Dysentery complications, or how to avoid chronic dysentery

Dehydration is a complication of dysentery

This disease is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route and is accompanied by signs of intoxication and diarrhea. The causative agent of the disease include microorganisms of the genus Shigella, hence strictly speaking, the name shigellosis.

The epidemiology of bacteria of the genus Shigella is very wide. Infection usually occurs by means of the fecal-oral route. This mechanism lies in the fact that the microorganisms from the infected human body to penetrate in the intestines of healthy people. Bacteria can invade a healthy body through dirty hands and through food, polluted water, insect bites, which contain pathogenic bacteria. Epidemiology occurs most often in countries with a large population and the violation of sanitary-hygienic norms.

These microorganisms are most like to affect the microflora of the large intestine. In the future this is manifested by such signs as diarrhea with blood, mucus. Also notes the severe pain during defecation. But most often is accompanied by watery diarrhea, small short.

Bacterial etiology. By itself, Shigella is a bacterium, which is a wand that is unable to move. This genus contains many species, however, human pathogenic only 4 species: Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri , Shigella boydii and Shigella sonnei.

A distinguishing characteristic of these microorganisms is rapidly to be resistant to antibiotics. More and more microorganisms become more mutated and is resistant to standard treatment regimens. Also they are very resistant in the environment and in a good environment they can be pathogenic to 2-3 months. This also applies to food products.

Shigella are composed of substances which are very harmful and toxic to the human body and can cause dysentery. Such virulence factors are substances:

• Invasin – proteins that help to penetrate bacterial cells in the intestinal microflora of the host. Usually, microorganisms love most to dwell in the duodenum.
• Endotoxin – a toxic substance that is contained directly in the bacterial cell. It causes intoxication of the host organism, which is accompanied by fever, weakness, arthritis, muscle pain, dizziness.
• Exotoxin – a toxic substance that bacteria secrete into the bloodstream. The most pathogenic for the human organism is a Shiga-toxin (or its other name the Shigella Grigorieva-Shiga) that causes diarrhea.

How is infection with dysentery?

The etiology of dysentery infection can be of several types. Infection occurs via the fecal-oral principle. This mechanism is the introduction of a microorganism from the intestinal tract of an infected person to a new, healthy human body.

In addition to this mechanism, there are still some ways through which you can penetrate microorganisms:

• Contact-household mechanism is transmission through dirty hands, as well as compliance with sanitary and hygienic norms.
• Alimentary route is penetration of infection through food.
• Water path – entering the body through contaminated water. Also for your own safety you should not swim in prohibited areas.

What symptoms are accompanied with dysentery?

After the incubation period, the disease begins to manifest itself very hard. Acute symptoms begin to occur already after 1-2 days after infection. Usually the symptoms begin with lesions of the duodenum only. But there are cases of other lesions of the gastrointestinal tract (gastroenteritis or gastroenterokoliticheskaya), namely, the mucous membrane of the stomach and all of the small intestine.

Symptomatic etiology, manifested in the acute phase of dysentery:

• Fever – temperature can reach 42S. Especially such a rise in temperature is dangerous for small children.
• Diarrhea. Starts with a short diarrhea, watery consistency. A little later, the diarrhea becomesmore often, and can reach up to 15-25 times of the day and the allocation are made in small quantities. The diarrhea can be detected a lot of mucus, purulent secretions and blood. The presence of blood is a bad sign and it says that dysentery struck the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, when diarrhea, traces of blood, you must immediately contact the doctor.
• Cramping, pulling and aching pain in the abdomen.
• Tenesmus and cutting sensations, urge to the toilet, and pain in the anus during defecation.
• If dysentery has affected the stomach and small intestine, it is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea.

If dysentery occurs in mild form, the recovery may be by itself within 7 days. However in severe form of the disease can start very serious complications that can lead to death.

What symptoms indicate chronic dysentery?

If dysentery occurs more than a few months, then it goes into the chronic stage. Manifest disease in different ways.

The disease can occur continuously or with relapses, accompanied by frequent exacerbations. Therefore, when chronic disease comes as a periods of Wellness and impairment. But in chronic stage, the symptoms expressed little. The temperature usually does not exceed 37,6, diarrhea, feelings of pain are not as strong and there is no presence of blood – there is a slight intoxication.

Who can be a carrier of Shigella?

Media of microorganisms is reconvalescents – after ill people, excretion of Shigella from an infected intestine still continues, and shows no symptoms of the disease.

In addition to this is transient carriage of bacteria. Bacteria can be detected in the stool of perfectly healthy person who had been sick with dysentery. This may be an isolated case, which does not harm human health.

What is the prevention be conducted against dysentery?

