Diarrhea with mucus in an adult: causes and treatment methods

Often in medical practice there is a condition such as diarrhea with mucus. Diarrhea itself can be a sign of gastrointestinal diseases. It happens that pathological impurities (mucus, blood) are found in the stool. Diarrhea (diarrhea) is a very common phenomenon. A single loose stool may not pose a danger to humans. If diarrhea occurs periodically or is combined with other symptoms (fever, abdominal pain, blood in the stool), you should consult a doctor. What are the causes of loose stools with mucus?

Features of diarrhea with mucus

Diarrhea (diarrhea) is a pathological condition characterized by frequent and loose stools. Not everyone knows what normal stool should be like. With normal functioning of the stomach and intestines, the stool should be formed, soft in consistency, with a specific but not fetid odor, light brown or dark brown in color, without blood and a large amount of mucus.

The feces should be of a uniform consistency. It is allowed to contain a small amount of mucus.

The normal frequency of bowel movements is from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. On average, a person has bowel movements 1-2 times a day. With diarrhea (diarrhea), the stool becomes liquid or pasty. In some diseases, bowel movements occur several dozen times a day. This can lead to significant fluid loss and dehydration.

Mucus in the stool is the result of irritation of the intestinal mucosa. The cause may be mechanical stress, various chemicals, bacteria and their toxins (enterotoxin). At the same time, mucus production increases sharply. It can be seen in feces with the naked eye. This condition develops in adults and children.

Depending on the etiological factor, the following forms of diarrhea are distinguished:

infectious;
nutritional;
dyspeptic (enzymatic);
toxic;
medicinal;
psychogenic.

Infectious diarrhea is the most acute. It is the main symptom of acute intestinal infections. The dyspeptic type is characteristic of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea can bother such patients for years, occurring periodically and leading to gradual depletion of the body.

Treatment

Features of therapy for diarrhea with mucus depend on the cause that caused it. Symptomatic treatment consists of a conservative approach - drug therapy and diet.

With frequent bowel movements in the anorectal area, irritation, redness, itching, and cracks may occur. You should give up toilet paper for a while, and wash yourself with cool water after each visit to the toilet.

In case of poisoning, gastric lavage is necessary. After this, you should take activated carbon. The dosage should be calculated by weight - when using activated carbon, you need 1 tablet for every 10 kilograms. Instead of coal, you can take another sorbent: Polysorb, Smecta, Enterosgel, etc.

Drug therapy

The use of various medications is the basis for diarrhea with mucus. The following medications may be prescribed:

Antidiarrheal drugs. They reduce intestinal motility and increase sphincter tone. For this purpose, dental medications can be prescribed: Colibacterin, Lactobacterin, Bifidumbacterin, the synthetic drug Loperamide, the herbal preparation Bird cherry fruits.
Enterosorbents. Such drugs bind various substances in the gastrointestinal tract and then excrete them in the feces. A popular product from this group is activated carbon. For diarrhea, Smecta, Enterosgel, Polysorb are also used.
Rehydrates. Medicines of this group are necessary to restore the water-salt balance in the body, which is inevitably disturbed by diarrhea. Among such drugs, Regidron and Trihydrosol are often used.
Antibiotics. Antibacterial therapy is usually required when the disease is infectious in nature or when a secondary infection occurs. At the initial stage, one of the broad-spectrum drugs is usually prescribed, but after identifying the pathogen, the drug can be changed. For intestinal infections, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and sulfonamides are used.
Probiotics. Such products normalize the composition of the intestinal microflora and increase its biological activity. For diarrhea with mucus, Linex, Acilact, Acipol, Bifiform, Baktisubtil, Sporobacterin can be prescribed.
For pain and fever, Paracetamol or Ibuprofen is usually used.

Treatment for diarrhea with mucus should be prescribed by a doctor. Only he will select an effective and correct set of drugs for a specific case. Self-treatment may be ineffective and lead to serious consequences.

Diet and drinking regime

Nutritional habits depend on the cause of diarrhea with mucus. Usually, treatment table No. 4 is prescribed, which implies a gentle regime for the gastrointestinal tract.

