Large and small intestine disease. bowel disease in women

Intestinal diseases are a group of intestinal diseases, the symptoms of which are characterized by an inflammatory process throughout the intestine or its departments, while the microflora is often disturbed.

Intestinal diseases are caused by a combination of genetic and non-genetic factors (infections, ecology, etc.) that, overcoming the immune system, cause inflammation. When the immune system the intestines do not work properly, white blood cells accumulate on the inner lining of the intestine, spilling various chemicals onto the mucous membrane, and this is how the inflammatory process begins.

Most often there are: dysbacteriosis, diarrhea, colitis and enteritis. Symptoms of bowel disease occur at any age.

As a rule, intestinal diseases begin with dyspeptic phenomena: nausea, vomiting, stool disorders, in some cases there is an increase in temperature, chills. In addition, there is a feeling of fullness and pain in the abdomen, often cramping. Increased peristalsis can occur against the background of a bacterial infection or with increased excitability of the intestine. Some bowel diseases can become chronic and aggravated by errors in diet or antibiotics.

The most common bowel diseases. ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Sometimes inflammation of the intestine can be associated with colon cancer.

As a rule, mild forms of diseases do not require specific treatment and disappear with an appropriate diet.

To determine the extent and presence of a specific bowel disease, a colonoscopy is performed. With dysbacteriosis, the use of probiotics is indicated.

Pain in the lower abdomen with intestinal diseases in a woman

Pain in the lower abdomen (in the lower two quadrants) is difficult to distinguish from pain in the pelvic organs and can be explained by a variety of disorders of the genital organs. Pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, adenoma, ovarian cysts or cancer, fallopian tube cancer, endometrial polyposis or cancer, menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome, miscarriage, infections urinary tract and uterine fibrosis.

Many women with lower abdominal pain, cramping, and gas have some form of bowel disorder, including:

• constipation,
• irritable bowel syndrome,
• diverticulitis,
• and colon and rectal cancer.

Etiological causes of abdominal pain may also include:

• erosive-ulcerative colitis,
• Crohn's disease,
• gluten enteropathy,
• polyposis and
• intestinal arteriosclerosis.

Very often, bowel dysfunction is associated with significant changes in the frequency and ease of its emptying, as well as the consistency of feces.

Pain in the lower abdomen with bowel diseases in a woman and other articles from the section Differential Diagnosis by outward appearance

Women should not eat meat and fish

9-06-2010, 23:23

Meat and fish lovers risk their own health. A diet rich in animal proteins increases the risk of women getting inflammatory stomach diseases.

A new study by French scientists may help people predisposed to bowel disease. avoid their development. Dr. Franck Carbonel and his research team carried out a series of experiments at the Clinical Center of Paris. If the data of their experiments are confirmed, patients will be able to prevent the recurrence of diseases.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a collective term for diseases characterized by severe inflammation in the digestive system. These include ulcerative colitis, which usually only affects the large intestine, and Crohn's disease, which affects the digestive tract. Such diseases began to spread rapidly after the Second World War. The reasons for the increase in incidence remain unknown.

To understand whether diet can be a factor in the development of the disease, scientists studied 67,000 women from 40 to 65 years old. The result of experiments and observations: women who consume a lot meat and fish. get sick more often intestinal diseases. The risk was associated with the consumption meat and fish. but not dairy products and eggs. As Dr. Carbonel's group suggests, meat may contribute to inflammatory bowel diseases, as the process of digestion produces potentially toxic substances. These include hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.

Pain in the lower abdomen in women with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Approximately 60% of women with chronic lower abdominal pain show symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases, especially irritable bowel syndrome. The intestine has a vegetative innervation, so at times it is difficult to distinguish pain when the female genital organs and the gastrointestinal tract are affected. Careful questioning of the patient helps to identify signs of gastrointestinal diseases, especially changes in the frequency and nature of the stool. In irritable bowel syndrome, pain usually improves after a bowel movement and often worsens after eating. Characterized by a feeling of fullness or incomplete emptying of the rectum, sheep feces, increased pain during stress. In addition, sometimes there is such a seemingly typical gynecological symptom as pain during intercourse.