To prevent dysentery, as a rule, are reduced to the implementation of ordinary rules of sanitary-hygienic norms, as follows. Prevention of dysentery:

• Thorough hand-washing after going to the toilet and after eating.
• Small children are often able to be subjected to infection. To prevent this, parents need to hold a conversation in which to explain and teach the child the basic rules of hygiene from an early age.
• Proper handling and preparation of food.
• If the house is a person who is sick with dysentery, it is necessary to strictly observe the disinfection of the premises, and not to forget about washing hands after contact with an infected person.
• If the kids are sick with dysentery, then you should not drive them in public institutions (kindergartens, schools) until then, until complete recovery.
• The previous paragraph also applies to adults. Person has the right to go back to work only after the study will show a negative result.

What complications can occur during dysentery?

Dysentery is a dangerous diseases that can lead to big problems associated with damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

The etiology of complications of dysentery:

• Rectal prolapse. This complication may be due to heavy and frequent bowel movement. Therefore, a small part of the rectum can come out. Typically, these complications can occur in children.
• Dehydration. More often seen in lesions of stomach and severe diarrhea the water balance in the body. If it is not replenished, the body is dehydrated.
• Ulcers and bleeding occurring in the intestines. These complications can occur with severe lesions of the intestinal mucosa, and this provokes bleeding. Given these consequences, it is necessary to be treated in hospital.
• Toxic megacolon. Such effects are very rare. In the duodenum there is thinning of the wall and stretching. Because of this, bacteria from the intestinal tract penetrate the bloodstream and create toxicity. In this situation, the person can die.
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome is accompanied by inflammation of the kidneys, extending down to renal failure. In addition, it may also cause hemolysis of red blood cells, producing severe anemia. Also in the biochemical analysis of blood can be reduced platelets. Such complications appear by the end of the disease. The first major signs begin with oliguria. If you were able to prevent kidney failure, then the person is either on dialysis, or to stand in line for a kidney transplant.
• Bacteremia – introduction of microorganisms into the bloodstream of an infected person. This pathology can be found only at very reduced immunity or exhaustion. In most cases this disease ends with the death of a person.
• Infections that are present in parallel in the human body. Due to the weakening of forces in the organism can penetrate and concomitant infections. Normally, this inflammation of the lungs and urinary tract.
• Violation of bowel function in postdysenteric period is,after recovery time can still be diarrhea. Diarrhea does not cause any pain in the course of the disease, however, remains a slight discomfort.
• Syndrome post-infectious asthenia. After recovery from a severe stage of dysentery for a long time, the body will recover their strength, and the person will feel tired, sluggish and exhausted.
• Dysbacteriosis. This phenomenon often accompanies a person after recovery. As a rule, it is easy to eliminate drugs that can restore the intestinal microflora (Linex, Enterogermina).

How to diagnose the disease?

The first bell that it's time to be examined, is the occurrence of diarrhea mixed with blood. What are the research methods relevant to the identification of dysentery?

• Bacteriological method of diagnosis. This is one of the most accurate studies in the detection of intestinal infections. The essence of the work is sowing feces for detection of microorganisms.
• Serological diagnosis. Research is finding antibodies to the microorganisms in biological material. It is done quite often due to the ease of use and accuracy.
• PCR diagnostics is also one of the accurate methods. This method is based on the discovery of genes of the bacteria in the stool. It is done very rarely because of its high cost.

Using these methods made full clinic of dysentery.

What diet should be observed in dysentery?

To recover faster, you need to plan for the person the right diet. If long is diarrhea, it is necessary to consume foods with less fats and carbohydrates and necessary protein. In addition, it is forbidden to consume foods that can cause bloating of the stomach.

Products that recommend the use of nutritionists in dysentery:

• the croutons are best made from wheat flour and slightly toasted, drying,
• lean meat and fish soup with rice, oatmeal, semolina,
• lean meat (preferably beef, rabbit, Turkey) or fish. The best meat to cook,
• fresh non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese,
• eating eggs is allowed in the form of an omelette or boiled soft-boiled. However, do not abuse the eggs. Allowed to eat no more than 2 eggs a day,
• watery porridge can be any, semolina, rice, corn, oats,
• boiled vegetables are only permitted to add to the soup.

What products are best to use:

• bread, loaf, buns, cakes, pastries,
• fat vegetable soups,
• fat, smoked meat, sausage,
• dried smoked fish, spices and preservation,
• hard boiled eggs, fried,
• pasta, millet, barley porridge,
• beans, peas and other bean products,
• raw fruits, vegetables, stewed fruit, honey, chocolate,
• cold drink, carbonated sugary drinks, cocoa, coffee.

What treatment is used for dysentery?

• If the human body lost a lot of water and severely dehydrated, it is recommended to take the powder Regidron.
• To restore the intestinal microflora and eliminate diarrhea write out the Estimate, Enterosgel.
• And most importantly, the treatment is antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin at a dosage of 500 mg morning and evening. Treatment with ampicillin and tetracycline continued for weeks. Antibiotics are used only in very severe phases of diarrhea with admixture of blood, discomfort and spasms in the stomach.