Chronic dysentery - stool with dysentery
Dysentery is an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella. It affects the rectum and is accompanied by intoxication of the body and frequent diarrhea.
Chronic dysentery develops in the case of improper treatment of the acute form, or as a result of a complete lack of treatment. If the symptoms of dysentery persist for three months, then the disease is considered chronic. It can be recurrent or continuous. Also, there are mild, moderate and severe forms of chronic dysentery.
More often, there is a recurrent form, in which periods of exacerbation alternate with periods of remission, when symptoms recede or disappear. The duration of each of the periods can be different. Symptomatic relapse periods are usually similar to mild to moderate acute dysentery, but are persistent and long-lasting.
The patient's temperature is normal or slightly elevated, stool up to five times a day, sometimes with blood splashes, tenesmus is absent. There are minor cramping pains while walking or when changing body position. Symptoms of colon damage may be supplemented by signs of a malfunction of the central nervous system. The efficiency of patients decreases, sleep is disturbed, headaches, increased excitability, irritability are observed. Some infected people show autonomic disorders, signs of vagotonia are observed.
During the examination, changes in the mucous membrane of the sigmoid and rectum are found. During the relapse period, sigmoidoscopy reveals a clinical picture characteristic of acute dysentery, namely, an uneven alternation of hyperemic areas, pale with a clearly visible dilated vascular network. At the same time, the dull mucous membrane is thinned and easily injured.
During remission, working capacity remains, however, patients complain of constant dull headaches, abdominal discomfort caused by bursting pains, as well as heaviness in the epigastric region and constipation. Sigmoidoscopy reveals a pronounced vascular network on an atrophic, pale mucosa.
The continuous form of chronic dysentery proceeds without periods of remission for many years. The disease is constantly progressing, the patient's condition worsens and is accompanied by intestinal dysfunction. This leads to the development of anemia, exhaustion, dysbiosis, hypovitaminosis. Most often, this form is provoked by Flexner's shigella. To date, the continuous form is rare, mainly in elderly people with pathological diseases or in people with chronic alcohol intoxication.
Stool with dysentery
A characteristic feature of dysentery is stool with a bloody and mucous component. The vital activity of Shiggel bacteria that have entered the gastrointestinal tract is accompanied by disturbances in the work and anatomical lesions of the intestines, leading to the appearance of bloody impurities in the patient's feces. The bacteria then decompose, releasing toxic substances.
Different strains of shiggel have different degrees of toxin formation. At the same time, the goblet cells of the intestinal mucosa begin to vigorously secrete mucus in order to thus protect it from irritating factors. This process is regulated by the nervous system, therefore, the stronger the intoxication, the more pathological mucous impurities in the stool of the infected person.
The amount of blood impurity in the patient's feces is not the same and depends on the general condition of the infected person, the form, severity and stage of dysentery. Depending on the above factors, the stool may have a liquid (acute) or semi-liquid consistency with blood streaks. It may have the character of rectal spitting and resemble a smear of purulent thick cloudy mucus.
With a severe course of the disease (continuous form of dysentery), a mucous exudate with an abundant amount of blood is secreted, so the stool is without feces and resembles a bloody mess. The feces of the patient contain millions of bacteria, so the infected person is a "reservoir of shigella" and a potential spread of bacilli. In this case, it does not matter in what form and severity the disease proceeds.
Chronic dysentery in this sense is a great danger, since it has a long-term nature. In addition, during asymptomatic periods, the patient continues to visit public places and, perhaps without knowing it, spreads the infection.
It should be understood that even such a seemingly harmless bowel dysfunction, such as diarrhea, can pose a serious threat to health and cause serious consequences.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
