Signs of intestinal infection in adults, symptoms, how and what to treat

Intestinal infection is a very dangerous disease. Sooner or later, every person comes across it. An infection that has entered the intestine triggers various pathological processes, which, as a result, have a negative effect not only on the organ in question, but also on the entire gastrointestinal tract. Signs of intestinal infection in adults depend on the degree of infection.

The reasons for the formation of an intestinal infection can be different. Its appearance can be influenced by:

• various viruses;
• toxins that have entered the body from the outside;
• bacteria inhabiting the body.

Speaking about the signs of the disease, it should be noted that depending on the severity of the disease, they will vary. This must be borne in mind in order to be able to prevent the development of the infection in time, that is, to "catch" it at an early stage.

Causes of pathology

There are many reasons contributing to the occurrence of the pathological processes in question in the body.

As mentioned above, there are three main reasons that provoke the development of infectious processes inside the body. Which ones, we will consider in the following table.

Table 1. The main causes of infectious diseases

Bacteria	Toxins	Viruses
Bacteria that enter the gastrointestinal tract can provoke infection and entail all the negative consequences of this process. This group includes names such as: cholera; typhoid fever; salmonellosis; staphylococcus; escherichiosis; other bacteria, of which there are many more than indicated in this short list.	Toxins mainly enter the body with spoiled food, however, they can also enter in other ways, sometimes causing the most severe infectious diseases. These include poisons such as: botulism; other harmful substances that poison the human body.	Among other things, viruses, such as: enterovirus; rotavirus; other names.

As you can see, as many as three categories of reasons can provoke infectious processes in the intestines, none of which goes away without serious consequences. As a rule, almost all pathogens that penetrate the intestines are resistant to various negative the effects of the internal defense systems of the human body, and they are also not afraid of the aggressive external environment.

Since a sick person, or a person who has already recovered, but has retained the status of a carrier, secretes some feces into the environment, pathogenic infectious microbes that are inside are also released outside. Most often we are talking about:

• discharge during bowel movements;
• the release of stomach contents during vomiting;
• urine that is released if desired to empty the bladder.

As we have already said, the vitality of harmful infectious particles is preserved in the external environment. After they have moved into it through the release of various feces and biological body fluids, they get into water, earth, settle on plants or any objects, For example:

• door handles;
• armchairs;
• chairs;
• tables and the like.

The microbes that inhabit the intestines are resistant to low temperatures, however, the one that corresponds to these two parameters is still considered a favorable environment for their development:

• she is warm;
• and wet.

The most suitable medium are dairy products, for example, yoghurts, minced meat, various jelly, plain water, subject to a warm temperature. It is especially pleasant for microbes to multiply in it in warm seasons.

Inside the human body, not suffering from any infectious diseases, harmful pathogens of intestinal pathologies enter directly through the oral cavity when:

• eating food;
• drinking water;
• licking dirty hands;
• biting off nails and the like.

For example, it is easy to get dysentery if you drink warm milk just milked from a cow, in other words, fresh milk. In addition, if from the same milk, without boiling and pasteurization, they prepare sour cream, curd product or, for example, yogurt, then dysentery can be found in you with the same probability a little later.

Poor-quality fermented milk products can also become a "supplier" of infections that enter the body with E. coli. She usually settles and develops well in the following foods:

• kefir;
• yogurt.

Another annoying causative agent of infectious pathologies, salmonella, of which there are more than four hundred units, can get inside the human body through any products of animal and vegetable origin:

• poultry meat and eggs;
• boiled sausage;
• poorly cleaned and washed vegetables;
• poorly washed greens;
• low-quality sausages and similar products.

Once in the mouth, contaminated products, and with them the causative agents of infection, are chewed, then they enter the stomach through the esophagus and there they begin the process of settling along the gastrointestinal tract.

Video - Intestinal infection: what is it?

Signs and symptoms of intestinal infection in adults

It happens that an adult who has been sick with an intestinal infection for a long time does not feel any accompanying symptoms, therefore, does not even suspect that he is sick. However, most often, symptoms manifest themselves immediately.

We present to you a list of the most typical sensations for an intestinal infection, by which you can determine the disease.

Symptom number 1. First of all, there are painful sensations in the peritoneum. A person can rarely determine the exact localization on his own, since usually the stomach hurts completely and quite badly, because bacteria sometimes settle throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract. It is impossible to indicate a specific point of location of pain, however, it can be said that the nature of the discomfort is spasmodic. In other words, your stomach does not constantly ache, but it periodically compresses, as it were, a spasm occurs, the duration of which is from 3 to 5 minutes.

