The causes of abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea are varied. The combination of all three symptoms can appear as a result of acute poisoning, frequent diets, overeating, diseases of the intestines and other organs. Nausea, upset stomach and painful sensations in themselves are not diseases; they only signal that harmful substances have entered the body, an inflammatory process is taking place in the abdominal cavity or a disease is developing. In each specific case, you need to be able to assess the danger to life and health.
An emergency ambulance call is not required in the following cases:
The pain is not acute (sharp, cutting, stabbing, very strong). The pain does not intensify within several hours, but, on the contrary, subsides. With abdominal pain there was no loss of consciousness, fainting, or convulsive attack. Blood pressure does not rise during painful attacks. Abdominal pain is not accompanied by heavy vaginal bleeding. The sick woman is not pregnant. No sweating or high fever. The sick person did not eat mushrooms or canned food. If household chemicals have not entered the body.
Food poisoning
Improper storage or preparation of food causes spoilage. Vegetables and fruits that were grown using large amounts of nitrates and fertilizers are put on sale. Animal meat can also contain substances that cause poisoning if chemical feed is given to animals.
Poisoning from poor quality food
Damage to the digestive system occurs in almost all food poisoning. The patient begins to experience abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Vomit has a specific smell and color. If the poisoned person has bleeding in the esophagus and stomach, the vomit becomes pink or black.
Most low-quality products have an unpleasant odor and taste and are unsightly in appearance. Any product that has expired should be suspicious, especially when it comes to canned food.
Botulism toxin poisoning
Botulism bacteria, whose waste products are poisonous, can multiply in spoiled canned food. Botulism toxins are formed in fish, legumes, and canned meat. There have been documented cases of botulism caused by honey consumption. Products in which bacteria live do not show external signs of any spoilage.
A sign of poisoning is vomiting, the victim begins to experience colic, stomach pain and diarrhea. The patient feels lethargic, weak, and weak. During the first day, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees, but subsequently becomes lower. Then the patient’s vision, swallowing, speech, breathing are impaired, motor functions are impaired, and death can occur as a result of poisoning.
Poisoning with botulism toxins is extremely dangerous! If the above symptoms are added to intestinal disorders, you should urgently contact a medical facility.
Mushroom poisoning
Mushroom poisoning is very difficult, since mushroom poisons are slowly eliminated from the body. So, in case of poisoning with toadstool
after a few hours, colicky pain in the stomach begins, profuse diarrhea with the smell of rot, and uncontrollable vomiting. There are traces of blood in the stool. After 2 or 3 days the victim will feel better. But this is an apparent improvement, since afterwards disturbances in the functioning of the liver, heart and other organs may appear and the patient may fall into a coma.
When eating fly agarics
The victim experiences stomach pain, vomiting, and profuse diarrhea. These symptoms occur along with drooling and sweating. The patient's pupils constrict. These are the first signs of poisoning. In the future, convulsions and brachycardia, exotoxic shock may appear.
In case of food intoxication it is necessary:
rinse the stomach with warm water; take any sorbent (activated carbon, Enterosgel, Smecta); drink plenty of water; call a doctor to your home.
Chemical poisoning
In case of poisoning with household alkalis
(caustic soda, slaked lime, ammonia water) the victim experiences bloody vomiting, diarrhea with bloody mucus, pain in the lower abdomen, burns of the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus and stomach. In case of poisoning, tissue perforation may occur.
If it is known for sure that the cause of the injury was alkali, then the victim is given a weak solution of acid (citric, tartaric, acetic). The same solutions are used to lavage the stomach. If vomiting has stopped, it is induced artificially. Before the ambulance arrives, the victim is given unboiled milk, vegetable oil or a mixture of raw eggs and water (4 eggs per liter of water). The following manipulations, including pain relief, should be carried out by doctors.
In case of acid poisoning
, used in everyday life (vinegar, salt, concentrated lemon), the main symptom is damage to the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus and stomach. Diarrhea is not one of the main signs of damage.
Household organophosphates
are insecticide preparations (Iskra, Inta-Vir, Karbofos, Micron, Metaphos, Dichlorvos and others) used to control insects.
You can be poisoned by insecticides when treating your garden. The victim may have not only severe pain in the lower abdomen, but also nausea and diarrhea. A poisoned person experiences dizziness, anxiety, and headache. His pupils are constricted, breathing is difficult, and pulmonary edema may begin.
If the insecticide has entered through the stomach, then rinse with warm water. If vapors are inhaled, remove their source. The victim is taken out into fresh air. The antidote is atropine sulfate, but it is used only in a hospital.
Classification of poisonings
The penetration of toxins and poisons into the body leads to the development of a painful condition. Poisoning can be of the following types:
- Chemical. It is characterized by the penetration of chemical substances themselves or their vapors into the body. These substances may be contained in disinfectants and detergents, solvents, medications and paints and varnishes. Poisoning can also occur due to exposure of the body to heavy metals, such as lead. Signs of body poisoning with chemicals: heartburn, dry mouth, abdominal pain, weakness, belching, arrhythmia, shortness of breath.
- Bacterial and viral. Occurs when pathogenic microorganisms enter the gastrointestinal tract. Acute poisoning develops in just a couple of hours. In some cases, the primary symptoms of infection of the body appear after a week. Most often, the cause of infection is poor-quality water or food. Bacterial and viral poisoning is accompanied by symptoms such as severe stomach pain, weakness, nausea and vomiting, belching, diarrhea, and rumbling in the abdomen. As a rule, body temperature rises to fairly high levels.
- Food. Including spoiled food in your diet can lead to poisoning. Food that has passed its expiration date contains microbes and toxins that cause serious damage to the human body. Characteristic symptoms: belching, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea mixed with blood, nausea, weakness, chills, increased blood pressure and increased body temperature to 39 degrees.
