Dysentery is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Shiggel genus that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Through the oral cavity, dysenteric bacilli penetrate the digestive tract, settling in the large intestine. The disease is accompanied by anatomical lesions and functional failures of the digestive system. In this case, intoxication of the body is observed. Frequent stools have a liquid consistency and a bloody mucous component.
The causative agent is transmitted from a patient with dysentery or from a person who is its carrier by contact, household, water or food. You can get infected through raw water, unwashed fruits, dirty hands. Carriers of infection are also flies and cockroaches. The causative agent is characterized by a fecal-oral mode of spread.
Bacteria of the genus Shiggel are characterized and differ from each other by the ability to penetrate into the body, adhere (attach to other cells), subsequent reproduction and then toxin formation. These characteristics are most pronounced in the Grigoriev-Shiga bacterium, less in Flexner, and even less in other species.
Decomposing in the human body, Shiggels release exotoxins and endotoxins. Shiggels Sonne have a very high survival rate in the external environment. Under favorable conditions, they do not lose their biological properties for up to six months. Therefore, they can colonize in foodstuffs, even those that have previously been subjected to heat treatment.
Dysentery can occur in acute or chronic form. In both cases, the patient is a distributor of the infection. Acute dysentery is mild, moderate and severe forms of severity. With a mild form of the course of the disease, the patient sometimes recovers within a week. In this case, the likelihood of the formation of chronic dysentery is high. The severe form can be fatal.
The main symptoms of dysentery:
– vomiting;
– pain and rumbling in the abdomen;
– temperature rise;
– headache;
– frequent defecation (several dozen times a day), which has a liquid fraction with bloody and mucous components;
– lack of appetite.
The most dangerous are the possible consequences caused by dysentery, namely intestinal bleeding, bacteremia (bacteria entering the bloodstream), toxic megacolon (accompanied by impaired bowel movement and expansion of the colon), uremic syndrome (leads to the development of kidney failure and problems with stopping bleeding) .
Dysentery is diagnosed on the basis of the results of stool culture to identify infectious agents (bacteriological method).
Treatment is prescribed by an infectious disease doctor based on culture results and clinical findings. However, the treatment consists not only in strict adherence and adherence to the prescription, but also in the observance of the necessary strict diet.
Diet for dysentery
It is important to understand that when symptoms of dysentery appear, a doctor or an ambulance team should be called to the house in case of a severe course of the disease. However, if the patient has a mild form of dysentery and he sees no reason for concern, then you need to know that in the process of treatment you must definitely follow a special diet, since dysentery sticks affect the intestinal walls (its mucous membrane).
In the first days of the disease, accompanied by severe intoxication, it is recommended to take liquid food every few hours: various compotes, jelly, meat broths, fruit juices, jelly. You should not consume carbonated drinks, dense foods (even mashed potatoes) and milk. This will not burden the digestive tract and will help prevent the accumulation of gases.
After the disappearance of signs of intoxication, it is necessary to eat often, in small fractional portions up to seven times a day. At the same time, it is worth giving preference to protein foods, but not giving up fats and carbohydrates. Nutrition should remain mixed and complete.
It is recommended to use mucous soups with cereals on a decoction of vegetables; boiled buckwheat, rice and oatmeal, rubbed through a sieve; eggs, steamed or soft-boiled; lean fish and meat in the form of mashed potatoes or soufflé; moderately sour berry mousses. Eat more foods containing the following vitamins: ascorbic acid, retinol, phylloquinones (K1) and B vitamins. After a few days, you can eat solid food: dry white bread, boiled pureed fish or meat, cottage cheese, baked apples.
It is also important to drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration. Compliance with the diet helps to speed up the healing process, favorably affects the outcome of the disease and prevents the occurrence of chronic dysentery.