In dysbacteria, the natural bacterial flora in the intestine, oral cavity, skin or vagina is disturbed. Disturbances of the bacterial flora often lead to diseases that can affect the entire organism.
What is dysbacteria?
Every higher organism lives in symbiosis with microorganisms. This symbiosis proves beneficial to both the organism in question and the bacterial flora. The necessary nutrients are offered to the bacterial cultures and they provide vital bioactive substances for it, such as vitamin B12 by intestinal bacteria. It must be said that an appropriate bacterial flora always contains both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria. In a healthy organism, however, the beneficial bacteria dominate over the potentially harmful ones. If this balance is shifted in favor of the harmful bacteria, we speak of dysbacteria. Dysbacteria occur mainly in the intestine, vagina and oral cavity.
Causes
There are many causes of dysbacteria. The basis for the shift in the balance in the bacterial flora lies in the different requirements of the individual bacterial species for the environment. For example, the PH value, the oxygen content, the food supply, but also various toxins play a role in disadvantaging certain bacteria, but promoting others. A low PH value favors the occurrence of dysbacteria in the intestine with a preference for coliform bacteria. The changes in the environment of the intestine are often triggered by improper nutrition, other diseases or by administration of antibiotics. In the oral cavity, in addition to other diseases, improper oral and dental hygiene often leads to dysbacteria. The causes of bacterial vaginosis are, in addition to frequent sexual intercourse, excessive vaginal hygiene, antibiotic administration or foreign bodies.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
Dysbacteria is usually associated with various complaints and symptoms in the stomach and intestines. In this case, the affected person suffers from severe discomfort during digestion, so that flatulence or constipation may occur. In some cases, however, dysbacteria also leads to diarrhea and significantly limits the quality of life of the affected person. In many cases, those affected also suffer from abdominal pain or stomach ache, and it is not uncommon for nausea or vomiting to occur. Furthermore, without treatment, there are permanent digestive disorders, so that those affected suffer from deficiency symptoms. The body is also not detoxified properly, so that in some cases the symptoms of poisoning can occur. Frequently, women with dysbacteria suffer from discomfort in the vagina, where fungi can form. This causes a very unpleasant itching and reddening of the vagina. The itching can also occur at the anus and reduce the patient’s quality of life. In many cases, those affected seem irritable due to the permanent discomfort or suffer from psychological upsets and depression.
Course
Dysbacteria are often triggers of various diseases. Especially a dysbacteria in the intestine, also called dysbiosis, can cause systemic disorders in the body. For example, some coliform bacteria produce toxins that initially cause digestive disorders in the intestine. If the dysbacteria then persists for a longer period of time, the intestinal mucosa is destroyed and the toxins formed can penetrate further into the body. The body reacts with immunological counter-reactions, which manifest themselves in inflammations, allergies, rheumatic complaints and last but not least also in cardiovascular diseases. Dysbacteria in the oral cavity and in the vagina also produce toxic substances that ultimately damage the entire organism.
Complications
Dysbacteria can cause various diseases that may be accompanied by complications. Most often, however, the symptoms manifest themselves in the area of the stomach and abdomen. There is increased pain and flatulence. For the patient, an ordinary everyday life is no longer possible and the quality of life decreases considerably due to the painful flatulence. Diseases of the whole organism can occur. The toxins cause lasting damage to the intestinal mucosa, and it cannot be ruled out that the toxin spreads throughout the entire body.This leads to inflammation, which can occur in the lungs, for example, or affect the cardiovascular system. Often there is also diarrhea and a generally weakened immune system of the patient. The treatment is usually carried out by means of intestinal cleansing. Usually there are no further complications or complaints afterwards. However, the intestinal cleansing itself takes several weeks. During this time, the patient must follow a strict diet and is severely restricted in his or her food intake. It cannot be ruled out that the dysbacteria may reoccur in the patient. Increased use of antibiotics may cause dysbacteria to recur.
When should you go to the doctor?
