening, abdominal cramps signal pain, loose stools have the consistency of water - don’t hesitate. Call an ambulance. If the doctor suspects the infectious nature of the disease, the child will be hospitalized. Treating such ailments at home is fraught with serious complications.

If there are pronounced fractions in the stool (mucus, blood, undigested food debris), this is also a reason to visit a pediatrician and gastroenterologist. These symptoms indicate problems with the pancreas. Subsequently, pancreatitis may develop.

Folk remedies for diarrhea in children

If there is no fever, pain or other alarming symptoms, then you can successfully treat loose stools in a child at home:

• Rice water. Throw a handful of regular white uncooked rice into boiling water. Boil for ten minutes. Decant the water and give the patient 30-40 ml every two hours. Has a binding effect.
• Children over four years old can be given pomegranate decoction. To prepare it, you need to pour boiling water over several pomegranate peels and let it brew for 15-20 minutes. After the infusion has cooled, give the patient half a glass once an hour.
• Regular potato starch has a binding effect. You need to mix a tablespoon of starch and 30 ml of pure boiled water. Give the resulting slurry to the child a teaspoon every two hours.
• Infusion from Boil a handful for ten minutes, the resulting liquid can be drunk as a compote.
• An infusion of oak bark has astringent action. In terms of the effectiveness of removing toxins, it can compete with pharmaceutical activated carbon. It is not advisable to drink more than 0.5 liters of oak bark infusion per day - it may cause allergic reaction.
• Strong black tea may help with uncomplicated childhood diarrhea. Brew natural Ceylon or Indian tea as strong as possible and give it to the child to drink in small sips throughout the day. Sugar can be added in minimal quantities - a teaspoon per 300 ml.
• For diarrhea, chamomile is the #1 doctor. Chamomile tea can be given to the child at any time (it is not advisable to add sugar, but if you cannot do without it, then add a teaspoon per glass of liquid). It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Has virtually no side effects.

Pharmacy medications for childhood diarrhea

Can be grouped according to the principle of action on the body:

• Sorbents are taken primarily to relieve intoxication. Indispensable for diarrhea caused by infectious diseases and food poisoning. " Activated carbon", "Enteros gel" - sold in any pharmacy without a prescription.
• Probiotics and prebiotics. Emulsions or powders that introduce beneficial microflora into the intestines. The child’s stool is normalized within three to four days. The most popular drugs with the same principle of action - “Hilak Forte”, “Acipol”, “Bifidumbacterin”.
• Enzymes are used if the causes of loose stools are pancreatitis, impaired bile outflow, or liver disease. The most popular drugs in this class are Pancreatin and Creon. Read the instructions carefully before allowing your child to take these products.
• Medicines to restore water-salt balance. Regidron is most often recommended for children.

When treating diarrhea, exclude sweets, beans, fatty meats, fast food, and carbonated drinks from the child’s diet. Give preference to boiled and stewed foods.

Infectious diarrhea in children

Diarrhea associated with the presence of infection in the body can be divided into two types: bloody and watery stools.

The most common causes are dysentery and salmonella. At the same time it often rises high temperature. Don't hesitate: call ambulance. Treatment is carried out with antibacterial drugs with constant monitoring of the child’s condition using blood and urine tests.

Watery diarrhea is caused by another type of bacteria. It could also be food poisoning. In this case, antibiotics are of no use. We need to remove toxins from the body and bring down the temperature. Observe for a few days therapeutic diet according to Table No. 5 type (nothing fatty or fried, exclude yeast bread, grapes, chocolate). Rehydration solutions must be given to the child until the gastrointestinal tract is fully functioning.

The most common causes of loose stools in adults

There are five main reasons, some of which require urgent medical intervention:

1. Irritable bowel syndrome. Most often characterized stabbing pains V lower sections abdomen and green liquid stool. The urge to go to the toilet is very frequent, sometimes even uncontrollable. Bloating even after proper food- also a symptom of IBS. The causes of the disease are most often psycho-emotional: frequent stress, nervous exhaustion, mental disorders.
2. Poor nutrition, choosing expired products, eating stale salads, soups, vegetables and fruits.
3. Chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis- ulcerative inflammation of the colon mucosa. This disease is characterized not only by diarrhea, but also nagging pain in the left abdominal area. You cannot do without a visit to a gastroenterologist; advanced ulcerative colitis can lead to internal bleeding.
4. Dysbacteriosis usually affects people with obesity, pancreatitis, and liver diseases. He also often targets chronic alcoholics. May occur after a course of antibacterial drugs. Dysbacteriosis is a disorder beneficial microflora intestines, resulting in chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, constant weakness And feeling unwell.
5. Infectious diseases (salmonellosis, dysentery, shigellosis) cause prolonged diarrhea, which does not go away with the usual Loperamide. They are also accompanied by fever, chills, and headache. Treatment requires monitoring of blood tests and a course of antibiotics in parallel with prebiotics.

