Enteritis: symptoms and treatment in adults. Why does the disease occur

When the intestinal mucosa undergoes dystrophic changes, as a result of which intestinal dysfunction is observed, enteritis is diagnosed. Typical symptoms in this case are: diarrhea, pain in the umbilical region, bloating. The general state of health of the patient deteriorates significantly, there is a rapid weight loss. With complications of the disease, adrenal insufficiency occurs.

A little about the disease

This disease is defined as a whole group of inflammatory ailments that affect the intestinal mucosa. Basically, enteritis develops as a result of an infectious intestinal lesion (parasites, viruses).

In medical practice, there are two forms of the disease along the course: acute and chronic. The development of the chronic form is due to the lack of treatment for acute enteritis, or an incompletely cured disease. The following can predispose to the development of the disease:

• dysfunction of the enzymatic system;
  

  Essential enzymes may not be produced in sufficient quantities

• autoimmune diseases;
• metabolic disease;
  

  Metabolic scheme

• problems with the digestive process.

Causes

Acute enteritis occurs primarily. Its development can be provoked by:

• intestinal, viral, or bacterial infection;
  

  Gastrointestinal infection is one of the causes of enteritis

• exposure to a substance harmful to the body;
• ingestion of poisonous products (for example, mushrooms, berries) into the stomach;
  

  The ingress of toxic substances into the intestines leads to enteritis

• regular consumption of fatty foods, alcohol;
• an allergic reaction to drugs or food.
  

  Enteritis can be caused by food allergies

Chronic enteritis develops as a result of the vital activity of helminths in the intestines, under the influence of smoking and frequent use of alcohol, exposure to hazardous substances or heavy metals (consequences of occupational work).

Reference! Very often, enteritis is diagnosed after a long course of drug treatment, as well as with radiation sickness.

Factors provoking enteritis

1. Long-term smoking.
   

   Smoking is a frequent provocateur of the disease

2. Renal failure
3. The body's tendency to allergic reactions.
   

   Allergic reactions are often accompanied by the development of enteritis

4. Consequences of autoimmune processes.
5. Atherosclerosis.
   

   Stages of atherosclerosis

6. The consequence of surgical intervention.

Note! Depending on the root cause, the postoperative, parasitic, radiation type of this disease is distinguished.

Symptoms

The first symptom of enteritis is diarrhea. Patients then complain of nausea, which causes vomiting.

Painful sensations in the abdomen are observed. Additional symptoms include fever and headaches.

Specific signs of enteritis:

• bowel movements up to seven times a day;
  

  Frequent urge to defecate

• watery stools with typical odor;
• white plaque on the surface of the tongue;
  

  An uncharacteristic white coating appears on the tongue

• dryness and pallor of the skin;
• general weakness of the body;
  

  There is a general breakdown

• bloating.

If diarrhea persists for a long period of time, then clinical signs of dehydration are diagnosed. Complications lead to a convulsive state, a syndrome of disseminated blood coagulation.

Attention! For the chronic form of the disease, enteral symptoms are typical. It includes: flatulence, pain in the umbilical region, the process of bubbling in the abdomen, diarrhea.

Most often, the symptoms become pronounced in the second half of the day, it is during this period that the active work of the digestive system is observed.

Chair characteristics

It is very important to pay attention to the stool, because the diagnosis is also made by its characteristics. Fecal masses with enteritis are liquid, sometimes mushy interspersed with undigested food.

The frequency of bowel movements per day is more than five times. Such frequent bowel movements lead to complete exhaustion of the patient, there is a general weakness of the body with signs of dehydration. After increased diarrhea, blood pressure may decrease, tachycardia and tremors of the upper and lower extremities may appear.

Carefully! Limb tremors can result in collapse.

In rare cases, there is a frequent urge to defecate with a spasmodic state of the abdomen, while watery feces of a greenish color are released.