Dysbacteria does not always require medical treatment. In many people, the bacterial flora is disturbed during or shortly after treatment with antibiotics, because these drugs cannot distinguish between beneficial bacteria and harmful pathogens. However, the bacterial flora of healthy adults usually recovers from a disturbance caused by antibiotics by itself at the latest after discontinuation of the medication. Many sufferers are helped during this time by taking probiotic supplements. Women can prevent excessive yeast colonization of the vagina by using lactic acid suppositories. However, a doctor should always be consulted if the symptoms of dysbacteria persist or worsen. A disturbed intestinal flora makes itself felt through flatulence, diarrhea, constipation and a feeling of fullness. An occasional occurrence of such symptoms is usually harmless, but anyone who notices these signs over a longer period of time or recurring at short intervals should consult a doctor. In women, disturbed bacterial flora in the vagina leads to itching, a color-changed, often foul-smelling discharge and pain during urination. In these cases, a gynecologist should be consulted promptly for advice. If the oral flora is disturbed, this is usually manifested by small inflammations in the oral cavity, a heavily coated tongue and bad breath. Anyone who often suffers from such symptoms should see a dentist.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment of a dysbacteria should be shown mainly by the example of the intestine, because the intestine has the greatest influence on the immune system of all organs, namely 80 percent. If persistent health problems occur, such as diarrhea, flatulence and constant infections for a longer period of time, a stool examination should clarify which bacteria are present in the intestine and whether undigested remains are still present. After the diagnosis of dysbacteria has been made, comprehensive intestinal rehabilitation is recommended. The intestinal rehabilitation takes place in two steps. First, the intestine must be fundamentally cleansed of existing ballast. There are various methods and remedies for intestinal cleansing. The treatment depends on the respective symptoms. It is quite possible that an antimycotic therapy must also be carried out. The intestinal cleansing is carried out in the course of a cure lasting several weeks. After the intestinal cleansing, the actual intestinal rehabilitation begins, which again takes several weeks. Here, too, there are several procedures. During intestinal cleansing, lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (lactic acid-forming germs) are administered in high doses. The administration of other bacteria is also possible. As a further step, the physiological bacteria are fed with such oligosaccharides as inulin or oligofructose to stimulate them to multiply. The diet is changed to a low-fat and high-fiber diet during the course of treatment.
Outlook and prognosis
Dysbacteria has a good prognosis. In many patients, taking antibiotics causes an imbalance in the bacterial flora, which regulates itself a short time later. After stopping the medication, the body needs a few days to weeks to heal the disease. Neither medical care nor control examinations are necessary, as the organism establishes a natural balance of bacterial flora. Patients suffering from symptoms caused by dysbacteria receive medical treatment. Within a few days there is already an improvement and after a few weeks the dysbacteria is completely cured. Depending on the localization of the dysbacteria, different measures are taken.Recommended is often a cleaning of the organism at the beginning, so that the existing ballast can be removed from the body. Subsequently, the necessary bacteria are built up with various procedures until a balance is present. Normally, the patient is symptom-free after a few weeks. Dysbacteria can recur at any time. The prognosis outlook remains favorable in case of recurrence. Problems and obstacles occur in patients who suffer from a serious underlying disease. Once this has an impact on the bacterial flora, there may be a prolonged healing path or bacterial buildup occurs continuously in long-term therapy.
Prevention
A health-conscious behavior can prevent the development of dysbacteria. As a general rule, antibiotics should be administered as little as possible. However, a healthy, balanced, low-fat diet is also important for intestinal health. To prevent bacterial vaginosis, one of the things that should be avoided is excessive vaginal hygiene. Dysbacteria in the oral cavity can best be prevented by comprehensive oral and dental hygiene.
Aftercare
In the case of dysbacteria, treatment by a physician must be the first priority. Measures of aftercare are available to the affected person in this disease in most cases only very limited. In this context, a very early diagnosis is particularly important in order to prevent lasting and, above all, irreversible damage to the intestine. Early detection and treatment of dysbacteria significantly reduces the likelihood of various complications or other complaints. For this reason, a doctor should be consulted at the first symptoms or signs of the disease. In most cases, dysbacteria requires cleansing of the intestines. This takes place through various measures and lasts several weeks. During this time, the affected person should not eat any food that is difficult to digest, whereby the exact diet should be discussed with a doctor. The intake of various probiotic agents can also alleviate and limit the symptoms. If the symptoms of dysbacteria continue to occur even after the intestines have been cleansed, a visit to an internist and further examinations are usually necessary. Whether the disease limits or reduces the patient’s life expectancy cannot be universally predicted in this regard.
Here’s what you can do yourself
If dysbacteria is suspected, the first step should be to consult a physician. After the condition has been diagnosed, medical treatment can be initiated. Various self-help measures and home remedies support this treatment. The first thing to do in the case of dysbacteria is to rest in bed and change the diet. Typical accompanying symptoms such as diarrhea and flatulence can be alleviated by a gentle diet. It is best to avoid flatulent or particularly spicy or irritating foods, as these can further damage the strained intestinal walls. In most cases, the doctor will recommend the consumption of laxative foods. Foods and drinks such as sauerkraut or apple juice support intestinal cleansing and help to flush out the existing ballast quickly and without complications. Since this process is associated with a loss of fluids and nutrients, plenty of fluids should also be drunk. In case of deficiency symptoms, it is advisable to take nutritional supplements. Women should also refrain from excessive vaginal hygiene to avoid the development of bacterial vaginosis. In case of an existing dysbacteria of the intestine, it is recommended to avoid irritating care products. Dysbacteria in the oral cavity can be treated by comprehensive oral and dental hygiene. Medical clarification and treatment is necessary in any case of dysbacteria.
