Causes of abdominal pain with diarrhea

Abdominal pain and diarrhea are among the most popular health problems. Many of us associate the combination of these two symptoms with food poisoning. In fact, the cause of the symptom complex does not always indicate a digestive disorder, not to mention that such a combination of symptoms, in addition to food poisoning, is characteristic of many other diseases of the organs that are part of the gastrointestinal tract, and not only.

In most cases, abdominal pain combined with diarrhea occurs against the background of various gastrointestinal diseases. And this is not surprising, because irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, intestines, pancreas under the influence of a bacterial or viral infection, hydrochloric acid, which is part of the gastric juice or other provoking factors is always accompanied by tissue inflammation. It is clear that in such conditions, the digestive organs affected by the disease and the organs associated with them can no longer function in the same way.

In what diseases can one expect the appearance of abdominal pain and diarrhea:

• Food poisoning. The symptoms of the disease can be caused by pathogenic microorganisms that multiply inside poor-quality products. This situation can arise when food is stored incorrectly, which causes them to spoil, i.e. bacteria enter and multiply, making these products unfit for consumption. And also when the cooking technology is violated, as a result of which the microbes present in the products do not die, but pass into the human gastrointestinal tract, where they begin to actively multiply, poisoning the body with the products of their vital activity. In this case, they talk about food toxic infection, as a result of which pathogens enter the intestines and cause irritation, accompanied by abdominal pain and diarrhea.

But microbes are not always the cause of poisoning. A person can accidentally swallow toxic substances contained in a product. Most often, this concerns poisonous mushrooms and plants, as well as fish products (for example, some exotic species of fish and shellfish contain poison if they are not prepared correctly) and some food additives. Toxins can also form in products as a result of improper storage or preparation for consumption (for example, sprouted potatoes are considered unfit for consumption).

• Intestinal infections. Risk factors in this case will be:

• drinking water that has not undergone special treatment (such water can be accidentally swallowed while swimming in open water bodies, the same applies to water from contaminated wells and springs located within the city limits),
• drinking raw tap water, which is not always sufficiently purified from pathogens,
• consumption of certain foods without sufficient heat treatment (this applies to milk, eggs, undercooked meat and minced meat),
• preparing and eating food with unwashed hands,
• eating unwashed or poorly washed vegetables and fruits,
• storing incompatible products together (for example, fresh meat or fish next to dairy products and fruits that are consumed without heat treatment).

So far we have talked about bacterial infections (salmonella, staphylococcus, dysentery bacillus, etc.), but some types of viruses (usually rota- and enteroviruses) can also cause the disease.

Rotavirus infection causes symptoms of stomach (intestinal) flu, including abdominal pain and diarrhea. It is associated with the development of such a disease as enteritis, the clinical picture of which is caused by inflammation of the small intestine. Like the common flu, the disease can be transmitted by airborne droplets, but most often infection occurs through dirty hands and food products. It is a combination of symptoms of the common flu and an intestinal infection.

Enterovirus infection, considered relatively safe, can cause epigastric pain and diarrhea in small children with an immature immune system that is unable to resist the disease, and in people with very weakened immunity caused by HIV infection, severe chronic pathologies, and oncological diseases.

Enteroviruses can enter the body both by airborne droplets and food (unwashed hands and food), affecting various organs and systems. Symptoms of enterovirus infection can be very diverse depending on the localization of the affected area. When enteroviruses enter the gastrointestinal tract, in addition to other symptoms, abdominal pain and diarrhea appear.

• Colitis and enterocolitis. These diseases are associated with inflammation of the intestinal walls. In the first case, the distal part of the organ (large intestine) is affected, in the second, both the large and small intestines are affected. Intestinal inflammation can be caused by pathogenic bacteria from the stomach and duodenum, which occurs in cases of poisoning with poor-quality and spoiled products and toxic infections, as well as in cases of intestinal microflora disorders (the immune system throws its forces into fighting the multiplied pathogenic bacteria and an inflammatory process develops, which is a protective reaction).
• Parasitic infections. Worms, lamblia, roundworms and other parasites that enter the intestines cause inflammation, releasing toxic waste products. They enter the body mainly through unwashed hands (often after contact with animals) and products containing parasite eggs and larvae.
• Appendicitis. A very dangerous disease, which in the absence of emergency care can cause peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum) and death of the patient. We are talking about the inflammatory process in the appendix, which is sometimes called the vermiform appendix. This rudimentary organ does not play an important role in digestion, but can accumulate poorly digested food particles, bacteria that have entered the gastrointestinal tract, foreign bodies, parasites, which in most cases provoke tissue inflammation. There is an opinion that acute inflammation of the appendix can be provoked by abdominal trauma, circulatory disorders in the vermiform appendix as a result of vascular spasm, compression of the appendix by other organs that increase in size due to inflammation and tumor processes, adhesive disease, etc.

