Recently, cases of diagnosing such a disease as acute colitis have become more frequent, while the patient is turning to a doctor with suspicion of intestinal disorder or exacerbation of the chronic form of any disease of the digestive system. Usually, it manifests itself, which causes the patient to consult a specialist as soon as possible to relieve such severe symptoms corresponding to this pathology as severe abdominal pain, which has a paroxysmal character, general weakness and malaise, nausea accompanied by vomiting in some cases.
But there are also cases when a person simply waves away from these manifestations of the disease, considering them a common intestinal disorder, which must go by itself after drinking tablets of analgesic and activated charcoal. This behavior is not just unreasonable, it is very dangerous, because if it turns out to be colitis and its timely treatment is not taken, it will quickly pass into a chronic stage that lasts for years and is characterized by frequent changes in periods of exacerbations and remissions.
Causes of development of acute colitis
This intestinal pathology, characterized by the appearance of severe inflammation and the formation of defects on the mucous membrane of the colon, affects mainly young people and for the most part the inhabitants of large megacities. The reasons for its development are not yet fully understood, but experts have shown that they are similar to those that cause an exacerbation of the chronic form of this disease:
- Viruses and pathogenic bacterial microflora, Shigella, Salmonella, etc., have a great influence in exacerbation of colitis.;
- The second, no less important cause are gross errors in the diet. It can be like constant snacks and eating dry, and eating semi-finished and fast food;
- Nutritional non-bacterial poisonings also play a significant role, both in the development of acute colitis, and in exacerbation of the chronic form of this intestinal pathology;
- Often the signs of it appear in the season of vegetables and fruits, or in the case when the patient used inadequate food or washed his hands before it.
Specialists suggest that there are not the main factors that can cause the development of this pathology. These include some common infections, food allergies and exposure to toxic substances.
Symptomatology present in exacerbation of colitis
To understand that this inflammatory pathology of the intestine develops, without special diagnostics it is practically unrealistic, since it has similar symptoms both with usual intestinal disorder and with many other more serious diseases developing in the digestive organs. The most important causes of anxiety, signs of exacerbation of colitis are such as:
- Growing pain of a spastic or drawing character;
- In the abdomen there are sound effects like rumbling;
- Frequent stools in the form of diarrhea, and sometimes prolonged constipation, which also goes to diarrhea. Fecal masses of the patient with exacerbation of pathology are very fetid.
Also feel the approach of an attack of bowel disease a person can in connection with the appearance of a state of general malaise and weakness, loss of appetite and often enough arising nausea. Patients are always concerned with the question of what to do when there are attacks of colitis?
What should I do if my colitis worsens?
The exacerbation of the disease occurs suddenly, so the patient is completely unprepared for this. It is manifested by the appearance of sharp pain localized in the abdomen and often accompanied by a frequent and liquid stool. As soon as these signs of a beginning attack of the disease have appeared, which can last from a few hours to a week, you should immediately call a doctor. In order to facilitate the patient's condition, it is necessary to take the following measures:
- To reduce painful spasms, always accompanying exacerbation of colitis, can a heating pad or a hot water bottle attached to the stomach;
- If in a fit of colitis there is such a sign as severe diarrhea and vomiting, you need to take activated charcoal, and when accompanying an attack of constipation - a decoction of hay;
- In the event that the attack manifests itself very strongly or is accompanied by an increase in temperature, the patient should immediately be put in bed;
- You can do with an exacerbation of colitis and an enema that contains corticosteroids. This will help prevent the development of severe inflammation;
- It is strictly forbidden to eat any food, as the damaged intestine can not perform its functions.
These methods can temporarily curtail the acute manifestations that accompany the usually exacerbation of colitis, but if you ignore the further treatment, they will reappear after a while, but in a more severe form. Therefore, in order for this situation not to happen again, the patient needs immediate hospitalization and appropriate treatment.
Patients with developing colitis of the intestines are also quite often interested in the question of what to do so that the exacerbation of the disease does not arise as long as possible? Here you can only advise during the remission of the disease to strictly observe all the recommendations of the attending physician regarding preventive medication and the corresponding disease of the diet.
And on the question of what to do when the exacerbation of colitis is accompanied by diarrhea with blood, it should be recommended to immediately go through a full diagnosis, since such a symptom may indicate the development of more terrible pathologies in the acute form in the intestine. It should also be remembered that with exacerbation of colitis, it is first necessary to turn to a specialist, and not to engage in self-medication, which is always fraught with the development of not only severe but terrible complications.