In the event that a person has diarrhea, the diagnosis is the first thing to do before starting the treatment of the pathology. Only with the help of correctly conducted studies, it becomes possible to establish the cause most accurately provoking diarrhea, and also to select an adequate method of treatment. This is especially important in the case when the pathological syndrome appears in the child. Due to the fact that the disease has multiple causes that cause the emergence of a loose stool, in most cases differential diagnosis of diarrhea is required. It is she who will help to distinguish the cause, which provoked the pathology, among many others. Often one can hear the question of what research is usually conducted.
What is the differential diagnosis of diarrhea syndrome? The practical significance of this method of detecting this disease, especially when it is of an infectious nature, is determined by the variety of causes that can cause diarrhea, as well as by the large number of pathogenic microbial agents that trigger the development of pathology. To make a preliminary diagnosis, the following data are needed:
- A set of symptoms characteristic of each specific infection and the dynamics of their development;
- The nature of the pathological process in the gastrointestinal tract and the location of its localization.
Also, the specialist, when conducting differential diagnosis of diarrhea, always pays close attention to the epidemiological history. They allow us to make predictive predictions about the possible nature of the disease before the results of laboratory studies are obtained. Based on the obtained data set, a preliminary diagnosis is made. The final diagnosis can be established after the feces are shed and the results of the analyzes are obtained, and also the dynamics of the clinical manifestations of the disease are revealed. For proper interpretation of the obtained data, the details of diarrhea are necessary:
- The character of the feces is determined( what pathological inclusions are present, odor and color of feces);
- The frequency of the stool and its volume are taken into account( profuse diarrhea, abundant or lean).
For this, the attending physician visually assesses the stool and collects the most complete anamnesis of the disease. Correctly collected and objective information at this stage of diarrhea diagnosis allows us to make a preliminary assessment of the prevalence of the inflammatory process in the intestine and the location of its localization, and also to suggest what kind of disease it caused.
Principles of differential diagnostics of diarrhea
Before each doctor who is going to examine a patient with prolonged diarrhea, there should be several tasks:
- Determination of the duration of bowel dysfunction. This stage is very important, as it allows to reveal the form of pathology. Chronic diarrhea almost always has a non-infectious nature of the onset, and in case of acute type of pathological intestinal disorder it is necessary to exclude its infectious origin by methods of differential diagnosis with the obligatory full spectrum of laboratory tests;
- Find out how severe the patient's abnormalities are, requiring immediate medical therapy, such as dehydration and intoxication;
- Also differential diagnosis of diarrhea makes it possible not to miss acute diseases in the abdominal cavity, which require urgent surgical intervention.
The list of diseases manifested by a syndrome such as a loose stool is very extensive, so diagnosis in this case is a difficult task. First of all, it is necessary to obtain information that allows us to find out the etiology and level of intestinal damage, and to suggest a pathophysiological mechanism of diarrhea development. Obtain this data allows information on the frequency of bowel movements and the consistency of stool.
Symptoms associated with pathology make it possible to assess the severity of the course of the disease. Attention should be given to such signs accompanying diarrhea, as signs of dehydration, the presence of blood in the stool, tenesmus, pain in the abdomen and fever. When conducting diagnostic studies and collecting anamnesis, it is necessary to pay attention to the features of nutrition, medication, and concomitant diseases.
What tests should I take for diarrhea in a child?
In the differential study of pathology, in order to obtain an objective result, in the first place, a specialist assigns to children a laboratory diagnosis of diarrhea. But it is not always required. In some cases, an experienced specialist can diagnose depending on the appearance of the child, his complaints about health, a survey of parents and performed palpation of the abdomen. Anal tests of feces and blood are required for a larger account in those cases when in the feces of the baby there are bloody inclusions, pronounced dehydration and increased temperature. Also, laboratory diagnosis of diarrhea in a child is necessary if the duration of the pathology is more than 3 days.
In all these cases, a mandatory hospitalization of the baby is required. Parents are always interested in what tests for diarrhea should be taken when placed in a hospital? In this case, the following studies will be performed:
- An immunoenzymatic assay for diarrhea in a small patient is performed when there is a suspicion of the development of pseudomembranous colitis or the viral nature of the symptom. It allows to identify with the greatest accuracy the pathogen;
- Cultivation of feces on nutrient media in the diagnosis of diarrhea is conducted in order to detect microbial pathogens that provoked a loose stool;
- It is also necessary to pass biological feces material for coprological examination.
In the case when the pathological dysfunction of the intestine in the baby is provoked by food allergy or poisoning, immunological methods, provocative and elimination tests are additionally used.