Intestinal infections
Many infectious intestinal diseases are accompanied by nausea, upset stomach and pain. Loss of fluid and salts can lead to serious consequences.
Intestinal (rotovirus) infection
The disease is common among children attending kindergartens and among primary schoolchildren. The patient develops a fever, diarrhea, nausea, pain in the lower abdomen or over the entire surface, watery eyes, redness and pain in the throat, and bloating. Stool with rotavirus infection is grayish, clay-like, blood and mucus may appear in it, and gases have a putrid odor. The patient's urine is dark and has an unpleasant odor, while the feces, on the contrary, are light. Diarrhea continues for more than one day. The patient's feces contain undigested foods: fat, plant fibers, protein.
With a rotavirus infection, not one family or team member becomes infected, but several, one after another. The diagnosis is made by the attending physician based on a biochemical blood test. At the beginning of the disease, the white blood cell count is elevated, but at the height of the disease, the red blood cell count drops below normal. Analysis shows high nitrogen content. The immunofluorescence method allows you to detect the virus that causes the disease, and the RSC method allows you to detect antibodies.
The patient is prescribed a diet. Milk and all dairy products, including butter and foods high in carbohydrates, are excluded from the diet. The doctor prescribes regindon, drinking plenty of fluids, including fruit drinks and compotes, sorbents, Mezim, Creon.
Antibiotics are not prescribed for rotavirus infection.
Dysentery
The causes of the disease are bacteria of the genus Shigella, which multiply in water, dairy products, vegetables, berries and fruits. Dysentery is characterized by pain in the lower abdomen, frequent, very loose stools mixed with mucous mass and blood. The patient constantly feels false urges, abdominal pain, and in severe cases of the disease he may vomit.
Dysentery is easy to infect other people. The diagnosis is made in the infectious diseases department of the hospital. To do this, a stool sample is cultured in a bacteriological laboratory. This method confirms dysentery in 60% of cases. Accelerated analysis methods are also used, which can detect bacteria in urine, saliva, blood and feces.
Dysentery is treated in a hospital. The patient is prescribed a diet that excludes foods that irritate the stomach and intestines. The diet includes foods containing astringents. The doctor also prescribes antibiotics in the form of injections and other antibacterial drugs: fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and others.
If a sick person has diarrhea mixed with blood and a high temperature, you should immediately suspect dysentery, go to the clinic or call an ambulance. The person who is sick should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Salmonellosis
This disease is caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella. The source of bacteria is animals and birds, their feces, milk, meat, chicken and other bird eggs. A person can become infected through a sick person, or through a healthy person who is a carrier of the infection.
There are several forms of the disease. Gastrointestinal, the most common form, begins suddenly. The sick person develops a fever and diarrhea. Pain in the abdominal cavity is concentrated mainly near the navel. Then painful vomiting begins, in which pieces of food and bile are present.
The stool is greenish, thin, watery and foamy. The liver and spleen are enlarged with salmonellosis, the patient's abdomen is slightly swollen and painful. The tongue is covered with a white coating.
Salmonellosis can be mild and end on the third or fourth day, but it can also be severe. The main danger of the disease is dehydration. If the painful condition does not go away within three days, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist.
The patient is prescribed gastric lavage, enterosorbent, liferan, smecta, polyion solutions, glucose-electrolyte mixtures. The food should be light, fatty, spicy, fried foods should be excluded from the diet.
Antibacterial drugs for salmonellosis are prescribed only for complications.
Diseases of the stomach and duodenum
Gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammatory dystrophic disease of the stomach, caused by infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The main symptoms are stomach pain, belching, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, flatulence.
Gastritis pain is aching, it occurs about 20 minutes after eating and lasts about 2 hours. The feeling of fullness in the stomach persists for several hours. Pain also occurs during stressful situations and when smoking on an empty stomach. Pain is localized in the upper abdomen.
You may also feel nauseous before eating. Morning vomit may taste sour. Stool with diarrhea has an acidic odor.
Gastritis is treated by prescribing a special diet, taking enterosorbents, antispasmodics, Omez; in case of bacterial inflammation of the intestinal walls, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
Stomach ulcer
This is a chronic disease in which ulcerative defects form on the mucous membranes of the stomach. The main symptom of peptic ulcer disease is aching pain in the abdomen that occurs before or after eating. The pain is localized in the middle part of the abdomen, or slightly to the left of center. During an exacerbation, patients constantly vomit with a sour taste.
With ulcers with high acidity, patients experience constipation. Diarrhea with ulcers occurs periodically, but they do not belong to the “classical” signs of this disease, as they arise due to dietary errors and increased irritability of the stomach walls.
Treatment of stomach ulcers includes following a therapeutic diet, taking antispasmodics, painkillers, and medications that destroy Helicobacter Pylori bacteria.
Duodenal ulcer
With a duodenal ulcer, pain is associated with food intake, pain is localized at a distance of 1-2 cm to the right of the midline of the abdomen, occurs in a state of hunger and disappears after the patient eats. Pain, moderate to severe, also occurs after physical work and exercise, after eating fatty, fried, spicy, salty foods. The disease is characterized by belching, nausea, frequent heartburn, and vomiting.
The disease is accompanied by diarrhea or constipation. In the acute form of the disease, blood, mucus, pus, and an unpleasant odor appear in the stool. The patient's blood pressure is low.
For this disease, adherence to a therapeutic diet and physiotherapeutic procedures are indicated; in case of danger of perforation of the ulcer, surgery is necessary.
To treat gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, you need to contact a gastroenterologist who will prescribe medications, physiotherapy, diet therapy or surgery. Perforation of ulcers can lead to peritonitis and death of the patient.