Be sure to conduct a digital rectal examination and analysis of feces for occult blood. In irritable bowel syndrome, soreness is often determined along the way. sigmoid colon in the absence of symptoms of inflammation, while a painful mass in the left iliac region and fever suggest diverticulitis. Structural or biochemical changes in irritable bowel syndrome have not been identified; perhaps the cause of the pain lies in the stimulation of hypersensitive receptors in the intestinal wall when it is stretched or contracted. In patients with irritable bowel syndrome, the threshold of visceral pain sensitivity is reduced. The disease is often combined with somatoform and anxiety disorders, depression and other mental illnesses.

Modern methods of treating irritable bowel syndrome help little: in 30-70% of patients, symptoms persist even after long-term treatment.

First of all, you should encourage and calm the patient, tell her about the nature of the disease, teach her to cope with stress. Tranquilizers and small doses of tricyclic antidepressants are prescribed, but a diet rich in fiber works best. M-anticholinergics are usually ineffective. The efforts of several specialists may be required.

Ed. prof. J. Nobel

Pain in the lower abdomen in women with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract an article from the section Diseases with pain in the lower abdomen in women

Additional Information:

Why does the belly grow in women

The fact that fat in the abdomen does not look aesthetically pleasing, and even harms our health, is known to many. But for what reasons this hated fat appears in the abdomen and waist - not everyone knows. But fat in the abdomen can provoke many diseases, for example: arterial pressure and cardiovascular problems, diabetes, obesity and more. In addition, none of us wants to become the owner of non-sexual folds and forget about open tops and swimsuits. Each of us wants to be attractive and confident in our beauty, including a flawless figure. Therefore, let's figure out how to prevent the formation of belly fat. To do this, you should know what provokes its appearance.

So, here is one of the very first reasons why the tummy grows - the deposition of fat around the waist and the formation of excess weight. If you want to fight belly fat or just prevent its formation - try to have dinner 4 hours before bedtime, and snack before bedtime only as a last resort and only with fruit.

The second reason why fat is formed in the abdomen is considered to be nothing more than smoking. Do not be surprised! The fact is that nicotine blocks a healthy metabolism, therefore, the metabolism is slowed down, hence the stomach. It is important to know that drinking beer and alcohol also has a detrimental effect on our figure, in particular on the tummy. Therefore, if you like noisy companies, limit yourself to drinking a few glasses of red, dry wine. But strong alcoholic drinks will have to be abandoned, since they do not allow the liver to absorb fats, which means they provoke the appearance of a tummy.

The human intestine is a digestive organ made up of the large and small intestine, which in turn are subdivided into certain departments. Its main function is to digest and remove food from the body. The intestine reacts to any indigestion, as a rule, with softening of the stool and severe pain in the abdomen. However, some pathologies of the digestive system are almost asymptomatic and can lead to serious consequences for human health. About diseases of the intestine should be discussed in more detail.

Infectious bowel disease

Intestinal infections are a separate group of diseases that are quickly transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person and pose a serious danger to his health and life. Currently, there are about thirty different infections that affect the digestive tract. They can be caused by certain viruses, bacteria and toxins that enter the human intestine along with food that has undergone insufficient heat treatment, foods that have been stored in violation of basic storage technologies. Microorganisms that cause acute intestinal infections can enter the body through poor hygiene during toileting, cooking and eating. The most common intestinal infections are:

• – food poisoning with the predominant entry into the intestine of bacteria from the genus Salmonella;
• - a toxic infection caused by specific anaerobic bacteria and their toxins, characterized by damage to the cranial nerves, occurring, as a rule, in a very severe form and often leading to death;
• - an infection that affects the large intestine and is caused by a group of dysentery bacteria that have a special survivability in environmental conditions. Usually infection occurs through the use of milk or water in which the dysentery bacillus lives;
• "intestinal flu" or rotavirus infection - a disease, the main cause of which is the entry into the human body of a special microorganism - rotavirus;
• cholera is an acute infectious disease that is widespread in Asian, African and South American states. Today, many tourists who decide to travel to exotic countries are advised to get vaccinated against this disease, carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene before eating, do not eat in questionable places and do not drink raw water.

