Therapy
The therapy of abdominal pain and diarrhoea depends on the underlying cause. If the underlying cause is a gastrointestinal infection, treatment is usually only symptomatic. This means that it is not the infection itself that is treated, but primarily the symptoms.
It is particularly important that the fluid losses caused by the diarrhoea are compensated. If the patient does not keep herbal teas or noodle soups with him, electrolyte infusions can be given. In addition, the diet should only be built up carefully and slowly.
Dry rolls or rusk are suitable at the beginning. Grated apples can also have a soothing effect on diarrhoea. In severe cases of bacterial diarrhoea, the use of antibiotics may be indicated.
If the symptoms have more serious causes, such as a chronic inflammatory bowel disease or even bowel cancer, the underlying disease must be treated. For this purpose, the patient is referred to a specialist and treated there according to the current guidelines. Patients with stress-related abdominal pain and diarrhoea can try to get a grip on the symptoms by restructuring their daily routine. Stress has to be reduced, for example by means of targeted recovery breaks, sports or relaxation techniques. Psychological counselling can also help these patients to permanently relieve their symptoms.
Forecast
The prognosis of abdominal pain and diarrhoea also depends on the underlying cause. Since there are usually infectious causes behind them, the prognosis is usually very good. Gastrointestinal infections usually pass within a few days, even without treatment. For other diseases that can cause the symptoms, the prognosis depends on how successful the therapy is. However, with today’s modern therapeutics, most diseases can be well controlled, so that a good prognosis can be expected.
Prophylaxis
There is no direct prophylaxis to avoid abdominal pain and diarrhoea. However, in order to avoid contracting a gastro-intestinal infection, it is advisable to wash your hands well if you have been to places where there are many people (train, shopping centre, etc.) This is especially true after contact with recently ill people.
The pathogens can get to the hands of the next person through contact with contaminated surfaces, who then grabs the face and allows the pathogens to enter the body. Washing and disinfecting hands therefore prevents infection. When on holiday, care should be taken to eat and drink only food and drinks that you can be sure are germ-free. Especially salads and drinks with ice cubes carry a high risk of catching an infection, especially in countries with a very hot climate. Preference should be given to cooked or fried meat and hot food, as the heat kills possible pathogens.
Summary
Abdominal pain can occur in combination with diarrhoea. Since there are many different causes for such a symptomatology, the following section only serves as a brief overview of the most important causes and does not claim to be complete. Abdominal pain in combination with diarrhoea can indicate an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal tract.
Germs from contaminated food typically lead to such symptoms. Another example of a disease associated with abdominal pain and diarrhoea is infection with salmonella. Various bacteria and viruses can cause such infectious gastroenteritis.
When travelling, drinking contaminated drinking water is a high risk of such a gastro-intestinal infection. But other diseases, such as inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) or food poisoning can also cause abdominal pain with diarrhoea. Chronic diseases of the intestine such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are also associated with abdominal pain accompanied by diarrhoea.
Abdominal pain with diarrhoea after eating the incompatible food is also typical for digestive disorders such as coeliac disease or lactose intolerance. Furthermore, medication, tumours of the gastrointestinal tract or irritable bowel syndrome can lead to abdominal pain with diarrhoea. If you would like more information on this topic, you can find out more on the following page: Abdominal Pain
All articles in this series:
