Causes of dysbiosis, treatment, symptoms and diagnosis

Our gastrointestinal tract has its own microflora. In the stomach and duodenum, it is almost not there, but in the distal (remote from the stomach) parts of the intestine can be found and E. coli, and yeast-like fungi. Inhabitants there also enterococci and lactobacilli - in general, in an intestine lives up to 500 kinds of microorganisms. Their number has an optimal ratio, which allows the digestive organs to function normally. But as soon as the balance is broken, dysbacteriosis develops. The reasons, symptoms and ways of treating this condition will be discussed later in the article.

Why does the intestine need microorganisms

As can be seen from the above, the microflora in the digestive tract is diverse and includes even conditionally pathogenic microorganisms. Her vital activity in the intestines is justified and has a certain weight in maintaining the overall health of a person:

• It synthesizes vitamins, as well as enzymes that have an antitumor effect, participates in the breakdown of protein and sugar;
• Protects the mucosa from allergens, infection, and from the excess of microbes that can become pathogenic;
• Due to the presence of microorganisms, there is a constant activation of immunity;
• Neutralize toxins and harmful metabolic products;
• Decreased cholesterol;
• The process of absorption of water, iron, vitamins, calcium, etc., is stimulated, fatty acids are produced that ensure the preservation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine.

Without understanding how important the balance of microflora is for a person and their normal vital activity, it is difficult to fully understand the causes of dysbacteriosis.

What provokes dysbiosis

In both adults and children, dysbacteriosis is, above all, the death of beneficial microorganisms and the active development of pathogens. This situation can be caused by different reasons. In particular, the cause of dysbiosis in adults is often hidden in the following:

• In the diet of the patient there is a lack of fiber and fermented milk products;
• The patient suffers from gastrointestinal diseases that cause changes in cell membranes and metabolism (gastritis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, hepatitis, etc.) or infectious diseases;
• He had an allergic reaction to something;
• The patient suffered a prolonged psychoemotional stress;
• Changed climatic conditions;
• For a long time he was subjected to heavy physical stress.

To problems with the balance of microflora can also lead to postoperative disorders as a result of removal of part of the stomach, intestine or gallbladder, etc.

Causes of dysbiosis in children

For children (especially at an early age) a violation of the intestinal microflora, as a rule, has especially severe consequences. Although they have a dysbacteriosis, the reasons for the development of which we are considering, runs in almost the same scenario as in adults.

Provoke it can both the characteristics of the intrauterine development of the baby, and his life after birth. For example, a violation of the bacterial balance of his intestine can develop as a result of a severe course of pregnancy or complicated delivery, prematurity, late application of it to the breast, or the presence of bacterial vaginosis in the mother.

In what cases is the death of beneficial bacteria

The causes of dysbiosis in children, as in adults, lie in the death of beneficial bacteria of the intestine. This happens in different cases:

• When the amount of digestive enzymes is insufficient, and undigested food begins to ferment, increasing the number of pathogens;
• If there is a decrease in the tone of the muscles of the intestine or its spasms, which interfere with the normal progress of the diet;
• The patient is infected with helminths;
• Or he has been treated with antibiotics.

In infants, the emergence of symptoms of dysbacteriosis can be due to the lack of nutrients in the mother's milk, the development of her mastitis or the early transfer of the baby to artificial feeding.

How is dysbiosis classified?

The cause of the disease and the severity of its manifestations make it possible to divide the described state into decompensated, subcompensated and compensated dysbacteriosis.

In the first case, the patient's well-being deteriorates noticeably due to vomiting, frequent stools and general intoxication. Against this background, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause the development of sepsis.

With a subcompensated form of dysbacteriosis, the causes of which we are considering, appears moderately - in the form of poor appetite, lethargy, weakness, dyspeptic disorders and weight loss.

In the latter case, there are no external signs of the disease.

Symptoms of dysbiosis

The manifestations of the syndrome described vary in their degree of severity. How much the patient suffers from microflora disorders depends on many conditions - his age, lifestyle, state of immunity and the stage at which the disease is located. So, for example, if in one patient the use of antibiotics for a week can cause only small deviations in the intestinal microflora, then in another patient it can lead to severe digestive problems.

Depending on what causes dysbacteriosis, its symptoms can be expressed thus:

• Liquid stool, having a mushy structure, poorly flushed off the walls of the toilet bowl and often becoming foamy;
• constipation;
• A condition in which constipation is continually replaced by diarrhea;
• Flatulence, accompanied by abundant release of gases (they may have a sharp odor or it may be completely absent);
• Abdominal pain (it has a different localization and often directly depends on bloating, disappearing with the escape of gases);
• General weakness.

The constant lack of vitamins and minerals caused by dysbiosis leads to jamming and cracks on the lips, increased fragility of hair and nails, the appearance of edema, insomnia, and the development of neurological disorders.

It should be noted that in some patients, regardless of what the causes of dysbacteriosis were, the syndrome may not manifest itself at all and can be detected only after laboratory tests.

Diagnosis of the disease

In modern medicine, there are many methods that confirm the presence of dysbiosis. But most often in practice bacteriological examination of feces is used for the presence of this pathology.

True, it has some drawbacks: with its help, you can detect only a small number of microorganisms, in addition, waiting for the results of sowing it takes about 10 days. And when collecting material for him, patients often break the rules. Recall them:

• To be able to objectively evaluate the material being studied, it should be collected only in sterile dishes and only with a sterile instrument (for this purpose special jars equipped with a spatula for collecting feces are sold in pharmacies);
• In addition, the feces should be on the study no later than 2 hours - if this is difficult, it can be hidden in the refrigerator (but no more than 6 hours);
• Preparing to collect material for analysis, the patient should not take drugs containing live microorganisms, otherwise the result may be completely distorted, and the causes of dysbiosis can not be identified.

In addition to feces, scrapings of the mucosa, aspirates of the small intestine, etc., are often sent for examination, which are taken during endoscopic examination.

Helps to diagnose dysbacteriosis and chromatography (during her time in the blood, feces and liquids from the small intestine are recorded the products of life microflora). Also informative is a coprogram, which helps to identify the iodophilic flora during microscopic examination of feces.

How is intestinal dysbiosis treated?

The causes leading to dysbacteriosis are the starting point for the appointment of its adequate treatment. That is, in the first place it is necessary to get rid of the underlying disease that has become the cause of bowel dysfunction. Along with this, there are also measures aimed at restoring microflora - drug treatment and diet compliance.

To suppress the development of pathogenic microbes, the patient is prescribed antibacterial drugs (Tetracycline, Cephalosporin, Penicillin, etc.). If the cause of dysbacteriosis is a fungal infection, the patient is prescribed "Nystatin" - a drug that suppresses excessive growth of fungi.

To restore the beneficial microflora of the intestine, the means used in the composition of living cultures ("Bifidumbacterin", "Linex" or "Lactobacterin").

Diet

To get rid of dysbiosis, adherence to a diet is not the only curative effect, but it can not be underestimated. The diet, including plant fiber, will allow not only to clean the intestines, but also to restore its functions. For this, fruit, greens, berries, nuts, vegetables, legumes and cereals (except manga and rice) must be introduced into the patient's diet.

Also beneficial for the state of the microflora are dairy products containing lacto- or bifidobacteria.

They remove from the diet all industrial canned goods, carbonated drinks, muffins, whole and condensed milk, sweets, chips and ice cream.

Measures to prevent dysbiosis

Dysbacteriosis, the causes and treatment of which we considered in our article, is pathology, the appearance of which can be prevented. But immediately we note that its prevention is a rather difficult task. Its main sections include improving the environmental situation in general, and adherence to an adequate food regime in particular. It is very important for the future of normal functioning of the intestines to be breast-feeding a child.

An important role is played by the correct use of antibiotics and other medicines that can disrupt microbiocinosis (the pooling of microbial populations inhabiting the body of a healthy person), as well as timely treatment of pathologies of the digestive tract, leading to a disturbance of the natural balance of its microflora.

A few words at a time

Dysbacteriosis is not an independent disease, but one of the symptoms of pathological processes taking place in the body. Therefore, a change in the balance of microflora is not the main problem. Once the underlying disease is cured, the causes of dysbiosis also disappear. But if his manifestations are still troubling, then the patient has not been cured. And in such a situation it is necessary to treat the dysbiosis itself, and its underlying cause is the underlying disease.