Intestinal infections are acute. The listed diseases begin with severe pain in the abdomen, softening of the stool and diarrhea, nausea and vomiting associated with general intoxication of the body. At the first suspicion of the presence of any of them, you should contact for medical care. The basis of treatment in most cases is antibiotics, as well as drugs that help eliminate the symptoms of the disease, since most of them are dangerous to human life. For example, prolonged diarrhea leads to dehydration and death.

Diagnosis of diseases

One of the methods for diagnosing bowel diseases is irrigoscopy.

TO inflammatory diseases intestines include:

• appendicitis - inflammation of the appendix, manifested in the form of prolonged pain in the navel or in the right side, nausea, loss of appetite. The only way to treat appendicitis is to remove the appendix. Otherwise, it ruptures, which is fraught with serious complications.
• - an acute or chronic inflammatory process, localized in the large intestine and manifested in the form of abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite and general malaise of the body. Treatment of colitis is carried out taking into account the underlying cause of its occurrence. The patient is prescribed, as a rule, half-starved protein diet, antispasmodic, antimicrobial drugs, physiotherapy procedures.
• proctitis is an inflammatory process that captures the mucous membrane of the rectum and occurs against the background of malnutrition, frequent constipation, the presence of certain diseases of the pelvic organs, hypothermia. The main symptoms of proctitis: false urge to go to the toilet, constipation, fever, heaviness and bloating, itching in the anus. Treatment of the disease is carried out with the use of sulfonamides and antibiotics. As an addition to therapy, diet, bed rest, cleansing microclysters from herbal decoctions are recommended.

Diverticulosis is a disease associated with the appearance on the mucous membranes of the walls of the large intestine of specific protrusions similar to a hernia - a diverticulum. In some cases, this pathology occurs without any symptoms and is detected during an examination of the intestine for the presence of any disease of a different nature. Ordinary diverticulosis is manifested by frequent abdominal pain, impaired function of digestion of food. Sometimes nausea and diarrhea may occur. In some cases, the disease can be complicated by inflammation or perforation of the diverticulum, intestinal obstruction, opening of intestinal bleeding. Diverticulosis, which has not bothered the patient for a long time and is detected by chance, does not require any radical measures. The patient is prescribed, as a rule, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic drugs, antispasmodics, diet food. The indication for surgical removal of the diverticulum is: its breakthrough into the intestinal cavity, the opening of bleeding, intestinal obstruction.

Hemorrhoids or varicose veins in the area anus, through which bowel movements are carried out, is a very common disease. Eight out of ten people experience this disease. Its main reasons lie in the very way of life of a person. The appearance of hemorrhoids provokes sedentary work, weight lifting, straining at the time of defecation, constipation, pregnancy and childbirth. The main symptom of the disease is the gradual expansion of the veins in the anus and their protrusion outward. Hemorrhoids run into chronic form, at the time of an exacerbation of the disease, enlarged veins or nodes become inflamed, become painful, can become wet and bleed. The presence of this pathology complicates the process of emptying the intestines, and sometimes makes it impossible. The act of defecation with hemorrhoids is accompanied by bleeding, the intensity of which depends on the degree of development of the disease. Frequent blood loss leads to anemia. Arsenal of local medicines for the treatment of hemorrhoids is great, but their main action is aimed at eliminating the consequences of the disease and alleviating its main symptoms. You can get rid of such an expansion of the veins only with the help of a simple surgical intervention. Many modern clinics offer treatment of hemorrhoids without surgical removal of nodes.

The intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract that begins just behind the stomach and ends at the anus. Its total length during the life of the patient (i.e., in a state of tonic tension) is approximately 4 meters, in an atonic state - 6–8 meters. The function of the intestine is to digest food and absorb nutrients into the blood and excretion of metabolic products from the body, the synthesis of certain hormones, participation in the formation of immunity. According to statistics, the leading place among diseases of the digestive tract is precisely intestinal diseases.

Causes of bowel disease

Intestinal diseases occur, as a rule, under the influence of not one, but several of the factors listed below. The more of these factors simultaneously affect the body, the more difficult the pathological process is and the worse it responds to treatment.

In the development of intestinal diseases play a role:

• genetic predisposition;
• immunological mechanisms;
• malnutrition;
• acute and chronic psycho-emotional stress;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• bad habits, in particular smoking;
• intestinal infections (viral and bacterial);
• some medications(in particular, unreasonable long-term use of antibiotics).

Pathogenesis, pathomorphology and terminology

Most bowel diseases are based on acute or chronic, infectious or aseptic inflammation.

The inflammatory process can affect the mucous membrane of one or several sections of the intestine at once. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of each of the departments has its own name:

• small intestine - enteritis (includes inflammation duodenum- duodenitis; jejunum - jejunite; ileum - ileitis);
• caecum - typhlitis;
• appendix, or appendix -;
• colon -;
• sigmoid colon - sigmoiditis;
• rectum - proctitis.

The inflamed mucous membrane is hyperemic, edematous and actively secretes exudate of a serous or purulent, and sometimes hemorrhagic nature. In severe cases, ulcers form in the intestines, which often bleed. In some cases, ulcers affect not only the mucous membrane, but the deeper layers of the intestinal wall, causing its perforation (perforation) with the subsequent development of inflammation of the peritoneum - peritonitis.

Due to the pathological process in the intestinal mucosa, its functions are also violated:

• food is poorly digested;
• nutrients needed by the body are not absorbed;
• the movement of feces through the intestines and their removal from it is difficult;
• the amount of mucus secreted by the intestines increases.

A disease such as irritable bowel syndrome is not accompanied by inflammatory phenomena ... The following factors play a role in its pathogenesis:

• violations of interactions in the brain-intestine system;
• lowering the sensitivity threshold of intestinal receptors that determine the perception of the organ to pain;
• decrease or increase in motor skills;
• imbalance of serotonin, histamine, bradykinin, cholecystokinin and other important biologically active substances that regulate bowel function.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of bowel disease are:

• stomach ache;
• loss of appetite;
• diarrhea (diarrhea);
• intestinal bleeding.

Let's consider each of the symptoms in more detail. So…

pain

Pain in bowel diseases can be very different - from mild aching to sharp paroxysmal. They can disturb constantly or occur sporadically, there may be a connection with food intake. They can be diffuse (throughout the abdomen), or they can be localized in the area of ​​​​one of the sections of the intestine:

• with damage to the small intestine - in the umbilical region;
• with damage to the caecum - in the right iliac region;
• with damage to the sigmoid colon - in the left iliac region.

Diffuse pains are often noted with bloating of the intestine due to stretching of its wall with gases. Pains of this nature disappear immediately after passing gases.

In diseases of the rectum, pain can be intense, they are localized in the very bottom of the abdomen and in the anus and accompany another symptom - tenesmus, or false urge to defecate.

Abdominal pains are not always a sign of intestinal diseases, they can also be accompanied by diseases of other parts of the digestive tract - the stomach, liver, pancreas, as well as the kidneys, spleen, female genital organs and peritoneum (pain during inflammation is very intense).

Flatulence

Flatulence occurs due to the presence of a large amount of gases in the intestinal loops, which are formed due to the activation of fermentation processes, with a decrease in intestinal motility or atony. Often, increased gas formation is also observed with intestinal obstruction. Gases inflate the intestinal loops, stretching their walls, which causes sharp pains. Clinically, flatulence is manifested by bloating.

Appetite disorder

During the period of exacerbations of all chronic bowel diseases, the appetite of patients, as a rule, decreases or disappears altogether. This is due to the fact that after eating, the intestines begin to work more actively - it contracts more strongly and produces more digestive juices, which provokes pain attacks.

