Diagnosis of acute gastrointestinal diseases
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Diagnosis of acute gastrointestinal diseases is based on a comprehensive clinical and laboratory approach. Carefully collected history and a fully carried out objective examination make the diagnosis of acute gastrointestinal disease reliable, allow you to assess the severity of the patient and determine the tactics of reference.
To clarify the etiology of the disease, bacteriological examination of feces and vomitic masses is carried out at least three times in an acute period (preferably at least one material intake should be carried out before antibiotic therapy begins).
Coprological examination helps to clarify the primary level of lesions of the gastrointestinal tract:
- when the stomach is affected in the coprogram, a large amount of connective tissue, coarse plant tissue and cross-striated muscle fibers are determined;
- with enteritis in the coprogram, a large number of fatty acids, starch grains (extra- and intracellular), muscle fibers and fatty acid salts;
- when colitis in coprogram is a lot of indigestible fiber, intracellular starch and signs of inflammation (leukocytes, erythrocytes, mucus).
Serological examination (RNGA, ELISA, RSK) is prescribed by the method of paired sera on the terms of the disease for 7 and 14 days.
Currently, PCR diagnostics is becoming a practice.
The analysis of peripheral blood helps confirm bacterial (leukocytosis, neutrophilia, sometimes with a shift to the left, an increase in ESR) or viral (leukopenia, neutropenia, lymphocytosis) etiology of the disease. In diseases of a functional origin, the blood test, as a rule, does not change.