Gastroenteritis, which is a disease of the intestine and stomach, is often found among various gastrointestinal pathologies. According to statistics, almost a fifth of the population is exposed to it every year. The disease is usually caused by malnutrition, a number of different bacteria or viruses. This disease occurs in equal degree, both in adult patients and in children, only the cause of it is different etiological factors, so different in these age groups and methods of treatment.
If we consider the causes of development of gastroenteritis in adults, we can distinguish the two most common: food poisoning and infection. But the first place in the etiology of this disease, however, comes out infectious infection of the patient with norovirus. In this case, there is a violation of the intestinal absorption function, which is the main for him, which causes the patient to have watery diarrhea, the main sign of pathology. Because of this and the complication of the disease is a strong dehydration of the patient's body.
Infectious form of gastroenteritis
This type of gastroenteritis is distinguished by several types, most of which are very infectious. The infection spreads if the hygiene rules are not observed, by oral-fecal route( the bacteria contained in the stools enter the oral cavity through unwashed hands).Even with normalization with the help of therapeutic techniques of the patient's chair, and, therefore, its practical recovery, the quarantine period for infectious gastroenteritis continues for another 48 hours, during which close contacts with other people are not recommended. The causes of this disease in adults depend on the causative agent that caused it:
- The provoking factor of bacterial gastroenteritis is intestinal microorganisms, staphylococcus or salmonella, trapped in the digestive organs with weakened immunity with poor-quality food;
- The viral form of pathology develops because of the rotavirus that has got into the body from dirty hands or unwashed products.
- Toxic and alimentary gastroenteritis, or food poisoning.
The cause of these types of disease may be concealed in the following factors:
- Toxic poisoning with poisonous substances of a non-bacterial type that are contained in some products;
- Allergic reaction to certain foods, eg citrus fruits;
- The maintenance in dishes of a plenty of spices and seasonings, and also abusing alcohol;
- Persistent overeating, food on the run and on the dry.
The development of non-infectious gastroenteritis in adult patients is also facilitated by the uncontrolled intake of medicines leading to dysbacteriosis, hypothermia of the body, especially the digestive organs, which arises from the frequent use of ice drinks and the weakening of immunity.
In addition to the acute form that occurs most often, both types of gastroenteritis also have a chronic type of development. He is a consequence of violations in the prescribed therapeutic methods of treatment or appears against the background of malignant neoplasms. To achieve full recovery of the patient in case of such a course of the disease is quite difficult.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis
Symptoms that indicate a possible development of this disease are quite clearly manifested only in acute form, but due to the fact that they are similar to the symptoms of functional bowel disorder, especially at an easy stage of development, usually do not cause anxiety in a person. This is dangerous because the treatment of gastroenteritis not initiated in a timely manner leads very quickly to the development of rather serious complications.
Among them, in adults most often arise such as toxic damage to other organs, intestinal perforation and development of peritonitis, internal bleeding, toxic and hypovolemic shock, collapse. In order to avoid such terrible consequences of gastroenteritis, it is necessary to take a closer look at your health and urgently undergo an examination with a specialist if you have the following symptoms:
- Spasmodic pain syndrome localized in the abdominal cavity;
- Nausea, which results in severe emesis;
- Bloating, in which flatulence manifests itself minimally;
- Diarrhea.
Common signs that indicate the development of gastroenteritis in adults are fever, malaise, lack of appetite and headaches. Such symptoms, like multiple diarrhea and vomiting, lead to dehydration of the body. In this case, there is such a nonspecific sign of gastroenteritis, as the dryness of the mucous membranes and skin. The longer this process takes place, the more noticeable the violations of cardiac activity, which are expressed in the reduction of blood pressure, irregularities in the work of the heart and increased heart rate. At this time the skin of the person is covered with cold and sticky sweat. Such a condition can lead to hypovolemic shock and collapse. The gastroenteritis developing in the patient also has 3 forms of flow, indicating its severity and, correspondingly, the severity of the concomitant symptomatology:
- Lung. With this development of this pathology, all the signs are very weakly expressed. Nausea, although it keeps constantly, but does not go to vomiting more than 1-2 times a day. The frequency of the urge to empty the bowels, accompanied by diarrhea is the same. Accordingly, there is no dehydration of the body. Increasing body temperature, too, almost never happens;
- The average severity of gastroenteritis in adult patients is characterized by a slight increase in body temperature( up to 38.5 ° C), diarrhea and emetic pushes occur up to 10 times a day, which leads to the patient developing mild dehydration, which is expressed in drynessskin and constant thirst;
- Severe course of the disease, gastroenteritis occurs with a rise in temperature, often up to 40 ° C, the patient may lose consciousness, diarrhea and vomiting practically cease. Symptoms of dehydration, flabbiness of the skin, sudden dryness in the mouth and refusal to drink, with this development are very obvious. Also at this stage a person may have convulsions.
