Prophylaxis | Diarrhea

Prophylaxis

The prevention of acute diarrhea is on the one hand helped by adherence to hygiene. This includes hand washing/disinfecting before eating or after contact with sick persons. To avoid food poisoning, unwashed, unpeeled or raw food should not be eaten in certain vacation countries.

Special attention (everywhere) should be paid to raw poultry meat and raw eggs, which can be contaminated with salmonella. Perenterol can also be taken prophylactically before a trip. In case of allergic or intolerance caused diarrhea, a waiting period should be observed, i.e. the food in question should not be taken. Sweeteners should also be avoided because of their laxative effect.

Prognosis

Diagnostics initially involves taking the patient’s medical history (anamnesis) and a physical examination. In addition, a general examination of the blood and stool are among the necessary diagnostic tools. If necessary, a colonoscopy can also be arranged, during which the inside of the intestine can be viewed with the help of a tube with a camera (endoscope).

If a certain disease is suspected, special examinations and tests can be performed. In unclear cases, an MRI examination according to Sellink can help. In a Sellink MRI, contrast medium is administered orally before the MRI examination and the MRI is performed afterwards. Especially changes of the mucous membrane of the small intestine can be made visible by the Sellink technique.

Duration

The duration of diarrhea depends on its cause. In chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease), the diarrhea is usually permanent. Also in other autoimmune diseases that affect the intestine, diarrhea is not spontaneously stopped, but is either recurrent or permanent.

Diarrhoea after eating can last for different lengths of time, depending on whether it is an infectious pathogen or a food intolerance. In the case of harmless bacterial pathogens transmitted through food, the body usually reacts with only one or two diarrhea episodes immediately after eating and has thus already rid itself of the culprit. The same applies to diarrhoea caused by stress or a very high-fat diet.

In the case of food intolerances such as lactose, fructose or gluten intolerance, the diarrhoea persists as long as the responsible substrate continues to be supplied to the body via the food. In principle, any diarrhoea that lasts longer than 3 days should be clarified by a doctor, especially if other accompanying symptoms occur such as fever, vomiting, headaches, etc. There are four different forms of diarrhea, depending on the mechanism of its development: Osmotic diarrhea is caused by substances ingested with food in the intestine (lumen) passively “attracting” water from the cells of the intestine.

As a result, there is an influx of water from the cells into the intestine and then to liquid stool. This means that by fasting the diarrhea is stopped, since the “water attraction” is cancelled by the consumed substances. This osmotic form occurs thus after consumption of “water-attracting” substances, likewise however with malabsorption illnesses, whereby substances with appropriate effect remain in the intestine.

This type of diarrhoea also occurs in the case of excessive consumption of sorbitol-containing (sweetener type) chewing gum.

• Osmotic
• Secretarial
• Flammable
• Motility disorders

In the secretory form, electrolytes and water are actively released from the intestinal cells into the intestinal lumen, thus producing liquid stool. Chamfered does not lead with this diarrhea form consequently to the stop of the diarrhea, since taken up causes do not cause the increased stool volume but processes in the intestine cells themselves.

This mechanism of the Diarrhoe is released by pathogens, their toxins or hormones produced by cancer cells. In addition, certain laxatives, fatty or bile acids can cause secretory diarrhoea. The inflammatory form of diarrhea is caused by damage to the intestinal mucosa.

Water and electrolytes also enter the intestinal lumen through the wall of the intestinal cells damaged as a result of the inflammation. Blood or mucus is often added to the stool. Typically, this occurs through special substances produced by bacteria (cytotoxins) or through their direct invasion of the mucous membrane.

Furthermore, this is the diarrhea form of chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases. The last form, finally, is caused by motility disorders of the intestine. This means a change in normal intestinal activity, either in the direction of increased or decreased movement.

This can occur, among other things, in cancer diseases or in hyperthyroidism. If the diarrhea occurs regularly after eating, but not after a chamfering break, this indicates a food intolerance. It is helpful to note down exactly what was eaten in order to obtain information about the underlying food from this protocol. Besides diarrhea, food intolerances can also lead to flatulence, vomiting, skin changes, coughing, etc.Among the most common food intolerances are Celiac disease (intolerance to gluten)

• Histamine intolerance
• Carbohydrate intolerance:Hereditary fructose intoleranceFructose malabsorptionGalactose intoleranceSaccharose intoleranceSorbitol intoleranceLactose intolerance
• Hereditary fructose intolerance
• Fructose paint absorption
• Galactose intolerance
• Sucrose intolerance
• Sorbitol intolerance
• Lactose intolerance
• Celiac disease (intolerance to gluten)
• Hereditary fructose intolerance
• Fructose paint absorption
• Galactose intolerance
• Sucrose intolerance
• Sorbitol intolerance
• Lactose intolerance