Unpleasant conditions caused by diarrhea are more or less known to every person regardless of age. The mechanism of diarrhea formation is a violation of the normal process of absorption and reverse absorption of water in the intestines, caused by various causes. In the normal functioning of the colon, about 70-80% of the incoming fluid is absorbed into the body, and with diarrhea the liquid does not enter the blood, but is excreted from the body with feces. If the emptying of the intestine with a liquid stool passes more than twice a day, then it is considered diarrhea. Treatment of diarrhea should be started in a timely manner to eliminate the unpleasant consequences, which are fraught with danger in the form of acute or chronic diarrhea or associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
What is the danger of diarrhea?
The main indicator of diarrhea is dehydration. Such a state deserves close attention, because it is dangerous for human life. Specialists identify 4 phases of dehydration:
- Loss of total body weight by 3%.This facade is characterized by dry mucous membranes in the mouth and strong thirst.
- Loss of diarrhea from 3 to 6%.There comes the dryness of the covers of all parts on the human body, there is drowsiness, there is a decrease in pressure, which is accompanied by frequent palpitations.
- Threat to human life is represented by 3 and 4 phases. The temperature drops to 35 degrees Celsius and below, the patient has convulsions. At the maximum loss of fluid, the blood pressure decreases.
Consequences of diarrhea
The most common and at the same time leading to very serious complications, up to a lethal outcome, are the effects of diarrhea in the form of dehydration. Dehydration with diarrhea can be divided into several stages depending on the consequences:
- Soft dehydration, characterized by a decrease in the amount of urine, thirst and somewhat accelerated pulse. At the same time, weight loss is up to five percent.
- Moderate dehydration( 7-10% of body weight loss) leads to very little or no urine, irritability, retardation of reactions. In the external appearance, sunken eyes are noted, cool white skin.
- Severe dehydration is characterized by a loss of up to 15% of body weight, a decrease in blood pressure, parched mucous membranes and a lack of urine. The skin is cold and spotty due to the weak fillability of its capillaries. The consequence of dehydration with diarrhea is hypovolemic shock, resulting in tachycardia, arterial hypotension.
The effects of acute diarrhea in newborns and young children lead to complications such as convulsions. A very serious consequence of diarrhea is acute liver failure. Reduction of urinary excretion and even complete cessation of it, as well as acidification of blood, leads to an increase in the level of urea and creatine, which indicates a violation of the function of the kidneys to remove slags. Accumulating in the human body, slags lead to its poisoning and eventually a fatal outcome is possible.
Liquid emitted together with the calves in watery diarrhea, simultaneously removes from the body such important trace elements as potassium and sodium. A frequent consequence of diarrhea is hypocalcemia. Developing along with severe hypernatricemic dehydration, hypocalcemia results in a significant decrease in calcium( less than 7 mg / dL at a normal level of 9-11 mg / dL).For an adult healthy person, a small imbalance of electrolytes does not cause any particular consequences. However, for young children and the elderly, the consequences of electrolytic imbalance can be much more significant, and even constitute a threat to life. Another common consequence of dehydration of the body with diarrhea is hypokalemia. The main clinical manifestation in this case is the swollen abdomen. The data of the analysis indicate a decrease in the K content in serum from 4-5 meV / liter to 3.5 meV / liter.
The effects of hemolytic diarrhea, characterized by bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and watery calves, are the development of renal failure and hemolytic anemia caused by the destruction of electrocites. And the more dangerous this type of diarrhea is, it is the possibility of a brain or nerve damage - a stroke. With liquid stool caused by pathogenic changes in the intestinal microflora, an increase in body temperature up to 38-40 ° C is possible. In combination with dehydration of the body, this can lead to death in elderly patients or in case of embitterment. Particularly dangerous are the consequences of a stool with blood. For example, diarrhea with blood after taking alcohol can indicate the development of liver cirrhosis.
Frequent bowel movements with a stool with blood veins( up to 15 per day) indicate infectious diseases. Accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum and the development of renal failure may cause diarrhea with peritonitis, an acute inflammation of the peritoneum. Considering the risk of diarrhea in an adult, it should be noted that untimely contact with a doctor with blood or strong dehydration of the body leads, if not to a lethal outcome, to very serious consequences for human health.