Additional signs

When examining the patient's tongue, there is a strong white coating. The surface of the tongue is so coated with plaque that teeth imprints can be seen along the edges.

In addition to visual signs, attention should be paid to severe bloating. During palpation of the cecum, a splash occurs. This symptom in medical practice is defined as Obraztsov's symptom.

If we talk about extraintestinal signs, then it is worth noting the malabsorption syndrome. It implies the pathological absorption of essential substances in the intestines that enter the body. Thus, nutrients are not fully absorbed, hypovitaminosis and iron deficiency anemia occur. Protein starvation of the body is not excluded.

This is dangerous! The complexity of the disease lies in the fact that body weight begins to decrease very quickly, up to a dystrophic state. It is very difficult to restore the normal state of the body.

Diagnostics

At the consultation, the gastroenterologist collects anamnesis, finds out all the points of the patient's symptoms. Then he palpates the abdominal region and conducts percussion of the peritoneal wall. These actions are quite enough for the primary diagnosis.

This is followed by the second stage - complex diagnostics. First of all, it is necessary to conduct a coprogram. By means of microscopic studies, they find out the quantitative indicator of muscle fibers, fat in feces. In pathological conditions, the acid-base level undergoes changes.

Functional tests are taken. They confirm a violation of the absorption process.

Reference! Using the jejunoperfusion technique, intestinal problems are determined at the molecular level.

Since the root cause of the development of enteritis may be an intestinal infection, bacteriological studies of feces are necessary. In addition, a biochemical blood test is mandatory. Thanks to him, the symptoms of malabsorption syndrome, leukocytosis are determined.

The complex diagnostics includes an X-ray examination. A contrast agent is injected into the intestine. Thus, a pathological change in the structure is revealed. Also, X-ray examination reveals the presence of ulcerative lesions of the intestine, tumor-like formations.

Treatment methods

Depending on the form in which the disease proceeds, the course of therapy is determined. It is categorically contraindicated to independently select medicines and, in the absence of therapy, block the pain syndrome of the umbilical zone with anesthetic drugs. Self-medication can have serious life-threatening consequences.

Table. Enteritis treatment

Acute enteritis

Chronic enteritis

This form of enteritis is eliminated only in a hospital. Depending on the reason for which the ailment was provoked, separation is determined. The patient is prescribed a specific diet (the basis of the diet provides for a minimum amount of fat and carbohydrates), bed rest (any physical activity is completely excluded), hydration therapy. The general course of treatment is prescribed by the doctor, based on the clinical picture of the patient.

If there was an exacerbation of this form of enteritis, then the patient is also referred for inpatient treatment. First of all, they switch to dietary food Table No. 4 (according to Pevzner). Only the minimum amount of carbohydrates and fats should be present in the diet. On the contrary, you need to give preference to foods rich in protein. To stimulate absorption, the doctor selects a therapeutic treatment (necessarily containing nitrates). Additionally, protective agents are prescribed (in this case, milk thistle extract is perfect. If the digestive system needs enzymes, then use "Festal" (one tablet up to four times a day), "Pancreatin" (one gram of the drug up to three times a day). It is imperative to suppress the active motility of the intestines, for this use "Loperamide" (the regimen is determined by the doctor).

Recommendations! Astringent and absorbent medications are needed to stabilize diarrhea.

Varieties of enteritis by etiology

Table. Types of enteritis

Allergic	When an allergen provocateur enters the body, an allergic reaction occurs due to enteritis.
Ischemic	The disease develops against the background of dysfunction of the process of supplying blood to the small intestine.
Toxic	The disease is observed after exposure to the body of heavy metals, medicines, radiation.
Infectious	Enteritis occurs subsequently when a viral, fungal or bacterial infection enters the body.

Phytotherapy is used as a treatment and preventive measure. It has a good effect on the body with enteritis St. John's wort, chamomile, alder cones.

It is very important to draw the patient's attention that the acute and chronic form, if properly prescribed treatment, ends with the elimination of the disease.

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