Again and again, people of different ages and genders suffer from inflammatory processes in the intestines, which is colloquially called enteritis, as it were. Many people suffer this condition more frequently in their lives.
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease, which like all inflammatory diseases is denoted by the suffix -itis, occurs in the intestines. Inflammatory bowel disease, also referred to by the names inflammatory or infectious or noninfectious bowel disease, or medically accurately as enteritis, primarily affects the small intestine within the complex intestinal structure. When the stomach is involved in small bowel inflammation (enteritis), it is referred to as gastroenteritis. If the large intestine is also affected by the inflammatory impairments in an intestinal inflammation, then the term enterocolitis is characteristic. In the divergent courses of intestinal inflammation, both the acute and chronic, infectious and noninfectious forms are typical.
Causes
Acute enteritis is caused by various disease-causing microorganisms such as bacterial species, viruses, animal parasites, and fungal forms. In this context, both salmonella and fungi may be found in acute enteritis. These are particularly present in physically weak patients with reduced immune defenses. Inflammation of the intestine can also be the result of treatment for cancer in the course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Allergens, as it were, are a possible cause of intestinal inflammation. Chronic inflammation of the intestine is called Crohn’s disease and arises from genetic defects, an overload of the psyche and other triggers that have not yet been sufficiently researched.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Inflammatory bowel disease can manifest itself through various signs of illness. For example, depending on the cause of the disease and the patient’s constitution, symptoms include nausea and vomiting. The gastrointestinal complaints occur a few days after the disease and usually in intervals. Thus, the affected person may be symptom-free at first, but suffer from severe stomach pain and diarrhea the next day. In enteritis, the pain often occurs together with diarrhea, which is the typical sign of intestinal inflammation. In addition, stomach cramps may occur, which often radiate to the chest area and usually last several minutes to hours. Calf cramps and twitching are also typical. Fever may also occur. It is usually manifested by sweating, circulatory problems and an increasing feeling of malaise. In addition, those affected often experience severe fatigue and listlessness. The loss of fluids leads to circulatory problems, dehydration and other complications. In severe cases, circulatory collapse occurs. Chronic illness can lead to discomfort during bowel movements. Some patients suffer from temporary incontinence or constipation. In the long term, intestinal inflammation also has a negative effect on the mental state of those affected, causing depression and anxiety, for example.
Course
The respective signs of the disease of intestinal inflammation occur in a different intensity and duration depending on the causes and the physical conditions of the affected person. Classic features of intestinal inflammation are initially general complaints such as nausea, more or less frequent vomiting, and cramp-like pain in the intestines and abdomen. The pain usually occurs at the same time as diarrhea in inflammatory bowel disease or enteritis. Diarrhea is also considered a basic sign of intestinal inflammation. As the disease progresses, patients affected by enteritis may suffer from fever, and general weakness. Circulatory problems due to dehydration or dehydration and an imbalance in acid-base balance occur as a result of the severe loss of water. These conditions can lead to circulatory collapse and life-threatening conditions if the inflammatory bowel disease is not treated. The is especially feared in debilitated people such as children and the elderly with enteritis.
When should you go to the doctor?
Persistent pain over several days in the abdomen is considered unusual and should be clarified. If the complaints spread or increase in intensity, a visit to the doctor is necessary.If diarrhea occurs repeatedly, although the food intake was balanced, rich in vitamins and low in fat, further examinations should be performed by a physician. If additional symptoms occur, such as vomiting, cramps or fever, a visit to the doctor must be made. If everyday activities can no longer be performed as usual due to the symptoms, there is cause for concern. If the affected person suffers from general weakness as well as lack of energy for several days, he needs medical care. It is always advisable to consult a physician before taking over-the-counter medications. This is the only way to ensure that no further undesirable complications occur. If the person affected avoids eating meals due to the symptoms or if an unusual weight loss develops, there is a risk of further illnesses. In order to prevent an undersupply of the organism or an eating disorder, a doctor is needed. In many cases, a change in behavior can be noticed in the affected person. An increased irritability, inner restlessness or restlessness are noticed by the people around. A physician should be consulted because inflammation often has a high risk of infection and spread.