Secretory diarrhea in adults

Large (more than one liter per toilet visit) watery green liquid stool. The frequency can reach 15 times a day. The temperature, as a rule, does not rise. If left untreated, loose stools with blood may appear.

It is typical that water secretion prevails over absorption. severe dehydration develops. This condition is caused by enterotoxin, which appears in the human intestines. infectiously, or due to eating stale food. In some cases, salmonellosis manifests itself this way.

After eliminating the enterotoxin, the activity of the gastrointestinal tract improves. Diarrhea stops completely. It is not recommended to treat secretory diarrhea at home due to severe dehydration. It is better to go to the hospital if possible.

in adults

Imbalance of electrolytes leads to the accumulation of water in the large intestine, bloating and diarrhea.

Osmotic diarrhea is most often provoked by the following factors:

• products containing sorbitol or xylitol;
• vitamin and mineral complexes with high content iron and magnesium;
• disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas (most often this is chronic pancreatitis);
• chronic alcoholism (poisoning with ethanol breakdown products)
• dysbiosis due to long-term use antibiotics;
• rotaviruses;
• celiac disease.

If you don’t go to a gastroenterologist and continue trying to treat loose stools with osmotic diarrhea at home, you may end up with pancreatic necrosis or severe dehydration. Only a doctor, based on tests, can determine accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment appropriate to the patient’s condition.

Invasive (purulent) diarrhea

Characterized by the presence of pus and mucus in the stool. Loose stools with blood are also characteristic of this type of disease. In this case, the patient suffers from nagging, excruciating and debilitating pain in the abdominal area.

To establish the exact cause of loose stools with mucus and pus, a full examination is necessary: ​​an x-ray of the gastrointestinal tract, blood biochemistry and a number of other tests.

Pharmacy treatments for diarrhea

How to alleviate the suffering of a patient at least for a couple of hours? Here is a list of the most effective pharmaceuticals, based on the types of stool problems:

Whatever the type of diarrhea, it is very important to exclude dehydration (rehydration) of the body. You need to drink as much as possible clean water. If possible, purchase Regidron, dilute it in a liter of water according to the instructions and drink every hour.

Potato starch

One of the most effective folk recipes from diarrhea. Suitable for both adults and children. Side effects does not have.

Dilute a tablespoon of starch into 30-40 ml (half a glass) ordinary water. mix thoroughly until a homogeneous mass without lumps is obtained. Eat a teaspoon every hour. This recipe will help you get rid of loose stools in just a day. It is also advisable to take a course of probiotics to normalize the microflora in the intestines.

Chamomile to normalize stool

You can buy it at any pharmacy dried leaves this wonderful plant. Chamomile renders positive influence not only on the gastrointestinal tract, but also on the pancreas. Has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Loose stool in an adult can be stopped within 24 hours.

The infusion is very simple to prepare: pour dry crushed chamomile leaves with boiling water and let cool. Use the resulting decoction as tea leaves. You can drink up to two liters of this tea per day. You can take any medications at the same time; chamomile is not an antagonist of pharmacological agents.

The occurrence of diarrhea signals any diseases in the gastrointestinal tract. If the disease is protracted, it leads to disruption of the functioning of the entire body. Why does an adult have loose stools? long time causes concern among doctors? In this short review you will learn about the main causes of the disease and methods of treatment at home.

The main causes of loose stools in adults

The norm for healthy person is defecation once or twice a day with normal stool. With diarrhea, the number of urges increases. Water diarrhea in an adult for three days is a reason to see a doctor. When conducting comprehensive research The causes of chronic loose stools are established:

• infectious diseases;
• irritable bowel syndrome;
• toxic diarrhea;
• food allergy;
• reaction to medications (after antibiotics, iron-containing drugs);
• ulcerative exacerbations;
• in the morning after removal of the gallbladder;
• oncology.

