Course of disease
The course of the disease in case of diarrhea after eating also varies depending on the cause. With spoiled food, the symptoms appear suddenly shortly after eating, they initially become stronger and subside within a few days. Food intolerances also lead to sudden diarrhoea and often to stomach aches.
They last for a few hours and then disappear until the food is eaten again. In the case of diseases of the bile and pancreas, bowel movements change over the course of several weeks or even several months. In contrast, acute obstruction of the bile ducts is more likely to cause sudden pain without any diarrhea at all after eating.
Treatment of diarrhea after meals
The treatment of diarrhea after meals varies depending on the underlying cause. For example, food intolerances are often best treated by completely avoiding the foods in question. For example, people who are gluten intolerant should avoid products containing gluten.
If you are lactose intolerant, avoiding dairy products also helps, but you can also take lactase tablets from the pharmacy. These contain the enzyme lactase, which can break down the milk sugar lactose and is not produced by the body in people with lactose intolerance. Depending on the amount of dairy products you consume, a certain dose of lactase tablets can relieve the symptoms and help digest the dairy products.
If, on the other hand, the diarrhoea is caused by an enzyme deficiency due to diseases of the pancreas or bile, the underlying disease should be treated first. In both organs, stones that settle in the excretory ducts are a common cause of acute symptoms. In this case, the stones can be removed with a small wire during a gastroscopy, which can improve the symptoms within a short time. In the case of chronic diseases of these organs, however, the missing enzymes must be supplied with medication. The enzymes of the pancreas should, for example, always be taken at the same time as food in case of hypofunction.