Treatment and therapy
Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease is primarily concerned with reducing the signs of the disease. In addition to various medications, which mainly include antibiotics, an appropriate diet and the abundant intake of fluids containing minerals should achieve an early cure. Medications against the persistent diarrhea are also announced for the inflammation of the intestine. If the patients feel unable to eat and drink due to the physical weakening and persistent vomiting, then infusions are also used for intestinal inflammation. Numerous drug administrations are also required to reduce the risk of threatening conditions. In this context, drugs stabilizing the circulation, preventing thrombosis as well as embolism are important for blood thinning in intestinal inflammation. Patients suffering from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, receive specific therapy to alleviate the symptoms that occur in episodes. In addition to effective medications, this includes a special diet and the avoidance of ingredients in foods that promote intestinal inflammation. Frequently, in addition to the treatment methods relevant to orthodox medicine, alternative healing methods are recommended primarily for chronic intestinal inflammation or after intestinal inflammation caused by cancer treatment.
Outlook and prognosis
Normally, the prognosis of inflammatory bowel disease is favorable. With drug treatment, relief of symptoms is established within a few days. After 1-2 weeks, freedom from symptoms is achieved. In most cases, the inflammation is caused by the novovirus. This dies off after a short time. If the immune system is intact, the health condition also improves without medical treatment. However, the healing process is prolonged. If the intestinal inflammation is triggered by a mild food poisoning, the symptoms may disappear within a few hours. Usually, the affected person feels unwell for 1-2 days until complete recovery occurs afterwards. In the case of severe food poisoning, a life-threatening condition may be present. Immediate treatment is necessary to ensure the patient’s survival. If the patient has amoebic dysentery, recovery includes several weeks. If an allergic reaction is present, the inflammation regresses with the absence of the irritant trigger. Often, improvement occurs within a few hours or days. If the cause of the intestinal inflammation is radiation initiated within a cancer therapy, regeneration of the intestinal activity occurs only after the end of the therapy period. The healing process takes several months in these patients.
Prevention
A variety of preventive measures are helpful in avoiding the debilitating diarrhea and vomiting associated with inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, appropriate hygienic measures and reducing the infestation of food with the microorganisms and fungi that cause inflammation provide good prevention.In order to avoid infecting people suffering from infectious enteritis, special regulations relating to disinfection should be observed in addition to general hygienic measures. In addition, proper food handling and avoidance of ingestion of food contaminated with germs ensure that prophylaxis of intestinal inflammation is possible.
Follow-up
In most people, symptoms disappear within a few days. Because the mucous membranes in the intestine are often still irritated for a long time, complete recovery usually takes one to two weeks. It is advisable to eat a high-fiber diet rich in fiber and to exercise regularly during and in the weeks after recovery. Children in particular should drink enough and be slowly reintroduced to more solid foods. Strongly spiced foods, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages should also be avoided. They place unnecessary strain on the intestinal system. Fatty foods should also be avoided as far as possible, and their proportion in the diet should only be increased slowly. Water, teas and fruit juice spritzers help the body to recover. It is also important to pay careful attention to hygiene when preparing food and to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand. This will help prevent a recurrence of enteritis. If the symptoms of enteritis persist and everyday life is severely impaired as a result, a doctor should definitely be consulted again. This is especially true for children, who tend to become dehydrated during prolonged diarrhea.
What you can do yourself
Short-term fasting relieves the digestive system and often leads to improvement in acute intestinal inflammation as a sole measure. Only solid food is renounced – an adequate fluid intake is extremely important to prevent dehydration of the body. Chamomile tea and fennel tea calm the irritated intestine, the tannins contained in black tea have a mild constipating effect. During severe diarrhea, many electrolytes are lost, which can be replaced by special electrolyte mixtures from the pharmacy. Alternatively, a low-fat, lightly salted chicken broth is also suitable as an electrolyte donor. When the diarrhea subsides, solid food can be resumed after one or two days of fasting. Rusk and gruel are easily digested, and banana, cooked carrots and grated apple are also usually well tolerated. Abdominal cramps can be relieved by applying a hot water bottle or cherry pit pillow, and avoiding stress and physical rest promote healing. If there is no improvement within a few days, the family doctor should be consulted: A visit to the doctor should not be delayed for too long, especially in babies, small children and the elderly, because of the threat of dehydration. In the case of chronic enteritis, a specially tailored diet can reduce the occurrence of recurrent inflammation. Support for coping with everyday life is available to affected persons in a self-help group.