In case of poisoning with toxic substances (mushrooms, household chemicals) diarrhea, or loose stools, becomes the first sign that signals problems in the body. If you do not follow the rules of hygiene, then digestive disorders are possible due to poorly washed food and hands. Visit tropical countries It is always dangerous for an unprepared tourist, and the load on the gastrointestinal tract causes loose stools. Exotic dishes or local water are unusual for a traveler, so the possibility of diarrhea after them is increased.

Therapy is prescribed after a comprehensive study, when the cause of loose stools is clear. A person is embarrassed to consult a doctor with his problem, considering it insignificant. The result prolonged diarrhea will become dangerous complication– dehydration. It leads to irreparable consequences, including fatal outcome. At the first manifestations of chronic diarrhea in adults, you should contact medical workers for help.

How to stop diarrhea and related symptoms

Human body– this is an integral system, the failure of one of the organs signals health problems. Loose stool in an adult for a long time makes you think about eliminating unpleasant symptoms. How to Determine What's Needed medical intervention? There are a number of signs that require attention:

• frequent urge to defecate;
• nausea and vomiting;
• heaviness, abdominal pain;
• increased formation of gases in the intestines;
• elevated temperature bodies;
• loose stool yellow;
• blood or black stools;
• foamy green stool.

Rotavirus infection in adults, internal hemorrhoids, defensive reaction bodies on toxic substances accompanied by bloody stools, so you should consult a doctor immediately. Change in stool to more dark color along with loose stools, it signals possible tumors in the stomach and intestines. , severe diarrhea communicates over time about problems that need to be resolved quickly.

How to treat diarrhea in adults

Treatment of diarrhea at home in an adult involves a set of measures that are aimed at eliminating the symptoms and causes of the disease. Watery stools are eliminated with a special dietary nutrition And medicines. To restore the water balance, droppers with sodium chloride are used. Then you should work on rehabilitation actions to regenerate the body.

Drink plenty of fluids

Any disease has complications, but loose stools in adults for a long time cause dehydration. Therefore, you need to quickly restore the body’s water balance. The patient is prescribed drinking plenty of fluids clean, boiled liquid or special solutions with added salt. The patient's condition should be carefully monitored. If vomiting begins, drink water often, in small portions.

Gentle diet

To eliminate symptoms and restore proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, you should review your diet. A gentle diet is based on basic principles:

• balanced menu during the day to ensure normal life processes;
• reducing the load on digestive system;
• gradual expansion of the diet.

Diet for chronic diarrhea places special demands on cooking technology. Therapists recommend boiling or steaming food. You should forget about smoked or fried foods in order to get rid of loose stools. Framework therapeutic nutrition provide for the consumption of dishes only warm (exclude hot and cold). The volume of portions is reduced so that the stomach gradually gets used to working correctly.

Chronic diarrhea in adults occurs due to poor nutrition. When planning your diet, you should pay attention to the expiration dates of food. There are a number of products that are used for chronic diarrhea:

• stale bread, crackers;
• broth (meat, vegetable);
• low-fat varieties meat, fish;
• boiled eggs;
• cottage cheese with low content fat (milk, kefir is not allowed);
• baked apples;
• natural jelly (without chemicals and dyes);
• weak tea, coffee.

After the gastrointestinal tract has been restored, you should gradually expand your diet. Including new look product into your menu, carefully monitor your body’s reaction. If not negative results in the form of resumption of loose stools, then after a certain period of time introduce a new dish. Do not forget about processing technology, giving preference to steamed or boiled types of food.

Medicines for diarrhea

Do not self-medicate - only a doctor will prescribe for adults, so a visit to medical institution required. Antidiarrheal drugs, if not treated correctly, cause damage to the intestinal mucosa. If loose stools are caused inflammatory processes, then you need integrated approach. Infectious diseases are eliminated with a course of antibiotics.

Treatment acute diarrhea, which is accompanied by pain, cramps, vomiting, is carried out with medications to reduce intestinal motility. If the cause of loose stools is malabsorption, medications with bile acids are prescribed during therapy. Each medicine prescribed by a doctor individually, according to the diagnosis. Independent use remedies for loose stools will cause complications.

One of the consequences of diarrhea is dysbiosis. The therapist’s task is to restore the microflora of the digestive organs. To do this, after treating loose stools, he uses drugs with beneficial bacteria. Additionally, a course of vitamins is prescribed (in tablets, injections) to avoid vitamin deficiency. The loss of fluid during loose stools is then compensated by drips with glucose and sodium chloride. The drugs quickly restore water balance and have a detoxifying effect.

