Dysentery belongs to the group of intestinal infectious diseases transmitted by the fecal-oral route. The causative agent of dysentery - a bacterium of the family shigella - affects mainly the final department of the large intestine. To diagnose the infection at the initial stage and prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to have at least a general idea of how dysentery manifests in adults.
Symptoms of colonic dysentery in adults
The incubation period for infection with dysentery is from 1 to 7 days, after which the clinical picture unfolds swiftly. The first signs of a colitis (typical dysentery) in adults are associated with intoxication of the body and are manifested as follows:
- increase in body temperature to 39 degrees;
- fever, chills;
- headache;
- apathy;
- lack of appetite;
- nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- cramping abdominal pain, mainly in the lower part;
- frequent stools (10 or more times a day) without pathological impurities.
The listed manifestations of infection are observed for several days, after which the nature of the course of the disease changes, with such symptoms as:
- scanty excrements, consisting of mucus, veins of blood, sometimes pus;
- painfully painful urge to defecate, often - false;
- dry, white-coated tongue;
- spasms and pains in the area of the large intestine;
- a decrease in hemodynamics and, as a consequence, tachycardia and low blood pressure;
- sometimes frustration of consciousness.
Clinical manifestations begin to decline by the end of the third or fourth week. Regeneration of the intestinal mucosa can take about another month.
Symptoms of gastroenteric dysentery in adults
Gastroenteric dysentery is characterized by a very short incubation period, taking several hours from the time of infection. In this case, the clinical picture for the development of the disease is the same as in case of toxic infection or salmonellosis. The signs of gastroenteric dysentery in adults are as follows:
- Cramping pain localized in the epigastric zone;
- liquid, copious stool without pathological impurities;
- dehydration of the body.
Subsequently, mucus and bloody veins become noticeable in the feces.
Currently, doctors increasingly note the erased nature of the course of the disease, which notes:
- mushy stools;
- slight hyperthermia;
- moderate soreness in the abdomen.
Symptoms of chronic dysentery
If the duration of the disease is more than three months, it is considered that the dysentery has acquired a chronic character. Intoxication with a recurrent disease, as a rule, is absent, the following signs are observed:
- mulled greenish stool;
- decreased body weight;
- hypovitaminosis ;
- anemia;
- dull pain in the abdomen.
It should be noted that chronic dysentery in developed countries is extremely rare.
Complications of dysentery
The most common complication after dysentery is dysbiosis. To restore the intestinal microflora, it is recommended to undergo a therapeutic course determined by a specialist. Sometimes the process of recovery takes years. Dysentery with intense diarrhea can be complicated by such manifestations as:
- anal fissure;
- hemorrhoids;
- prolapse of the rectum.
Severely leaking disease can cause serious complications that threaten the patient's life. It can be such dangerous conditions:
- peritonitis;
- intestinal perforation;
- paresis of the intestine ;
- infectious-toxic shock.