Nausea and diarrhea - causes
Diseases and conditions that can cause nausea and diarrhea at the same time.
Viral gastroenteritis
Viral gastroenteritis is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes called stomach (intestinal) flu. This term is not medical, since influenza viruses do not cause this condition.
Several viruses can cause viral gastroenteritis, but the most common is norovirus. Viral gastroenteritis is an infectious disease that usually occurs after contact with an infected person or through contaminated food or water.
Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis:
- diarrhea
- nausea
- vomit
- fever
- stomach pain or cramps
- headache
Viral gastroenteritis lasts less than a week, and most patients recover on their own without treatment. There is no specific treatment, but medications such as Loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) can be taken to reduce symptoms of diarrhea. Patients with viral gastroenteritis may also experience dehydration; to prevent this, you should:
- drink more fluids
- take electrolytes
- rest
Food poisoning
Food poisoning is a condition that occurs when a person consumes food or drink contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites. Poisoning affects millions of people every year.
After a person has consumed contaminated food or drink, symptoms may take some time to appear. In many cases, signs develop within a few hours, while in other cases it may take several days.
Symptoms of food poisoning:
- nausea
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain and cramps
- fever
- vomit
Food poisoning can be treated in the following ways:
- drink more fluids
- consume electrolyte substitutes
- rest
- take antiemetic drugs such as chlorpromazine and metoclopramide
- take antidiarrheal medications such as loperamide and bismuth subsalicylate
Diverticulitis
Diverticulosis is the presence of one or more diverticula in the colon. The condition usually does not cause symptoms. However, when inflammation or infection occurs, severe symptoms develop, leading to diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis usually causes abdominal pain. However, other symptoms may include:
- nausea
- vomit
- diarrhea
- pain when urinating
- frequent urination
- fever
- bloody stools
- constipation
Treatment for diverticulitis includes:
- high fiber diet
- dietary supplements such as methylcellulose (Citrucel) or psyllium (Metamucil)
- antibiotics
In rare cases, surgery may be required.
Celiac disease
Celiac disease is a digestive disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.
Celiac disease prevents the body from absorbing nutrients from food.
Symptoms of celiac disease include:
- diarrhea
- nausea
- gases
- constipation
- weakness
- mouth ulcers
- sudden weight loss
- abdominal pain and cramps
- foul-smelling, pale, or greasy stools
- bloating and a feeling of swelling in the abdomen
- anemia
People with celiac disease should avoid eating gluten. Once a person removes gluten from their diet, the gut can heal and symptoms improve.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
is an inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Acute pancreatitis is a short-term condition that occurs suddenly, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term condition.
Patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis usually have pain in the upper abdomen that spreads to the back. Both types of pancreatitis can present with nausea and diarrhea.
Treatment is usually carried out in a hospital and depends on the severity of pancreatitis.
Treatments include:
- taking painkillers
- fasting, meaning the person will not eat or drink until the condition improves
- operation
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is the medical term for inflammation of the appendix. The first sign of appendicitis is pain in the center of the abdomen. Then the pain begins to shift to the lower right side. Additional symptoms include:
- nausea
- vomit
- loss of appetite
- diarrhea or constipation
- heat
- flatulence
- bloating
If abdominal pain gradually intensifies, you should seek medical help. In most cases, the surgeon will perform surgery to remove the appendix.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the intestines, part of a group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel diseases.
Symptoms of Crohn's disease depend on what part of the intestine the disease affects. However, the main symptoms are:
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain and cramps
- weight loss
Other symptoms may include:
- blood in stool
- fatigue
- stomatitis
- anemia
- nausea
Treatment for Crohn's disease includes:
- anti-inflammatory drugs
- steroids
- antibiotics
- immunosuppressants
- drinking fluids
- electrolyte substitutes
Pregnancy
Nausea and diarrhea may occur during pregnancy. Nausea is a common condition during pregnancy and is also called morning sickness.
Diarrhea can also occur during pregnancy. This may occur due to hormonal changes or infections.
Nausea and diarrhea during pregnancy may be due to the pregnancy itself, or it may be symptoms of another condition.
Causes of nausea associated with pregnancy
Morning sickness
: This is a common condition that begins before the 9th week of pregnancy and disappears by the 14th week.
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe type of morning sickness that can last longer than normal forms of nausea during pregnancy.
To relieve symptoms, a woman can try:
- eat small meals throughout the day to avoid an empty stomach
- avoid lying down after eating
- rest
- Drinking water, weak tea or clear soft drinks regularly
- avoid foods or smells that cause nausea
- eat soft foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, toast
- Taking ginger supplements helps calm nausea
Diseases of other organs
Abdominal form of myocardial infarction
With the abdominal form of a heart attack, a person experiences very strong pain in the right hypochondrium and on the right side of the abdomen. Burning pain is not relieved by taking painkillers or nitroglycerin. A heart attack is accompanied by impaired intestinal motor activity (peristalsis), increased blood pressure, flatulence and bloating, tachycardia, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea.
The combination of severe pain and gastrointestinal disorders requires urgent hospitalization. Treatment must be prescribed by a doctor.
Colitis
Colitis is an inflammatory disease of the mucous membrane of the large intestine. In acute colitis, pain in the lower abdomen and in the middle part is characterized by a sharp, cramping nature, accompanied by frequent nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The patient feels a painful false urge to defecate. The feces contain undigested food, pus, bloody mucus and have a putrid odor. Bowel movements can occur up to 20 times a day. The patient suffers from bloating.
In chronic colitis, the symptoms of the disease are more pronounced, since not only the mucous membranes, but also the ligamentous-muscular apparatus are involved in the inflammatory process.