With irritable bowel syndrome, appetite decreases for psychological reasons (patients are afraid that pain will occur after eating, so they eat poorly).

Diarrhea (diarrhea) and constipation

The food entering the intestine reflexively enhances intestinal peristalsis. The normal frequency of bowel movements is from 1-2 times a day to 1 time in 3-4 days (provided that the person feels normal and there is no tension and discomfort during bowel movements), feces with a healthy intestine are formed.

In intestinal diseases, their peristalsis accelerates or slows down, which is manifested by an increase or decrease in stool and a change in its nature.

A condition in which repeated liquid stools are noted is called diarrhea, or diarrhoea. This condition may occur due to:

• emotional stress (with fear or excessive excitement);
• errors in nutrition (eating coarse vegetable or fatty, indigestible foods);
• an excess of toxic substances in the body (in this case, diarrhea is a protective and adaptive reaction of the body, with the help of which harmful substances are removed from it faster);
• ingestion of poorly digested food in the stomach (the so-called gastrogenic diarrhea);
• slowing down the absorption of nutrients and water in the intestine;
• massive exudation of the inflamed intestinal mucosa.

The leading cause of diarrhea is inflammation of the intestinal mucosa caused by infection. When an infectious agent enters the mucous membrane, intestinal motility increases, absorption processes slow down, the mucous membrane actively produces mucus, and inflammatory exudate is released into the intestinal lumen - all together these factors cause liquefaction and frequent stools.

Different infectious agents affect not only the quantity, but also the nature of the bowel movements, which is extremely important to determine for the appointment of adequate treatment:

• putrefactive microorganisms decompose proteins in the intestines and cause putrefaction; this process is greatly enhanced by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the colon (colitis) - putrefactive diarrhea occurs (with a rotten smell);
• fermentation bacteria feed on carbohydrates and cause fermentation processes, which sharply increase with inflammation of the small intestine - enteritis; fermentative dyspepsia is characterized by the so-called fermentative diarrhea - frothy, with a sour smell.

Constipation occurs due to a slowdown in intestinal motility - bowel movements are absent for several days. Constipation is divided into atonic and spastic.

Atonic constipation often occurs in the elderly or as a result of bowel surgery. Its pathogenic causes are:

• weakening of the muscles of the intestine;
• atony of the intestines and abdominal muscles.

Contributes to this type of constipation and a sedentary, sedentary lifestyle.

There is such a thing as habitual constipation - in this condition, a person, due to shyness, employment, haste, suppresses the natural reflex to defecate - as a result, the intestines get used to rare emptying.

Spastic constipation is caused by tonic contractions of the circular muscles of the intestine, in which peristalsis stops in this segment. The cause of intestinal spasms is often the re-irritation of the parasympathetic nervous system. In the case of existing inflammatory processes in the intestines, spasm smooth muscle its walls are the result of inflammation.

Constipation can also be caused by mechanical obstacles to the passage of feces: tumors, cicatricial narrowing of the intestinal lumen, hemorrhoids. In pregnant women, constipation can be caused by the uterus compressing the intestines.

Intestinal bleeding

This symptom occurs with ulcerative lesions of the intestinal wall. Minor bleeding from its upper sections is found only in a laboratory study of feces, since the blood mixes with the contents of the intestine and is partially digested. With intensive bleeding, the stools become black and liquid - they take on a tar-like appearance.

Bleeding from the lower intestines does not have time to mix with feces and be digested, so the blood comes out in a “fresh”, pure form. In some infectious diseases (for example, with intestinal tuberculosis, dysentery and typhoid fever), a large amount of “fresh” blood is visualized in the feces.

Which doctor to contact

If you experience abdominal pain and other signs of bowel disease, you should contact a gastroenterologist. A qualified endoscopist plays an important role in diagnosis. A nutritionist, proctologist, oncologist, surgeon can participate in the treatment of various intestinal diseases.