Symptom number 2. In unison with the onset of spasms, loose stools appear. Periodically, it even coincides with the onset of spasmodic attacks of the gastrointestinal tract. Pathogens colonize the intestines and block some of its functions, resulting in diarrhea.

Please note, despite the fact that diarrhea for every person is, in principle, common, this manifestation of the disease should not be underestimated. Coming out of the anus of a person, feces take with them a large amount of fluid, disrupting the water-electrolyte balance in the body and drying it out. It is important to periodically drink clean water and salted water in order to restore the required level of water in the body and reduce the degree of negative consequences.

Symptom number 3.The appetite of a patient with a human intestinal infection also decreases, or disappears altogether. On the one hand, I simply don’t feel like eating, because the intestines give the brain a signal: “I feel bad, I will not be able to cope with food”. On the other hand, a purely psychological factor is at work. If you have diarrhea, for example, the desire to provoke a repetition of bowel movements with food, most likely, will not appear.

Symptom number 4. Instead of diarrhea, constipation may appear, which also will not have a beneficial effect on appetite and general well-being. It is impossible to say unequivocally what awaits you, however, both options are painful. At the same time, it is difficult and constant to run to the toilet, and not be able to go to it. However, in the case of diarrhea, if the opportunity to get dehydrated is stopped in time, the sick have to a little easier, since various toxins are released through the anus without accumulating or stagnating in intestines. In the case of constipation, they remain inside a person, are gradually absorbed into the intestines and contribute to the manifestation of the following symptoms:

• headache;
• allergies;
• weakness and other negative sensations.

In addition, persistently stagnant feces can get lost in fecal stones, long-term presence of which in the intestine leads to the onset of peritonitis.

In the case when worms or other parasites become the cause of the development of an infectious disease, it is most likely the formation of diarrhea, and not constipation.

Symptom number 5. In addition to the manifestations described above, irritable bowel syndrome can also occur. This syndrome includes a number of symptoms that need attention. The danger is that the desired syndrome often occurs in people, while not having a basis in the form of the development of infectious intestinal diseases. This may be the reaction to:

• fatty foods;
• alcohol;
• caffeine.

In other words, it usually manifests itself in those people who eat unbalanced.

In the case of its manifestation against the background of the development of an intestinal infection, it is only one of the sets of symptoms. However, people may not understand this and attribute the stomach irritation to heavy lunch meals.

The symptom of irritable bowel is accompanied by the following sensations of the patient:

• gas formation in the abdomen becomes increased, as a result, bloating occurs;
• flatulence develops, sometimes so pronounced that patients are ashamed to remain in public;
• constipation or diarrhea may occur, or even constipation and diarrhea alternately, replacing each other after each spasm in the peritoneum;
• in the lower part of the peritoneum, severe colic and other painful manifestations of a spasmodic nature will be felt.

It should be noted that irritable bowel syndrome usually manifests itself after the sick person has eaten, while the amount of food is not important. All manifestations, as a rule, end at the moment when the act of defecation takes place.

The pain that occurs with IBS usually resembles the sensations that pregnant women experience during contractions, however, their degree, of course, is reduced. In addition, the pain sometimes goes from spasmodic to aching or stabbing.

Symptom number 6. Among other things, there are intestinal diseases of an infectious etiology and visual symptoms that are found when examining the patient's feces. They take on an unhealthy consistency and tend to become too runny. In the masses, mucous discharge is evident.

Symptom number 7.The person may have an overwhelming need to visit the bathroom and defecate, however, if in some cases it will turn out to be really true, in all others the urge may be false.

A person may feel as if he has not completely emptied his intestines and needs to go to the toilet yet, however, this feeling will also be false.

Symptom number 8. Restless sleep with infectious bowel diseases is common. It can be caused by other symptoms accompanying pathological processes in the body, or it can manifest itself just like insomnia. The fact is that the human mind is unable to make the owner feel what a serious irritating effect an intestinal infection has on the whole organism. In addition, while a person is sleeping, the body tries to remove the toxins that have accumulated in the liver, however, since the gastrointestinal tract does not function well, they get stuck inside the body.

Symptom number 9. In addition, in adults, the work processes in the immune system are disrupted. The fact is that all the nutrients that enter the body with food do not support its functioning due to the fact that they are eaten by bacteria. The body's defense is weakened, anemia develops.

Symptom number 10. During sleep, a person may begin to gnash their teeth. This symptom is very specific, however, it is rarely perceptible, since it is customary to sleep at night.

Symptom number 11. Infectious processes in the intestines also lead to the development of depression and headaches. Most often, these symptoms accompany the so-called yeast infection, which affects adults.

