Dysentery is an intestinal infection caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella, which enter the body through the fecal-oral route. Then part of the bacilli is dissolved by gastric juice, and the rest reach the intestines. In the process of life, they release toxic substances (exotoxins and endotoxins), which leads to intoxication of the mother’s body and is detrimental to the child.
In this case, anatomical lesions of the large intestine and a functional failure in the work of the digestive system of the pregnant woman occur. When infected with bacteria of the genus Shigella, infected women experience frequent defecation, with increased peristaltic contractions, which adversely affects the course of pregnancy. The stool is liquid, with a bloody and mucous component.
In the intestinal mucosa, goblet cells produce mucus to protect it from the toxic waste products of Shigella. In this case, the amount of mucus produced depends on the degree of intoxication, dictated by the type of bacteria, the form and severity of dysentery.
There are two forms of the course of the disease: acute and chronic. The acute form can have mild, moderate and severe severity. If, with a mild degree of dysentery, patients sometimes recover from the disease themselves, then in case of pregnancy, it is urgent to seek medical help. If the treatment was prescribed by an infectious disease specialist, this must also be reported to the obstetrician-gynecologist leading the pregnancy.
A mild form of dysentery is dangerous because after the symptoms disappear, patients may be mistaken and not aware of the presence of shigella in the body, which can lead to the development of a chronic form. The infected themselves are carriers of bacilli.
Dysentery in pregnant women is a great danger to the health and life of not only the child, but also the mother. Therefore, it is extremely important to contact a specialist in time and immediately diagnose the disease. At the same time, complex treatment is carried out in a hospital under the close supervision of medical personnel. Self-medication can adversely affect the course and outcome of pregnancy.
Therefore, it is very important to recognize the symptoms of the disease. The very first and alarming symptom is frequent defecation, which has a liquid fraction with a bloody and mucous component. Vomiting and fever provoked by intoxication, lack of appetite, accompanied by headache, as well as discomfort in the intestines, should also cause concern.
Even a mild degree of dysentery is accompanied by diarrhea, which leads to dehydration of the body, while along with the fluid, the pregnant woman loses useful and necessary trace elements. Therefore, it is important to organize sufficient rehydration of the body, ensuring the replenishment of fluid and electrolytes in the body.
Of particular danger is the severe degree of the disease, as it is accompanied by frequent shackling spasms, which leads to an increase in the tone of the uterus. Such reflex contractions can often cause spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
Poisoning the mother’s body with Shigella toxins adversely affects the health of the fetus, and is also fraught with various malformations in its development. Among other things, they negatively affect the autonomic nervous system of a woman and lead to the development of general metabolic disorders.
According to some reports, in sick mothers, the probability of intrauterine infection of the fetus with Shigella bacteria reaches ten percent, which leads to the death of the embryo. The threat of infection of the child during childbirth is also great, because in ninety percent of cases, intestinal microflora was found in the vagina in patients with dysentery of pregnant women. At the same time, difficult births can have various complications. In sick mothers, frequent cases of early infant mortality were observed.
After childbirth, dysentery often causes complications such as subinvolution of the uterus (delayed regression). And sometimes it causes inflammatory processes in the tissues of the mammary glands that produce milk, which is so necessary for the nutrition of the child in the first months of life and is responsible for his immunity.
Dysentery significantly dulls the protective functions of the body, and at the same time, the likelihood of maternal mortality increases.
Patients with dysentery in childbirth are not allowed by law into regular maternity hospitals in order to avoid the spread of infection among healthy women. Therefore, they are forced to give birth in a specialized maternity facility, where there is a possibility of catching a new infection.
You should understand how important it is during pregnancy to be attentive to your health, and therefore to the health of the baby. It is necessary to regularly and on time take all the necessary tests in order to timely diagnose the disease and begin its treatment.