Definition
By definition, diarrhoea is a change in stool behaviour that is associated with an increased stool frequency. In this case, the bowel movement must occur more than three times a day. In addition, diarrhoea is usually accompanied by a change in the consistency of the bowel movement.
In most cases, the form of the bowel movement is softer or even liquid. Intestinal cramps are cramp-like tensions of the smooth muscles of the intestine. This musculature is responsible for the transport of food through the intestine. Due to faulty regulation, this can lead to prolonged tension and thus to intestinal cramps. If the two symptoms occur in combination, they are called intestinal cramps with diarrhoea.
The causes
Bowel cramps and diarrhoea can have many causes. Especially when they occur together, a pronounced irritation of the digestive system can be assumed. The causes of the complaints can be divided into inflammatory and non-inflammatory causes.
Inflammatory causes can be divided into infectious and non-infectious triggers. Pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites are among the infectious causes that can trigger intestinal cramps and diarrhoea. Other inflammatory diseases such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease are also associated with bowel cramps and diarrhoea.
However, these are inflammations caused by autoimmune processes. The immune system develops antibodies against its own body and thereby triggers inflammation. Other causes of the complaints can be food intolerances, for example. This leads to an excessive reaction of the body to the food components of certain foods. Through various processes, this leads to an imbalance in digestion and can thus trigger intestinal cramps with diarrhoea.
Other accompanying symptoms
Symptoms of diseases of the digestive tract include not only intestinal cramps with diarrhoea but also other complaints such as flatulence, nausea and vomiting. Inflammatory diseases can also cause fever and fatigue, as well as reduced performance and fatigue and exhaustion. Diarrhoea is also frequently accompanied by changes in the consistency, colour and odour of the bowel movements.
Fever is a symptom that generally indicates an inflammation in the body or the activity of the immune system. Fever therefore quickly develops when there are complaints in the digestive tract. Especially pronounced fevers occur with infectious diseases.
Since the body has to deal with new pathogens in this case, the immune system is activated particularly strongly and moderate to high fever can develop. Chronic intestinal inflammation can also be accompanied by recurrent fever. The disease often occurs in relapses, usually accompanied by acute worsening of the intestinal cramps and diarrhoea.
Vomiting occasionally occurs in conjunction with intestinal cramps and diarrhoea. Usually vomiting is accompanied by previous nausea. Typically, vomiting is a protective mechanism of the digestive system, as harmful substances can be excreted before a thorough digestion.
Vomiting is a typical sign of spoiled food or infection with intestinal bacteria, viruses or, rarely, parasites. Nausea and vomiting during intestinal cramps with diarrhoea can also occur with food intolerances. Stomach cramps usually have a similar origin to intestinal cramps, so the symptoms often go hand in hand.
Stomach cramps cause the muscles of the stomach to tense up. In contrast to the intestines, the muscles are not only responsible for transporting food, but also play an important role in the first mixing of the food with digestive juices. Stomach cramps, like intestinal cramps with diarrhoea, often have an infectious cause.
Chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases, on the other hand, are often restricted to the intestine. Pronounced stomach cramps can also indicate bleeding in the stomach or esophagus, usually accompanied by severe nausea and vomiting. In bloody diarrhoea, a distinction is made between two different sources of bleeding.
If there is a particularly dark (dark brown to black) discoloration of the bowel movement, it is often blood that has already been digested. In this case the source of bleeding is in the upper sections of the digestive tract (stomach, esophagus), so that the blood comes into contact with the strong stomach acid. This oxidises it and gives it its dark colour.
If, on the other hand, bloody diarrhoea appears in the form of light red deposits on the stool, it is usually bleeding in lower sections of the intestine. Common causes are injuries to the mucous membranes of the large intestine and rectum. Possible triggers can be infectious diseases or inflammations in the intestine. Blood in the stool with diarrhoea?