If headaches are atypical for you, or if you tolerate them too badly, do not delay or wait for it to go away on its own. Better go to the doctor for an examination, describe to him that you feel not only pain in your head, but also discomfort in the peritoneum, otherwise you will undergo a large number of unnecessary examinations and the situation get worse.

Symptom number 12. On the skin of a person, inside the intestines of which an infection has settled, various rashes can crawl out. At the same time, many of them will be accompanied by itching of such force that you will want to tear the skin to blood. Instead of scabies, a burning sensation can also "come out", also unpleasantly aggravating the patient's well-being.

Symptom number 13.Nausea and vomiting will also accompany the development of infectious processes in the intestines. However, it does not necessarily have to go to emptying the stomach through the esophagus, however, this is usually what happens.

Signs of intestinal infections in children

The reasons for the formation of infectious processes in the element of the gastrointestinal tract under consideration coincide with those that we named for adults. We are talking about the defeat of the organ by various pathogenic organisms that create the disease.

The main damage during their settlement is caused by the digestive tract, the body's reaction to toxins occurs. Children develop more acute symptoms than adults, and they appear unexpectedly for everyone. At first, some lethargy is seen in the behavior of the kids, then appetite begins to decrease. After children begin to pursue frequent headaches and finally, intoxication manifests itself as an increase in temperature.

The danger of this set of symptoms is as follows: they are all characteristic of an acute respiratory illness, which, as you know, is not at all associated with intestinal problems, but with inflammatory processes in the respiratory ways. Here are vigilant parents and begin to feed children with the appearance of the first symptoms with drugs that do not have the proper effect on intestinal infections. Meanwhile, the pathological processes are only progressing.

After a while, the children vomit, the stomach begins to ache and shrink in spasms. This is accompanied by diarrhea or constipation (most often diarrhea). The kid feels a constant chill.

Acute intestinal infection

Acute infections inside the intestines feel somewhat different from calm pathologies. They are also caused by a variety of disease-causing agents.

The manifestation of acute infections begins abruptly, as a rule, the patient begins to have a serious fever. Dehydration develops rapidly, so it is important to periodically solder the sick person with clean and salted water.

It is especially difficult to transfer an acute infection to children and people who have reached retirement age. The fact is that their immunity (even already) does not work well enough for the body to fight against pathogens.

The incubation period for such pathologies can range from 5 to 48 hours. Salmonellosis, for example, manifests an acute form unexpectedly sharply, it is preceded by only uncomfortable sensations in the peritoneum.

Being in this state, a person feels the whole range of the most negative symptoms, which are very difficult to endure:

• he quickly weakens, becomes apathetic;
• dizziness begins, accompanied by nausea, then vomiting opens, which can be repeated very often;
• the patient's temperature rises to 39 ° C or more;
• the stomach begins to ache, the pain is not aching, but acute spasmodic;
• diarrhea opens, feces come out very abundantly, their consistency is watery, the color is usually greenish.

If you find that the symptoms that you or your loved one are experiencing coincide with those listed in the list above, we hasten to assure you: you need to urgently go to the hospital.

Hospitalization is necessary, it is better that it takes place in the early stages, since the consequences of the development of an intestinal infection can be very different. It transforms into a host of other diseases and, in the end, will cause the development of irreversible consequences, for example, necrosis.

Very often, doctors find intestinal diseases of an infectious etiology in infants. As you can imagine, for them the disease, in the absence of an immediate reaction, is most likely to be fatal. Therefore, if you suddenly notice the following symptoms, immediately show the child to an infectious disease specialist:

• green feces of liquid consistency;
• high fever;
• weakness.

Your baby will most likely cry loudly and will not let you relax until he receives treatment appropriate to the situation to relieve tummy discomfort and other symptoms.

Rotavirus infection

Rotavirus infections are popularly called a much more prosaic name: intestinal flu. This form of the disease has, as the name implies, a viral etiology. A person becomes infected, as we have already said, through the oral cavity, taking food or water inside. Malicious microorganisms can already be in food or settle on the hands of a potential patient, and then, when biting nails and gnawing hands, get through the esophagus into the gastrointestinal tract.

The disease begins to develop only after bacteria enter the small intestine and settle on the mucous membranes. Due to this, the intensity of peristalsis increases, which subsequently provokes nausea. This is also the basis for the occurrence of vomiting and diarrhea.

The disease begins to manifest itself even before the viruses create "offspring", the amount of which will be enough to irritate the intestines.

The incubation of the noxious infectious intestinal flu lasts for about 5 days.

Rotavirus infection most often affects children who do not know how to comply with basic hygiene requirements until a certain age. In other words, after going to the toilet, children rarely wash their hands and then stick to each other, or play with shared toys. After that, with the same dirty hands, they control the food that was served to them in kindergarten, school, or at home. That is why rotavirus infection is most often widespread and simultaneously captures entire kindergartens, schools and institutions of additional education.