This diet is based on the following principles:

As a heat treatment, limit yourself to boiling and steaming.
Correct temperature – food should be warm.
Avoid spicy, fatty and fried foods.
Puree or grind food.
You should eat in small portions – 4-5 times a day.
Meat, fish and poultry only of low-fat varieties.
Exclude smoked meats, sausage, semi-finished products, fast food, marinades.
Strong and fatty broths are prohibited.
Limit yourself to one egg per day. It is better to eat only protein.
A small amount of wheat bread and soft cookies are allowed.
Fresh baked goods, pancakes and pancakes, bread made from rye flour, coarse grinding are prohibited.
Of pasta products, only thin noodles are allowed.
Limit dairy products. Cottage cheese and acidophilus are allowed. Avoid kefir, sour cream, cheese, and cream. Butter is allowed, but in small quantities. Yogurt or whole milk are prohibited in their pure form, but they can be added to porridge or pudding.
Cereals you can eat include rice, buckwheat, semolina, and oatmeal. Millet, barley and pearl barley are prohibited.
Refuse fresh fruits, berries, dried fruits, jam, honey.
Applesauce, jelly or fruit juice from non-acidic berries are allowed.
Allowed tea is green, black, juice from non-acidic berries diluted in half with water, pure water without gas.
Coffee, cocoa, kvass, and soda are prohibited.

Diarrhea means the body loses fluid, so it needs to be replenished. The average person should drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day. This amount may be changed depending on the frequency of bowel movements. After each trip to the toilet with loose stools, you need to drink approximately the same volume of liquid - about 1 glass for a child and 1.5-2 glasses for an adult.

ethnoscience

Alternative medicine can also help cope with diarrhea with mucus. You can use the following folk recipes:

Steam 1 teaspoon of dill or fennel seeds with 0.3 liters of boiling water and boil in a closed container for a minute. Infuse the resulting drink for about an hour, strain and take throughout the day.
Oak bark holds well. You need to steam a teaspoon of raw material with 0.3 liters of boiling water and, after boiling, keep it on low heat for another 10 minutes. Filter the infused broth. Give a child 1 tablespoon three times a day, an adult – 2-3 times more (depending on body weight).
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of starch in a glass of warm water and drink in 3 doses throughout the day.
Pour 1 tablespoon of bird cherry bark with a glass of water and keep in a water bath for half an hour. Leave the decoction for half an hour, filter and take half a glass three times a day.
Bird cherry fruits also help with diarrhea. You need to crush the raw materials and add 10 parts of water. Keep in a water bath for 20 minutes, then leave for half an hour, then strain. Take half a glass three times a day.
Steam 2 tbsp. l. wormwood with half a liter of boiling water and leave in a sealed container for half an hour. Then filter. Take a tablespoon three times a day before meals.

Herbal products also have contraindications and can cause side effects, including the consequences of individual intolerance to the raw material. You should consult a specialist about the possibility of using specific products. Folk recipes should under no circumstances replace traditional medicine.

Main causes of diarrhea

Diarrhea with mucus can be due to various reasons. Loose stools mixed with mucus may indicate the following diseases and pathological conditions:

food poisoning of microbial and non-microbial etiology;
dysentery;
salmonellosis;
colitis;
enterocolitis;
severe ARVI;
intestinal form of influenza;
rotavirus infection;
parasitic diseases (amoebiasis, enterobiasis, ascariasis);
intestinal candidiasis;
irritable bowel syndrome;
dysbacteriosis;
eating disorders (eating raw food);
inflammation of the pancreas;
poisoning of the body with toxic compounds (salts of heavy metals, nitrates, pesticides).

The cause of this disease can be fermentopathy, simultaneous consumption of incompatible products, lactose deficiency, or taking medications (NSAIDs). In children, the most common causes of diarrhea with mucus are viral and bacterial intestinal infections, overeating, and helminths.

Diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain

Pain syndrome associated with diarrhea is caused by increased intestinal motility.
The pain is usually paroxysmal, spastic and pronounced. During an attack, there is a urge to defecate. Similar symptoms are typical for food poisoning and damage to the body by pathogenic bacteria.

Diarrhea in acute intestinal infections

Diarrhea is the most common manifestation of acute intestinal infections such as dysentery and salmonellosis. The causative agents of dysentery are Shigella. Human infection occurs by consuming food contaminated with bacteria, contaminated water, or through the hands. Shigella secretes various pathogenicity factors (toxins). Abnormal bowel movements are a consequence of exposure to an exotoxin in the intestines. The disease occurs in an acute form. The large intestine is most often affected. The main symptoms are:

heat;
diarrhea;
stomach ache;
urge to go to the toilet.