Colitis should be treated by a doctor; traditional methods of treatment will not give lasting results. The doctor prescribes a therapeutic diet; if colitis is caused by medications, they are discontinued. In the presence of an infectious process, treatment with antibiotics is indicated.
Pancreatitis
With pancreatitis, severe pain can be girdling, can be localized on the right or left under the ribs, in the pit of the stomach, and involve the lower abdomen. If you tolerate it, a painful shock may occur. Hiccups, frequent nausea and vomiting with bile, belching, dry mouth are constant symptoms of pancreatitis. There are pieces of food in the vomit.
The patient may experience constipation with bloating or diarrhea. The stool with diarrhea is foamy and contains pieces of undigested food. The feces have an unpleasant, foul odor.
Other symptoms of pancreatitis include shortness of breath, bluish skin on the lower back and around the navel, yellowing of the skin and sclera. The face, pale at the beginning of the disease, later acquires a gray-brownish color.
Pancreatitis is a serious and dangerous disease. First aid for an attack consists of applying cold to the stomach, taking No-Shpa or another antispasmodic.
Inflammatory and destructive diseases of the abdominal organs
Appendicitis
The cause of an attack of appendicitis is an inflammatory process in the vermiform appendix of the large intestine. The most dangerous consequence of such inflammation is peritonitis. Acute appendicitis begins with pain above the navel or in the solar plexus. Then it quickly moves to the right iliac region, pain appears in the lower abdomen and other areas. The pain may subside when the body is stationary, but intensifies with any movement.
Vomit in acute appendicitis contains bitter bile. The patient's body temperature may rise to 38 degrees. During an attack, constipation or, conversely, diarrhea may occur, the patient often urinates, and the urine is usually dark in color.
This condition requires urgent surgical intervention. If the attack is ignored, the appendix may burst, causing peritonitis in the abdominal cavity.
Ectopic pregnancy
As is clear from the name of the disease, its cause is the development of the fetus outside the uterine cavity. As the embryo develops, the main symptom of an ectopic pregnancy is pain in the pelvic region, often on one side of the abdomen. The lower abdomen hurts slightly at first, then the pain becomes strong and cramping. The pain can radiate to the anus, neck, spine, shoulder. Pain is present during bowel movements and urination.
With an ectopic pregnancy, vomiting and diarrhea often occur, similar in nature to those that occur with poisoning from poor-quality food. Another sign of the disease is vaginal bleeding not associated with the menstrual cycle. The blood is red or dark.
An ectopic pregnancy is a condition that is extremely life-threatening for a woman. There is no home treatment or folk remedies for ectopic pregnancy. If the symptoms described above appear, a woman should urgently visit a gynecologist.
Do you still think that healing your stomach and intestines is difficult?
Judging by the fact that you are now reading these lines, victory in the fight against diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is not yet on your side...
Have you already thought about surgery? This is understandable, because the stomach is a very important organ, and its proper functioning is the key to health and well-being. Frequent abdominal pain, heartburn, bloating, belching, nausea, bowel dysfunction... All these symptoms are familiar to you firsthand.
But perhaps it would be more correct to treat not the effect, but the cause? Here is the story of Galina Savina, about how she got rid of all these unpleasant symptoms... Read the article >>>
Increasingly, patients complain of acute abdominal pain, which is accompanied by diarrhea and nausea. This problem is especially relevant in the summer; it is at this time of year that food poisoning most often occurs . In addition to poisoning, these signs can signal several other ailments. In our article we will look at what to do if your stomach hurts, nausea and diarrhea.
First aid for abdominal pain and diarrhea
To alleviate the patient’s condition before the arrival of a team of specialists (with prolonged diarrhea, pronounced dangerous symptoms), he needs to provide first aid. Rapid dehydration of the body during diarrhea leads to the development of dysbiosis, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to neutralize the possible provocateur of food poisoning. It is advisable to refrain from eating until the diarrhea stops.
Don't eat anything until the diarrhea stops
Since the intestinal walls are quite sensitive during this period, any food product that gets on the mucous membrane causes severe irritation. This leads to an increase in symptoms.
To restore the body's water-salt balance, it is recommended to drink 200-250 ml of water or strong tea after each liquid bowel movement. Coffee, soda, and sweet compotes should be excluded. In case of prolonged diarrhea (more than 12 hours), to normalize the intestinal microflora, you need to drink salted water or still mineral water.
You can drink salted water and mineral water without gas
At the first symptoms of an intestinal disorder, you can use the following medications:
- activated carbon, "Smecta". These drugs have absorbent properties and absorb toxins that affect the intestinal flora. Since they do not affect changes in blood composition, they are approved for use by children and pregnant women;
- "Ecofuril" fights directly against pathogenic bacteria that cause diarrhea. In addition, thanks to the prebiotic auxiliary substance (lactulose), Ecofuril helps restore its own beneficial microflora. Thus, the combination of nifuroxazide with lactulose provides a double effect of the drug “Ecofuril®” for diarrhea and does not require additional courses of pro- and prebiotics in the recovery period. “Ecofuril®” does not have a systemic effect on the body, since it is practically not absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and is suitable for the whole family: “Ecofuril®” capsules are produced for adults and children from 3 years old, and a suspension is available for the youngest with banana flavor, which can be given to children from the first month of life. It is recommended to take Ecofuril for 5-7 days.
- Ecofuril relieves one of the causes of diarrhea - intestinal infection
- “No-shpa”, “Baralgin”, “Drotaverine” reduce spastic conditions and have an analgesic effect;
"Drotaverine" - "Espumizan" reduces gas formation and intestinal contractile function.