Effective treatment

Many people think that when an intestinal infection occurs, it is enough to just kill the pathogens that have settled inside the body. However, this view is categorized as absolutely wrong. In addition to destroying microbes, a sick person will have to remove toxic substances formed during the development of the disease from the body, as well as eliminate dehydration.

That is why, doctors do not advise taking pills that suppress vomiting and nausea during illness, as well as stool-strengthening drugs. The fact is that these mechanisms naturally work to remove toxins and allow them to continue vital. Of course, the lack of fluid and electrolytes in the body should be replenished in time.

During hospitalization, the consequences of intestinal infection, such as the accumulation of toxins, are not complete without washing the inner space of the intestine with an enema.

In addition, it is necessary to take adsorbing drugs during treatment, the most effective of them are the good old medicines that mothers give us since childhood:

• "Smecta";
• "Activated carbon";
• "Polysorb" and other similar drugs.

With the development of an intestinal infection, patients should sit on fasting, this is useful and necessary in view of that food can create favorable conditions for the growth and reproduction of disease-causing microorganisms.

It is best to eat coarse cereals, like wild rice and oatmeal, it is advisable not to add salt. They have a beneficial effect on intestinal motility, calming it down.

It is preferable to restore the electrolyte balance by dissolving drugs in water:

• rehydron;
• begidron.

These are soluble electrolytes, thanks to which the water-salt balance in the body is restored. Several sips of the solution should be taken every ten minutes. At the same time, do not forget to drink clean water, it is also necessary for the body to flush out the toxins left by microbes.

It is also recommended to take as a drink:

• warm herbal teas;
• compotes made from dried fruits.

It is not recommended to take antimicrobial drugs in the early stages. It is best to wait a while, it may be possible to cope with the infection in other ways, while not destroying the intestinal microflora and not creating conditions for irritation.

It is best not to take antibiotics on your own, it is best to discuss with your doctor whether it is worth drinking them. If a doctor recommends, then yes, start drinking antimicrobials immediately.

Self-medication should be especially careful in the acute stage of the development of an infectious disease localized in the intestine. If you vomit severely, the medicine may not make it to its destination and will be expelled along with the contents of the stomach.

Treatment of the disease in children

The most important danger that lies in wait for children with the development of an intestinal infection in their body is the fact that parents do not want to know the causes of unpleasant symptoms, but try to influence them termination.

Having wiped out the clinical picture in this way, parents forget how it all began, in addition, they prevent natural cleansing processes that remove toxins, such as:

• vomit;
• diarrhea.

As a result, the infection spreads much faster, taking active forms, filling the entire body with harmful toxins.

Instead of stopping vomiting and diarrhea, it is better for parents to provoke them, for example, to drink the child with plenty of cold water, periodically drinking a solution, such as rehydron, to them.

Eating during an intestinal infection

If the disease has taken a mild form, then it is not necessary to transfer the patient to starvation, you can simply enter a light diet, for example, eat unsalted rice or oatmeal porridge.

If the disease has taken the form of moderate severity, then it is necessary to reduce food by 50% of the usual volume, however, food should be ingested about 5-8 times in one day.

If an intestinal infection has developed in infants whose age does not reach 4 full months, it is necessary to exclude fermented milk mixtures from their diet.

When the infection has struck the body and has taken an acute form, infants and young children eat formula, enriched with various biological additives, bacteria that create a positive microflora in intestines.

Adults in acute form are either transferred to complete starvation, or are simply excluded from the diet:

• bakery products made from any flour;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• fruits classified as citrus;
• beets and products with their content;
• fat meat;
• broths from meat and fish.

Let's summarize

As you can see, infectious bowel diseases are a process that is very difficult for the body to tolerate. You should listen to the symptoms and all signs of the manifestation of the disease, consult a doctor in time.

Prevention of infections developing in the intestines is necessary. It usually involves the observance of basic hygiene rules, such as:

• washing hands after going to the toilet;
• washing hands before eating food;
• thorough cleaning and washing of products before use.

In addition, you must follow the simplest nutritional rules:

• do not eat confectionery products during hot summer periods;
• store meat and fish either in the refrigerator or in the freezer;
• eat only fresh food, discarding stale ingredients;
• boil water before drinking;
• buy milk either pasteurized or boil it yourself.

Intestinal infection can develop in the gastrointestinal tract, not only in adults, but also in children. Do not treat yourself at home on your own, pay close attention to the prescriptions of your doctor, and soon your health will fully recover.