In acute dysentery, stool can be up to 20-30 times a day. Mucus, blood and pus are found in the stool. This disease is dangerous due to possible complications (rectal prolapse, dehydration, bleeding, dysbacteriosis). Salmonellosis has similar symptoms. This disease develops when eating insufficiently thermally processed meat, eggs, dairy products, and salads.

Often the disease occurs within the walls of a medical institution. In this case, a nosocomial infection occurs. Salmonellosis is characterized by the following symptoms: headache, myalgia, high fever, nausea, vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen, diarrhea, bloating, rumbling. Diarrhea does not occur immediately. At first the stool is formed, but soon it quickly becomes watery. Feces have a fetid odor and a greenish color (stool like swamp mud).

Infectious causes of mucus

Loose stools are often observed with dysentery and salmonellosis. Pathogenic microorganisms begin to release toxic substances and poison the intestines.

As a result, the following symptoms appear:

pain syndrome localized in the abdominal area;
an abundance of mucus in the stool;
spasmodic headaches;
gagging;
hyperthermia.

The frequency of bowel movements often reaches twenty times per day.

Parasitic infections

In children and adults, the cause of loose stools with mucus can be parasitic diseases (helminthiases and protozoa). Enterobiasis is often diagnosed in childhood. This is a disease caused by roundworms (pinworms). Parasites live in the cecum. A healthy person can become infected through contact (sharing objects, shaking hands). Pinworm eggs are often found under the nails. With dirty hands, they are carried into the mouth and enter the gastrointestinal tract. The main symptoms of enterobiasis are:

anal itching (more at night);
stomach ache;
pasty stool mixed with mucus;
rumbling in the stomach;
increased gas formation;
nausea;
frequent urge to go to the toilet.

The change in stool character is due to intestinal irritation and impaired peristalsis. Among protozoal infections, which often occur with diarrhea, it is necessary to highlight amoebiasis. It is caused by amoebas. These organisms are protozoa. Human infection occurs through dirty hands, contaminated food and water contaminated with amoeba cysts. The incubation period is up to 3 months. The intestinal form of amebiasis is manifested by diarrhea, increasing pain in the abdominal area, tenesmus, and signs of hypovitaminosis. Stools with amoebiasis are liquid, copious, from 5 to 20 times a day. First, mucus is found in the stool, then the stool becomes jelly-like. An admixture of blood is determined in it.

Other reasons

Loose stools mixed with mucus can be due to dysbacteriosis. This condition develops due to a decrease in the amount of beneficial microflora or activation of opportunistic microorganisms. The causes of dysbiosis are: long-term use of antibiotics, parasitic infections, decreased immunity, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The stool changes due to increased secretion of bile acids and impaired peristalsis. Often the stool has a putrid odor, mucus or blood.

Liquid and frequent stools with mucus, the urge to defecate after eating, abdominal pain - all this may indicate typhlitis (inflammation of the right intestines). In children, enteroviral infections caused by the ECHO and Coxsackie viruses are a common cause of diarrhea. The cause of mucous stool may lie in acute inflammation of the pancreas. The enzymes produced by the gland irritate the intestinal mucosa and cause diarrhea.

Causes of common pathology

Acute diarrhea, in which frequent bowel movements are noted, develops with the onset of an inflammatory process in the intestines. Such changes can be caused by infection and a number of medications.

Diagnosis and treatment

Before treatment, the patient is subject to a complete examination. The list of studies may include:

coprogram;
fecal analysis for helminth eggs;
scraping for enterobiasis;
general and biochemical blood test;
FGDS;
irrigoscopy;
colonoscopy;
sigmoidoscopy;
Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
study of intestinal microflora;
physical examination (palpation, percussion).

Treatment depends on the underlying disease. For dysbacteriosis, probiotics and prebiotics (Hilak Forte, Bifiform), and antiseptics are prescribed. Amoebiasis is treated with Metronidazole and Tinidazole. For enterobiasis, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed (Vermox, Mebendazole).

Treatment of dysentery includes the use of enterosorbents, antibiotics, and infusion therapy. For acute intestinal infections in an adult or child, it is not recommended to take antidiarrheals (Loperamide, Imodium). Colitis requires a strict diet. Thus, diarrhea mixed with mucus can be a manifestation of both infectious and non-infectious diseases.