In chronic type of ulcerative colitis the periods of remission, however long it may be, are always followed by periods of exacerbation. Typical for him is usually a slow, gradually increasing his severity of diarrhea. Blood and mucus in the patient's stool, the appearance of which causes an acute inflammatory process that has begun in the intestine, also gradually increase in quantitative terms. And against the background of the intestinal mucosa during visual inspection the following changes are revealed:
- Numerous pinpoint ulceration;
- Strong puffiness and redness of the mucosa;
- The presence on it of pseudopolips( formations that appear only during inflammation).
These observable manifestations, together with the patient's spontaneous bleeding occurring during defecation, tell the specialist that the phase of remission of ulcerative colitis has been replaced by exacerbation.
Causes of exacerbation of ulcerative colitis
In connection with which the acute form of this intestinal pathology arises, it is still unclear. But experts have every reason to assume that the aggravation of ulcerative colitis is caused by the same etiological factors that provoke the first attack of this disease.
When ascertaining the reasons that triggered the onset of progression of the inflammatory process in the intestine, most patients noted the following:
- Nervous overload, family conflicts, psychological trauma;
- Respiratory infection developing in the upper respiratory tract. The stage of exacerbation of ulcerative colitis in this case comes about a week after the patient became ill with ARVI or influenza;
- Various dietary errors, for example, the use of dairy products;
- In women, the inflammatory process in the intestines can provoke pregnancy.
With the transition of ulcerative colitis to the stage of exacerbation, immediate hospitalization is required to carry out all the necessary measures that help to remove the developing inflammation on the walls of the intestine, as well as to ease the concomitant disease of the symptomatology.
Diet for exacerbation of ulcerative colitis
The first 1-2 days after the onset of a relapse of the disease, the patient is recommended complete starvation, so that the inflammatory process that began in the intestine can calm down. After a couple of days, the patient is prescribed a medical diet that gently acts on the walls of the intestines, affected by this pathology.
Nutrition for acute ulcerative colitis should be fractional, no less than 6-7 times a day. Products intended for the preparation of dietary dishes should be thoroughly crushed. Fiber in them should be limited. To do this, from the diet of the patient should be excluded fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as hard meat, mushrooms, legumes.
Patients with peaking of ulcerative colitis are allowed to bake and bakery products only if they are made from refined flour. With diarrhea, all dishes should be served only in a warm form, necessarily wiped to a mushy condition. It is necessary to limit foods that contain high amounts of sugar.
It is strictly forbidden both with exacerbation of ulcerative colitis, and with other gastrointestinal pathologies, the use of pepper, salted and smoked products, all kinds of spices and seasonings, and also alcohol. Whole milk is also not allowed in the diet of a patient with ulcerative colitis. Porridge should be cooked only from a low-fat product or on water.
Compliance with all these rules contributes to the rapid onset of the remission phase, and is also the only reliable preventive measure in the chronic form of this inflammatory pathology.