Acute enterocolitis: causes and forms of the disease

Acute enterocolitis is a fairly common disease that is accompanied by inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Typically, the process extends to the tissues of the large and small intestine and is often accompanied by gastritis.

Acute enterocolitis: causes and forms of the disease

In fact, the inflammatory process can be caused by various factors, ranging from improper nutrition, and ending with severe poisoning and infections. For example, enterocolitis in children can be caused both by the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms, and by malnutrition. Depending on the factor that caused inflammation, the disease is divided into the following forms:

• Bacterial enterocolitis develop against a background of infection, for example, dysentery and salmonellosis; Less often inflammation is caused by intestinal dysbiosis ;
• Parasitic enterocolitis occurs if the intestine is inhabited by some representatives of the simplest (for example, amoebae) or worms (helminths);
• Toxic enterocolitis is associated with the entry into the body of hazardous chemicals, poisons of plant and animal origin, as well as certain medicines;
• The mechanical form of the disease is directly related to impaired intestinal function, in particular, prolonged and frequent constipation;
• Nutritional enterocolitis develop as a result of malnutrition;
• Secondary enterocolitis is the disease that manifests itself as a complication of other diseases of the digestive tract.

To groups of risk also it is possible to carry the people, abusing alcoholic drinks, and also the patients inclined to an allergy.

Enterocolitis of the intestine: symptoms and signs of disease

The disease is accompanied by very characteristic symptoms:

• First, there are sharp pulling pains that are localized around the navel, but can spread to other parts of the abdomen.
• There are problems with digestion - alternating diarrhea and constipation, nausea and vomiting.
• Quite often, enterocolitis is accompanied by the accumulation of gases in the intestine.
• If the inflammation is caused by an infection, then a fever, weakness, headaches, aches in the body, impurities of blood in the feces can occur.

If you have such symptoms, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. In the absence of medical care, the disease can pass into a chronic form, which, in turn, gradually changes the structure and functioning of the intestinal tissues.

Acute enterocolitis: diagnosis and treatment

As a rule, the diagnosis of the acute form of the disease does not cause any problems. The patient must necessarily pass a blood test and stool - so you can determine the presence of infection. Sometimes X-rays and colonoscopy are also performed.

As for the treatment, it includes several stages at once. To begin with, the patient is washed with the stomach (especially if enterocolitis is caused by the use of toxic and toxic substances).

In the first few days it is necessary to comply with strict bed rest, and also an unloading diet. To ease the pain, the doctor prescribes antispasmodics. It is also necessary to take a solution of "Regidron", which will prevent dehydration. Patients are advised to drink prebiotics, which gradually normalize the microflora of the digestive tract. If acute enterocolitis is caused by an infection, a course of antibiotic treatment is needed.