Folk remedies for treatment at home

Problems with bowel movements are common; there are many recipes to help get rid of the disease. Folk remedies for diarrhea in adults are used only when mild condition or as prescribed by a therapist. One of the most effective tools in the fight against loose stools is oak decoction:

• pour a pinch of tree bark into a glass of boiling water;
• steam in a water bath for 10 minutes;
• take 18 g three times a day.

Effective treatment of diarrhea in adults involves the use of products that have astringent properties. Tinctures and decoctions from partitions walnut or pomegranate peels contain tannins. They are used for loose stools and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. If after three doses the diarrhea does not stop, then you should seek help from a doctor.

More mild remedy An unsalted decoction of rice that helps cure loose stools. The water in which the cereal was boiled is drunk three times a day, half a glass. Strong unsweetened tea with breadcrumbs is a proven method for frequent urges. It is recommended to take several times a day instead of food: toxins are released thanks to dry bread, and caffeine tones.

Video about the causes and treatment of diarrhea in adults

Diarrhea is unpleasant illness, which disrupts the usual rhythm of life and causes constant discomfort. Chronic loose stools need special treatment. Incorrect therapy will lead to irreparable consequences and complications. In a short video you will learn about the first medical care with diarrhea: what to do and how to quickly get rid of it obsessive illness.

Any problems with intestinal function not only cause great discomfort and ruin all plans, but also seriously harm the body. And one of the most common pathologies is water diarrhea in an adult, treatment of which must be carried out with the obligatory elimination of the main cause of the ailment. In this case, due to the threat of dehydration, therapy must be carried out promptly.

At normal operation gastrointestinal tract, up to 3 acts of bowel movement occur during the day. In this case, the water level in the stool reaches 60%. Diarrhea is considered to be the phenomenon when more than 4 bowel movements occur per day.

Watery diarrhea in an adult begins when pathogenic organisms or poor-quality food enter the intestines and are not eliminated immediately. In this case, the main danger lies not in the bacteria themselves, but in the toxins that are released with the products of their vital activity. However, in contrast to normal condition, the level of water in stool during diarrhea can reach 90%. Most often, the problem of watery stools occurs in the warm months of the year. This is due to the extremely low activity of intestinal pathogenic organisms in winter.

Causes of watery diarrhea

Most often, the causes of such a phenomenon as water diarrhea in an adult are ignorance of the rules of personal and food hygiene. In other words, a person simply forgets about the need to thoroughly wash his hands both after going outside and having contact with animals, even domestic ones, and after visiting the toilet. In addition, it is not always observed correct processing food products.

But besides this, there are many more factors that provoke water diarrhea in an adult. These include:

• insufficient purification of drinking water;
• eating unwashed vegetables and fruits;
• eating very fatty foods;
• long-term adherence to mono-diet or fasting;
• suffered severe stress or prolonged psychological stress;
• indiscriminate eating of foods that are incompatible with each other;
• eating spoiled food or toxic products;
• ignoring hypersensitivity To individual products and eating them.

Also similar phenomenon may occur during pregnancy, due to changes in the functioning of the entire body, and sometimes while taking medications.

However, this phenomenon occurs when almost only water comes out and frequent diarrhea does not stop, may indicate the presence of serious pathologies or diseases. Most often this is:

• rotavirus intestinal infections;
• infectious lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
• bleeding in the intestines;
• obstruction of the gallbladder;
• absence required quantity enzymes;
• Crohn's disease;
• flu and colds;
• chronic diseases, the main ones of which are enteritis and colitis;
• improper metabolism, in which the digestion process is disrupted.

In the body of an adult, during the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, any disorders and disruptions may occur, one of them is diarrhea. It is a continuous defecation of liquid feces. Appears during minor poisoning and during the onset of a dangerous, probably permanent, illness. In the first option, diarrhea may go away on its own with virtually no treatment in 2–3 days, but in other situations, diarrhea may continue for 4 days or more, accompanied by various dangerous symptoms(fever, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, general lethargy). If you do not take the disease seriously enough and do not treat it, then diarrhea will provoke dehydration and the occurrence of difficult-to-treat acute and chronic diseases.

Diarrhea is not a disease, but a symptom that indicates disorders within the gastrointestinal tract or the entire body. Therefore, it is impossible to eliminate diarrhea without first knowing what factors caused it. Diarrhea is the discharge of liquid stool, either once or with increased frequency of bowel movements. When such a disorder disappears after 2–3 weeks, it is acute form diarrhea, more than 21 days - chronic.

Causes of persistent diarrhea

In the normal state, the human body in adulthood is capable of excreting up to 300 g of feces every day or at other intervals convenient for the gastrointestinal tract. Liquefaction and high evacuation of 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 volume of feces excreted per day; this happens often, but in small portions;
• when the difficulty lies in the absorption of substances by the intestinal walls, a significant increase in the volume of feces is observed due to the mass of undigested food.

Main reasons prolonged diarrhea in adults:

• indigestion after large quantity eaten along with “difficult” foods;
• minor poisoning;
• susceptibility to any products (allergy, hypolactasia);
• consumption of some medications(laxative, 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 and nutrition changes).

Such diarrhea usually goes away on day 3 or 4, and the patient will probably associate 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 adults are much more serious:

• infection by microorganisms, viruses;
• inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• functional organ failure (lack of any enzymes);
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown origin (Crohn's disease);
• damage by toxins.

Symptoms of diarrhea

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

Diarrhea can strike a person at the most inopportune moment, regardless of his gender and age. Intestinal upset accompanied by diarrhea is a fairly common phenomenon. Call him various reasons: poor quality or heavy food, poisoning, infections and germs, pathological changes in the body. In addition, they distinguish different shapes diarrhea. It can occur in acute or chronic form. There are cases when an adult experiences loose stools once a day for quite a long time. Many people are very often concerned about the question of whether this phenomenon relates to diarrhea or is it something else pathological condition. First of all, let's deal with these categories. And so, loose stool is stool with a watery consistency. Diarrhea is a painful condition that causes frequent and forceful bowel movements. At the same time main symptom diarrhea - loose stools, although sometimes stool can have a thicker, porridge-like consistency. Based on this, we summarize that loose stools are a sign of diarrhea, which in certain situations may have a thicker consistency of stool. What causes diarrhea in an adult and is manifested by a single bowel movement every day for long period? We will look at the answers to these questions in this article.

Why does an adult experience diarrhea with single bowel movements for a long time?

Daily single bowel movements with loose stools for several days indicate that a person’s diarrhea has become chronic. It is almost impossible to get rid of this problem on your own, and unskilled actions can only harm the body, so if symptoms of diarrhea appear, you should seek help from a doctor. In order to get rid of this unpleasant symptom, you must first find out the reasons that provoked daily diarrhea, and only then begin treatment.

As a rule, the acute form of diarrhea is accompanied by pain in the intestines, bloating, fever, and gas formation. But chronic form with loose stools there are no such symptoms. It manifests itself as a one-time liquid bowel movement, mainly during the day. It is important to monitor the condition of the stool. Even if diarrhea is daily, but there is no mucus or bloody impurities in the feces and the feces do not consist entirely of water, then this condition does not pose any particular danger. But you should definitely consult a doctor for advice. In most cases, eliminating the above reasons will eliminate the problem.

What to do with loose stools

In an adult, diarrhea, which is accompanied by loose stools, may indicate serious pathological disorders in the body. But often, a person does not even think about it, and at the first symptoms of diarrhea, meaning the first watery bowel movements, he begins to self-medicate and take pills. But is it really that simple? Of course not. Firstly, they distinguish clinical picture diarrhea. After all, it can have an acute form, in which loose stools are repeated every two to three hours, or even more often, while a number of other symptoms are also present; this condition is quite dangerous, since it can lead to dehydration of the body. In this case there is general rules, the so-called necessary measures before the full examination and establishing the cause of diarrhea:

1. Completely stop eating for 24 hours.
2. Increase the amount of fluid consumed. To do this, it is recommended to drink strong black tea or chamomile infusion;
3. To prevent dehydration and its possible consequences, you need to drink Regidron.

Regarding others medicines should consult a doctor as they may have side effects, contraindications or individual intolerance. Secondly, acute diarrhea can be caused by infectious diseases, then the patient is protected from contact. Treatment is carried out with drugs with pronounced antiviral and antibacterial effects.

For chronic diarrhea, when there is one loose stool per day, but for a long time, then if the examinations did not reveal any serious disorders in the body, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

• introduce into your diet daily use porridge with water, it is best to give preference to rice and rice water;
• drink yogurt or kefirs with bifidobacteria every day;
• drink blueberry or cranberry jelly;
• eat only lean meat, and cook it exclusively by steaming;
• completely eliminate fatty foods;
• drink plenty of fluids, both plain water and herbal teas with honey.

By following these requirements, in most cases, you can get rid of diarrhea fairly quickly. Also, for an adult patient, the doctor may prescribe special antidiarrheal medications that will speed up the recovery process.