The course of the disease gastroenteritis, the form of its development, as well as the presence of concomitant symptoms, affect the correct choice of treatment tactics, which will not only alleviate the patient's condition by reducing the severe signs that usually develop in adults, but can also lead to his complete recovery. In order to find out all this, the specialist conducts appropriate investigations if he suspects the development of pathology.
What diagnostic methods of gastroenteritis are most effective?
Based on the present clinical picture, after examination and questioning of the patient, it becomes possible to make a preliminary diagnosis. But it will not be accurate without conducting special studies, since the symptoms of adult gastroenteritis developing in adults are similar in their manifestations to many inflammatory pathologies of the digestive tract.
To confirm that this disease develops in the digestive organs of a person, it is necessary to collect information about its epidemiological environment. Their analysis further clarifies the nature of the disease present. Laboratory methods are also very effective against gastroenteritis. In the event that the adult patient has severe enough symptoms that do not die down for more than two days, then the following tests are mandatory:
- Patients are given a feces for the presence of helminthic invasions, viruses and bacteria;
- General and biochemical blood analysis, urine and vomiting tests are also required;
- To clarify the diagnosis of gastroenteritis, adult patients are shown such instrumental diagnostic methods as colonoscopy with biopsies, gastroscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. They are needed in order to be able to exclude more dangerous diseases, for example, malignant neoplasms;
- Another of the diagnostic methods used for gastroenteritis is ultrasound of the digestive tract, pancreas, bile ducts and liver. It is conducted with the purpose to identify possible concomitant diseases;
- It is also necessary to study the method of electrogastroenterography. It allows to find out the motor-evacuation functions of the digestive tract.
All these diagnostic techniques are necessary for the specialist to be able to fully understand the form of the development of gastroenteritis and the stage of its course and to prescribe the most correct treatment tactics.
The International Classification of Diseases is also of great assistance, as it is an evaluation tool in the field of health management and analysis of the general health of the inhabitants. In ICD 10, any disease has its own code. It is unique and completely understood only by a specialist. Such a classification of diseases is necessary in order to be easier to identify. So all varieties of gastroenteritis in the ICD 10 are assigned code 52.
ICD 10 is used not only for classification, but also for the analysis and comparison of data on morbidity and mortality at different times in different countries around the world. Due to this encoding, the following types of gastroenteritis are distinguished in ICD-10: radiation, toxic, alimentary, allergic and non-infectious, and for each of them the most suitable method of treatment, as well as the corresponding medications, is described. All diagnoses in ICD-10 have alphanumeric codes that ensure the convenience of processing and storing data not only in paper form, but also in electronic form.
Forecasts of gastroenteritis in adult patients
Forecasts for this disease are favorable only if it is timely detected, correctly diagnosed and the patient is adequately treated according to ICD 10 data. But the consequences for gastroenteritis will be very severe up to a frequent lethal outcome if the disease goes from acute to chronic, almost not amenable to complete cure, and the following risk factors will be present:
- If the age of patients is over 65 when diagnosing gastroenteritis,and children will not reach half a year;
- A history of comorbidities such as malignant neoplasms, diabetes, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.
In case of chronic gastroenteritis, regular check-up is necessary during mandatory medical examination.
Prevention of gastroenteritis
In the event that you observe the necessary preventive measures, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of this unpleasant and quite dangerous disease. The main ways to prevent the development of pathology are as follows:
- Compliance with personal hygiene rules;
- Compulsory washing of vegetables and fruits used in raw form;
- Refusal to accept food products that have not been adequately heat treated( not sufficiently fried or boiled fish, meat and eggs).
Also mandatory preventive measures to prevent the development of a disease such as gastroenteritis is a survey of food industry workers on possible intestinal infections with mandatory removal from work if they are found until complete recovery. When in contact with a person who suffers from gastroenteritis, careful personal hygiene is required:
- After communicating with him, hands should be washed;
- It is forbidden to use common utensils, the sick person should have a personal cup, a plate and cutlery;
- It is also recommended to avoid close contacts and kisses.
Accurate recovery of the patient with this disease is noted only in the event that the results of a stool examination gave a triple negative result.