Risk factors include infectious and inflammatory and parasitic pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, impaired intestinal peristalsis and constipation, overeating, defects in the structure of the pelvic organs, deficiency states, stress and other factors that do not contribute to the health of the appendix, which seems to participate in endocrine and immune processes. Risk factors include pregnancy and gynecological diseases characterized by an increase in the uterus, which compresses the appendix.

• Irritable bowel syndrome. This pathology is characterized by the regular appearance of the symptoms in question, although there are no organic lesions in the digestive and other systems that can provoke epigastric pain or stool disorders. It cannot be said that abdominal pain and diarrhea are constantly present in patients. But under the influence of provoking factors, the main one of which is stress, a person develops symptoms similar to an upset stomach. It is possible that infectious pathologies, the use of poor-quality products, fatty foods and foods that cause increased gas formation, abuse of caffeine-containing and alcoholic beverages, overeating, lack of dietary fiber in dishes that stimulate bowel function, etc., have an impact on the development of IBS.
• Inflammatory diseases of the stomach and duodenum. Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach walls), duodenitis (inflammatory process in the duodenum), gastroduodenitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum), gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and small intestine) during exacerbations are always accompanied by abdominal pain of varying localization and intensity. Acute inflammation of the tissues of the digestive organs leads to a decrease in their functions, congestion, intoxication and, as a result, to digestive disorders, which can manifest as diarrhea or constipation.
• Diseases accompanied by insufficient production of digestive enzymes. Such diseases include inflammation of the pancreas ( pancreatitis ) and gallbladder (cholecystitis). With pancreatitis, there is even a condition called pancreatic diarrhea, which is accompanied by severe spasmodic pain in the lower abdomen.
• Oncological pathologies. Pain in the lower abdomen and loose, difficult to hold stools, alternating with occasional constipation, are possible with tumor processes in the large intestine.
• Hereditary and acquired pathologies accompanied by digestive disorders. These include:

• Cystic fibrosis. This is an incurable disease caused by a gene mutation. It affects organs that secrete viscous secretions: the bronchi, pancreas, intestines, sweat, salivary, sex glands, etc. In the intestinal and mixed forms of the pathology, the functionality of the pancreas (lack of enzymes), liver and gallbladder (stagnation) is impaired, so it is not surprising that symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea appear.
• Celiac disease (a rare chronic disease, in most cases detected in childhood). The clinical picture of the pathology, including the symptom complex under consideration, makes itself known after eating foods that contain a lot of gluten. That is, we are talking about intolerance to the gluten protein, so the disease is sometimes called gluten enteropathy.
• Disaccharide-deficiency enteropathies (digestive disorders associated with insufficient production of certain enzymes in the small intestine (lactase, invertase, maltase, etc.), resulting in impaired absorption of lactose, sucrose, and maltose). Consumption of products containing disaccharoses is accompanied by symptoms of intolerance, including epigastric pain and diarrhea.
• Addison's disease. This is a rare acquired disease that has a chronic course and is characterized by dysfunction of the adrenal cortex. Among the multiple specific and non-specific symptoms, one can see episodic abdominal pain and diarrhea.

In women and young girls, lower abdominal pain and diarrhea are not always associated with any pathology. Such symptoms may accompany menstrual flow. The symptom complex may appear both during menstruation and several days before it begins.

The appearance of pulling or squeezing pains of varying intensity is caused by spasms of the smooth muscles of the cervix. Women owe the appearance of diarrhea to vegetative reflexes, and in particular viscero-visceral, when irritation from one internal organ (in this case, the uterus) spreads to another along the path of vegetative nerves (in our case, this is the intestines).

In response to intestinal irritation, we get an increase in its peristalsis, which is associated with more frequent urges to defecate and liquid, sometimes not yet fully formed stool. The hormone progesterone, which is produced in large quantities during menstruation, does not remain on the sidelines, forcing the body to cleanse.

Sometimes expectant mothers begin to complain of cramping abdominal pain and diarrhea on the eve of childbirth. Some experience mild diarrhea and abdominal pain during pregnancy as early as 38-39 weeks, while others suffer from loose stools on the eve of the most anticipated moment. The appearance of a symptom complex during this period indicates that the body is preparing for childbirth and does not pose a danger. You will only need to listen carefully to your feelings so as not to miss the moment when contractions begin.

But the same symptoms in pregnant women at the beginning and middle of the term may indicate poisoning, rotavirus or parasitic infection, which during this period can be especially painful due to hormonal changes in the body and disruptions in the immune system.

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