Available in tablets for adults, in the form of syrup for children; "Espumizan" - “Loperamide”, “Levomycetin”, “Fthalazol” reduce the peristalsis of the intestinal walls, help increase the tone of the duodenum, and have an antibacterial effect;
"Fthalazol" - “Mezim”, “Pancreatin”, “Creon”, “Festal” restore enzyme deficiency.
You can use them in case of indigestion, eating a large portion of food, after which increased gas formation and bloating are observed; "Pancreatin" - “Acipol”, “Linex”, “Bifikol” restore beneficial intestinal microflora.
"Bifikol"
If there are no pronounced symptoms of pathology (unbearable pain, fever, etc.), home therapy is allowed for adults. If a child has prolonged diarrhea, a local pediatrician should be called to the home, who will prescribe the optimal treatment by examining and examining the little patient.
After taking medications, the patient should be provided with complete rest and allowed to drink as much liquid as possible without flavoring or aromatic additives. This promotes the rapid removal of toxic substances from the body and restoration of a dehydrated body.
The listed medications to eliminate discomfort when the stomach is twisting and diarrhea are present are advisory in nature. Since each case is individual, to establish the exact cause of abnormal bowel behavior, you should consult a doctor who will conduct a full course of examination and prescribe adequate treatment. You need to be careful about your own health. To prevent intestinal problems, it is recommended to adhere to proper nutrition, observe sanitary standards when preparing food, do not overeat, and prevent infections from entering the intestinal environment. Read our article on how to give an enema to a child.
Causes of the disease
Diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, weakness - these symptoms are quite common in both adults and children. The reasons for their occurrence can be completely different. After contacting a doctor, first of all, the specialist finds out what the patient ate the day before in order to rule out possible food poisoning. These symptoms may indicate either a single disease or several . For example, discomfort in the stomach may occur due to eating too fatty foods. Loose stools are associated with a possible intestinal infection, and nausea, in turn, can signal diseases of the lower respiratory tract. Vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are often found in those losing weight who regularly exhaust themselves with various diets. After fasting and eating too low-calorie foods, these symptoms occur. If a patient regularly (more than a week) has severe stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea, most likely this is a serious pathology, for which it is necessary to start treatment as soon as possible. These signs are especially dangerous for young children . If these symptoms bother you for more than three days, be sure to contact a medical facility.
In addition to the main reasons, this phenomenon can be observed due to climate change or after prolonged stress.
Possible diseases
Stomach pain, weakness, nausea and diarrhea are the first signs of the following diseases:
Basically, symptoms such as nausea, weakness, diarrhea and vomiting are the result of food poisoning . Often the main symptoms are accompanied by elevated body temperature. In case of food poisoning, it is necessary to rinse the stomach with a light solution of manganese, and also drink a sufficient amount of liquid. This manipulation is necessary in order to avoid possible dehydration. These signs are also characteristic of exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to the main symptoms, the patient complains of heartburn and heaviness in the stomach. Nausea, intestinal upset, pain in the stomach area are symptoms of inflammation of the pancreas or cholecystitis. These symptoms disappear only with complex treatment of the underlying disease. If diarrhea occurs more than 7 times a day, nausea does not bring relief and is accompanied by vomiting, most likely it is an intestinal infection . If a patient is bothered by such symptoms, a visit to a doctor should be made immediately. If, in addition to the main symptoms, there are streaks of blood in the stool, the patient has an elevated body temperature and is worried about general weakness, most likely we are talking about dysentery.
Causes
Symptoms don’t just arise; there will definitely be a reason for their appearance. Possible food poisoning, pregnancy, pancreatitis, intestinal infection, cancer or stomach ulcer. Of course, there are other reasons that should be examined in more detail. This will help you understand whether you should see a doctor or whether treatment at home is possible.
Food poisoning
Stomach upset due to food poisoning is the most common cause of the above symptoms. Occurs as a result of eating poor quality food. You can also get poisoned if food has expired, has been in the refrigerator for a long time, or has been stored incorrectly. As a rule, abdominal pain is cutting in nature, sometimes manifesting itself in the form of cramps. The patient has a stomach ache, feels nauseous, and has persistent diarrhea. Vomiting with bloody discharge, loss of appetite and migraine may occur. If the temperature rises, you must immediately call an ambulance. Before the team arrives, you need to rinse your stomach by drinking 1.5-2 liters of water. It is very good if you have activated charcoal in your first aid kit; it is taken in the following proportions: 1 tablet per 10 kilograms of weight. So, if the patient weighs 60 kilograms, you need to take 6 tablets.
Gastric upset can be infectious or non-infectious toxic in nature. In the first case, intoxication occurs as a result of poisoning by microbes and viruses.
In the second case, due to poisons, chemical toxins.
The following foods may be the cause of the disorder:
- dairy
- raw chicken eggs
- inedible mushrooms
- fish, especially raw
- cakes and pastries with cream
You can also get poisoned in public catering, especially if food is prepared there without following sanitary standards.
A gastroenterologist will be able to diagnose gastric poisoning based on the results of laboratory tests. To do this, he takes cultures: stool, vomit, and blood tests.
Treatment can be done at home or in a hospital, depending on the severity of the disorder.
Pregnancy
Aching abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting occur during pregnancy. Often when it flows incorrectly. If the fetus develops outside the uterine cavity, pain occurs in the anus and radiates to the neck and spine. Such sensations can be cramping. Sometimes during an ectopic pregnancy, a woman develops a fever. You cannot self-medicate or resort to traditional medicine. You need to see a gynecologist.
However, if the above symptoms are accompanied by fever, you should call a doctor.
Menstrual cycle
If a woman has a stomach ache, nausea and diarrhea, what could it be? During menstruation, hormonal balance is disrupted. The body tries to get rid of excess hormones, causing unpleasant symptoms.
It should be added that the next menstrual cycle may be accompanied by constipation.
Poor nutrition, inadequate diet
Diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea can be caused by poor diet.
If these symptoms are caused by food poisoning
If the cause of discomfort is poisoning, you need to provide assistance to the patient and begin full treatment:
First of all, you need to rinse your stomach to remove toxins from the body . For this purpose, ordinary boiled water at room temperature or a weak solution of manganese is suitable. The patient should drink at least a glass of liquid, and then artificially induce vomiting (using two fingers). The procedure must be carried out until the vomit becomes transparent. After gastric lavage, you need to start taking medications, which in turn fight toxins. Taking sorbents is necessary to remove toxins from the body that have managed to penetrate the blood. Activated carbon is considered the most common. It is taken according to the instructions, one tablet per 10 kg of the patient’s weight. In addition to activated carbon, there are more modern drugs, such as Smecta, Enterosgel, Polysorb, Filtrum. The dosage of each drug is individual; it is recommended to take it only after consultation with a doctor. Another important step in the treatment of food poisoning is drinking plenty of fluids . The main signs of the disease are vomiting and watery diarrhea; these factors can lead to dehydration. It is for this reason that the patient should drink at least a glass of clean water after each attack of vomiting or bowel movement. After the symptoms disappear, the patient needs to restore the intestinal microflora. For these purposes, experts recommend taking a course of drugs that restore microflora. These include: Hilak Forte, Bifidumbacterin, Linex. The dosage of the drug is prescribed by the attending physician depending on the severity of the poisoning. If we are talking about an intestinal infection, a course of treatment with antibacterial agents (tetracycline, ciprofloxacin) is necessary.
What to do and how to treat associated symptoms
If you experience abdominal pain accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting, consult a doctor.
If you suspect diseases of the abdominal organs, you should not resort to independent treatment; incorrect assistance will lead to aggravation of the situation. In case of exacerbation of gastrointestinal pathologies, urgent surgical intervention is required.
If the cause of your discomfort is food poisoning, you should consult a doctor. If the illness is mild and does not get worse, it is permissible to carry out treatment at home.
You can eliminate unpleasant symptoms using certain medications.
- Toxins are removed from the body by taking sorbents. Activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb, Enterol, Smecta, Sorbex, Atoxyl are considered effective.
- To treat diarrhea, antidiarrheal drugs are used - Nifuroxazide, Levomycetin, Imodium, Loperamide, Hilak forte, Diaremix. Depending on the cause of the disorder, it is necessary to use antibiotics, probiotics, agents to reduce intestinal motility, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Diazepam, Lorazepam, Motilium, Betagistin, Pipolfen stop vomiting.
- Abdominal pain is relieved with analgesic drugs. No-Shpa, Paracetamol, Nurofen (Ibuprofen), Spazmalgon, Festal, Diclofenac, Ranitidine, Cerucal, Omez will help relieve pain spasms.
- To improve intestinal function, it is recommended to use bacterial preparations - Yogurt, Linex, Lactovit, Enterozermina, Bifidumbacterin, Lactulose, Lactofiltrum.
Taking medications is possible after consultation with a doctor. If abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting occur in a child, self-medication is strictly prohibited.
To prevent dehydration, a person should be provided with adequate fluids. If a patient has diarrhea and vomiting at the same time, the body loses a lot of fluid, which is quite dangerous. The condition needs to be treated. Drink warm boiled mineral water without gas. During treatment, adhere to a food diet. Give preference to rice dishes.
A person needs to understand that the development of symptoms is dangerous to health and life. The use of drugs and therapeutic actions must be discussed with a doctor. Otherwise, the person takes responsibility for possible negative consequences upon himself.
If these symptoms are caused by a gastrointestinal disease
If nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea are caused by various gastrointestinal diseases, it is necessary to begin treatment of the underlying disease:
To relieve stomach pain, antispasmodics such as nosh-pa or drotaverine are used . If pain is observed in the stomach, it is necessary to reduce the acidity of gastric juice; for these purposes, experts recommend taking omeprazole or omez. If we are talking about chronic gastritis or stomach ulcers, it is necessary to take enveloping agents. These include Maalox or Almagel. Medicines such as Cerucal or metoclopramide can help relieve nausea. An important factor in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases is diet . Excessively fatty, smoked and spicy foods should be excluded. You should also avoid excessively cold or hot foods.
This information is not instructions for self-medication. Drug names are provided for informational purposes only. At the first of the above signs, be sure to consult a doctor.
Inflammation of the duodenum
Inflammation of the duodenum, or duodenitis, can cause symptoms such as bloody vomiting, severe belching, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Reasons provoking the development of the disease:
- Ischemic intestinal disease.
- Cholecystitis.
- Crohn's disease.
- Severe stress.
- Gastritis.
- Alcohol abuse and smoking.
- Peptic ulcer disease.
- Taking anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Dyspepsia.
- Chronic infections.
The acute form of duodenitis most often develops as a result of ingestion of poor quality food. Products that cause irritation to the mucous membrane, alcohol or the ingestion of toxic substances injure the intestines. The acute form of duodenitis may resemble poisoning in its symptoms. In some cases, complications may develop. For example, bleeding or damage to the intestinal wall.
Periods of remissions and exacerbations alternate in the chronic form of duodenitis. The disease develops against the background of an irregular diet, with the consumption of large amounts of spicy, fatty and fried foods. In addition, duodenitis can progress against the background of other pathologies.
According to statistics, this disease most often affects men. Its development often begins in childhood. Statistics show that acute inflammatory processes affecting the duodenum become chronic in 95% of cases.
If symptoms are caused by dysentery
This disease is detected after stool tests. If a doctor discovers dysentery in a patient, it is very important to start treatment as soon as possible, this will help avoid possible complications. The disease has varying degrees of severity, so treatment of dysentery is strictly individual. Treatment is carried out exclusively in a hospital setting, since this disease is contagious . After completion of treatment, a repeat examination of stool is prescribed. As a preventive measure, patients are advised to maintain personal hygiene and thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits before consumption.
Folk remedies
To get rid of unpleasant symptoms at home, you can use folk remedies. These recipes will help the patient with abdominal discomfort and normalize loose stools:
For serious illnesses, experts advise using this treatment in conjunction with the main one.
Take one pomegranate and peel the skins from the berries. Next, you need to place the pomegranate peel in a warm, dark place until completely dry. Once the crust becomes brittle, grind it to a powder state. Place one teaspoon of pomegranate powder in a glass, pour boiling water over it and close with a lid. As soon as the drink reaches room temperature, you need to drink half a glass of pomegranate tincture at the first symptoms. Peel the ginger root. Grind using a fine grater and place the resulting consistency in a glass container. Pour boiling water over the ginger and cover with a lid. The drink must be allowed to brew for at least 3 hours, after which it is necessary to drink 1/3 glass after each act of defecation or vomiting. To prepare the next recipe we will need young blueberry leaves. 8-10 leaves must be poured with boiling water, it is advisable to use a thermos. The drink should steep for at least a day, after which it is necessary to take half a glass before each meal. It is advisable to carry out treatment with blueberry tincture in a course of at least 7 days .
Prevention measures
In order not to become the owner of unpleasant diseases such as dysentery or intestinal infection, as well as to avoid food poisoning, it is necessary to follow some preventive measures:
Avoid public pools or saunas. After walking, be sure to wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap . Wash vegetables and fruits with hot water before eating. We eat meat and fish only after heat treatment. Check expiration dates before purchasing a product.
Pork, beef or lamb must be exposed to heat for at least 2 hours.
Follow preventive measures to protect yourself and your loved ones. If the first symptoms of serious illness appear, consult a doctor immediately .
Diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain indicate a disruption in the digestive process.
If such characteristic signs appear, most likely the cause lies in bacteria that entered the body along with the spoiled product. At the same time, the body temperature rises.
Let's look at the main reasons that lead to nausea and abdominal pain accompanied by diarrhea.
What to do if you have stomach cramps and diarrhea
If cramping in the lower abdomen and diarrhea are caused by minor food poisoning, you can cope with the problem without medical help. This is easy to understand by the symptoms accompanying the anomaly. If the noticed signs suggest the presence of any disease, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Table. Warning symptoms
Symptom | Description |
Increased body temperature, accompanied by chills and fever | The symptom indicates the development of an inflammatory process in the body. To accurately establish its localization, professional diagnostics will be required. In this case, taking antipyretic and painkillers will only temporarily reduce the severity of dangerous symptoms, increasing it over time. |
Sharp, acute pain in the lower abdomen that cannot be tolerated | Severe pain may indicate the presence of severe infectious diseases, intestinal, viral pathology, inflammation of the appendix, etc. Common medications for diarrhea will not be suitable in this case. Emergency medical attention is needed, possibly with surgery. Therefore, it is urgent to call an ambulance. |
The occurrence of bleeding | This can be nasal, genital, anal discharge of blood clots during bowel movements. Symptoms directly indicate serious damage to internal tissues and organs. The pathology can be characterized by rapid development, spreading to organs adjacent to the source of pain. |
An increase in heart rate, a sharp jump in blood pressure, increased heart rate, dizziness, increased sweating, pallor, and redness of the skin that accompany diarrhea indicate the presence of problems in the cardiovascular system. | Symptoms may indicate a pre-infarction condition, a hypertensive crisis. |
Excessively frequent urge to have bowel movements, accompanied by vomiting, significantly dehydrates the body | In this case, circulatory disorders, destabilization of pressure, and other pathological conditions may occur. |
The presence of at least one of the listed signs should prompt the patient to call an ambulance. If the symptoms are mild, it is recommended to provide the person with the necessary assistance at home.
Causes of diarrhea and nausea
Diarrhea is the passage of stool more than three times a day. In this case, the feces become liquid. As a result of diarrhea, unpleasant abdominal pain appears, which may even be accompanied by cramps.
When symptoms of intoxication appear, a person often feels weak and generally unwell. There may be several reasons for deterioration in health.
Nausea, like the disorder, can occur with the abuse of fatty foods, alcohol, and also as a result of overeating. This can cause the stomach to stop working, which causes pain and diarrhea.
The causes of digestive disorders can be both the most harmless and quite serious, for example:
frequent diets or overeating; bacterial or viral infections; chronic gastrointestinal diseases; dysbacteriosis.
Diarrhea that continues for a long time indicates inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
If a person has frequent attacks of diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain, this may be a sign of serious pathologies.
Diarrhea is very dangerous for young children and the elderly, because they quickly develop dehydration.
Before treatment, be sure to consult a doctor and find out the cause of the disease.
How to distinguish symptoms of poisoning from gastrointestinal disease
Nausea and diarrhea can occur due to poisoning, infectious diseases and gastrointestinal diseases. There are some features that can be used to determine the probable cause of deterioration in well-being.
Let's consider each case separately.
If you eat low-quality food, poisoning may develop. At the same time, the gastric mucosa becomes inflamed and severe pain begins. After some time, the person also experiences nausea and diarrhea.
Signs of poisoning are as follows:
rumbling in the stomach that appeared suddenly; increased body temperature; severe nausea (may vomit for a long time); vomiting that does not stop; severe weakness; chills and cold sweats; diarrhea.
In case of poisoning, it all begins with abdominal pain and nausea.
With intestinal infections, the deterioration of the patient’s well-being is slightly different. The disease begins abruptly with severe diarrhea and vomiting. The patient's body temperature quickly rises and weakness is observed. The stomach may not hurt.
For gastrointestinal diseases, the clinical picture looks different.
Gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, hepatitis and cholecystitis manifest themselves with the following symptoms:
nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; abdominal and stomach pain; sour belching; bitterness in the mouth.
With a peptic ulcer, stomach pain may appear within half an hour after eating food.
In some cases, gastritis, ulcers and stomach spasms may be accompanied only by nausea and vomiting.
With intestinal diseases, pain in the lower abdomen is cramping in nature, diarrhea is severe. One of these diseases is enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine). The inflammatory process is always accompanied by abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. With an exacerbation of the disease, weakness and even interruptions in heart function due to dehydration are possible.
What does nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain indicate?
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are a disorder of the body. When symptoms appear, the main task is to find out the cause of the ailment, after which an appropriate treatment is selected.
Processes can occur as a result of the influence of external factors or act as a consequence of internal pathological changes. Diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain are caused by food poisoning, pesticides, household and industrial chemicals. Signs may indicate diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal infections.
The true cause of the illness can be determined based on a diagnostic study.
Gastrointestinal diseases
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can cause abdominal pain, stool upset and vomiting. The main ailments causing the condition are pancreatitis, stomach and intestinal ulcers, problems with gastric acidity, tumor formation, tuberculosis, intestinal obstruction, hepatitis, cholecystitis and inflammatory processes of internal organs.
In addition to these symptoms, a person with a disease of internal organs experiences bitterness in the mouth and belching with a sour taste. Blood may be present in the discharge (stool and vomit). Indicates internal bleeding and indicates damage to organs and membranes.
Pain in gastrointestinal diseases manifests itself in attacks. They are acute and intensify over time. As the disease progresses, accompanying symptoms are added, and eating and bowel movements become painful. Gastrointestinal problems develop over a long period of time. Before the symptoms worsen, the patient may notice periodic pain that suddenly appears and then disappears, and sometimes begins to feel nauseous.
Acute pain in the lower abdomen accompanied by vomiting may indicate appendicitis. The condition requires immediate response and assistance.
The main treatment is to eliminate the pathology, not the symptoms. With such pathologies, a person needs urgent surgical intervention.
Food poisoning
Food intoxication is a common cause of abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Children from 1 to 7 years of age are susceptible to poisoning; the body is not able to fully resist toxins.
Poisoning occurs when consuming:
- poisonous mushrooms;
- stale food;
- meat products with insufficient temperature treatment;
- products not stored properly;
- unwashed food;
- rotten vegetables, fruits;
- products treated with chemicals.
Symptoms of poisoning appear several hours after consuming the product. The victim experiences nausea, diarrhea, weakness, stomach pain, and vomiting. There may be dizziness, darkening of the eyes, weakness and abdominal pain, pale skin, bloating, and heaviness. Dry mouth, flatulence, and sudden bouts of chills may occur. The pain is concentrated in the lower abdomen.
In case of mild intoxication, after visiting the bathroom, the symptoms weaken and temporary relief occurs. The stomach begins to hurt again after a certain period of time.
If you have food poisoning, you need quick help. The poison in the body must be removed. If a person diarrhea or vomits, the body becomes dehydrated, which is dangerous for systems and organs. If the damage is minor and short-term, you can treat it at home. If signs of acute poisoning are present, medical treatment is necessary to prevent serious consequences.
Intestinal infections
Frustration and discomfort associated with infection is a dangerous phenomenon. When a pathogen enters the body, a person suffers from severe malaise - abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and signs of hyperthermia.
Infections enter the human body through poorly processed food, from animals, from a woman or man carrying the disease, in public bathing places.
Bacterial pathogens. The ingress of pathogenic bacteria leads to severe intoxication. Microorganisms and waste products cause an immune response. Toxic substances released by bacteria poison the intestines and all internal organs. The nervous and cardiovascular systems suffer. A person complains of severe headache, nausea, abdominal pain, weakness. When infected with pathogens, the patient may experience neurological symptoms - loss of consciousness, convulsions, surges in blood pressure, confusion in the perception of space, problems with the musculoskeletal system. Bacterial infection is dangerous in young children. Emergency medical intervention is required.
Viral infections are less common and transmission routes are more widespread. In addition to the oral-fecal route, the virus is transmitted by airborne droplets. When it enters the body, the pathogen causes inflammatory processes in the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient complains of acute pain, loose stools, nausea, vomiting, aching joints, and elevated body temperature. An infected person remains a carrier of the disease 2 to 4 weeks after recovery, whereas with bacterial lesions the period is 4 days.
Parasites can cause symptoms of severe gastrointestinal distress in humans. In the human body, worms multiply quickly. The waste products of worms are toxic and affect the functioning of the body. A person infected with parasites complains of diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain, and sudden sweating. The patient may experience weight loss, problems with the respiratory system, anemia, and pain in the hypochondrium.
Common types of intestinal infections
Bacterial | Viral | Parasitic |
Salmonellosis | Enteroviruses (Coxsackie viruses A and B, ECHO viruses) | Helminthiasis |
Escherichiosis | Norfolk group infections | Nematodes |
Shigellosis | Adenovirus | Cestodoses |
Dysentery | Coronavirus | Protozoan (protozoan) organisms |
Botulism | Rotavirus | |
Typhoid fever | Reovirus | |
Cholera | ||
Pseudomonas aeruginosa | ||
Staphylococcus aureus | ||
Paratyphoid | ||
Clostridia | ||
Klebsiella | ||
Proteas | ||
Campylobacteriosis |
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