Steatorrhea is. .. Steatorrhea: symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment

Steatorea is a pathology, the main manifestation of which is the presence of fatty deposits in feces. Exceeding the norm is the presence of more than 5 grams of fat in the excrements. In individual people, this indicator can reach several hundred grams.

The main forms of pathology

The reason for changing the composition of stools can be steatorrhoea, creatorrhea, amylorea. Let's consider each phenomenon separately.

1. Steatorea is a malfunction in the digestive system, in which neutral fats or fatty acids are accumulated in feces.
2. Creation is a pathology that occurs in response to a violation of absorption of nutrients in the intestine. Accompanied by accumulation in feces of nitrogen. In the absence of appropriate treatment can develop into pancreatitis.
3. Amylorea is a phenomenon that is characterized by the appearance in feces of a significant amount of starch grains, unsplit in the digestive system for sugar.

Types of steatorrhea

Specialists distinguish the following types of pathology:

1. Alimentary steatorrhea - is caused by the intake of excessive amounts of fats in the body, digestion of which is unable to cope with the digestive system.
2. Intestinal steatorrhoea - the development of the disease leads to the inability of the intestines to metabolize fats.
3. Pancreatic steatorrhea is a pathology in which the pancreas produces an inadequate amount of the lipase enzyme necessary for the breakdown of fats.

Causes of

Congenital developmental defects of the digestive system that can occur late in life can provoke the development of the disease. Often, the emergence of such disruptions in the body leads to the construction of a daily diet based on the abundance of fatty foods, which most negatively affects the work of the pancreas.

What else can be called steatorrhoea? The causes of the onset of the disease also lie in the extinction of the working capacity of the endocrine glands. In particular, the development of pathology is facilitated by diseases of the gallbladder, inflammation of its ducts.

Symptomatic

Steatorrhea, creatoria lead to an abundance of loose stools. Call gets a gray or light shade. Patients feel frequent urge to defecate. With an extremely high content of fats in the calves, constipation may occur. Along with these manifestations, patients periodically experience severe dizziness, rumbling in the intestines, suffering from bloating.

The main visual manifestation of steatorrhea is rapid weight loss with abundant diet and moderate physical exertion. Skin covers of people affected by the disease, covered with a dry crust, are peeling. Over time, the pallor of the lips is observed, cracks appear in the corners of the mouth. This is the manifestation of steatorrhoea, the symptoms of which indicate insufficient saturation of tissues with fatty acids.

Diagnostics

For confirmation of a disappointing diagnosis, the patient necessarily consults with a gastroenterologist. The doctor listens to complaints, carries out palpation of the abdomen, which allows to detect stagnation of fat masses in the small intestine.

Further resort to instrumental methods of research. In particular, the retro- scopy of the organs of the digestive system makes it possible to determine the degree of atrophy of the mucous membranes, to identify puffiness.

The most important moment during the diagnosis is the analysis of the chair, a detailed study of its structure. Here resort to microscopic and macroscopic assessment of stool. In addition, a colonoscopy, a radioisotope technique of investigation, ultrasound may be used.

Prevention

As effective preventive measures aimed at preventing the development of the disease, it is worth noting:

• the development of a diet based on a balanced amount of fatty, carbohydrate and protein foods;
• refusal from the use of alcohol, which can cause failures in the work of organs, which are responsible for digestion and elimination of toxic substances from the body;
• moderate consumption of fried foods and food with an abundance of spices.

To minor preventive measures is the timely detection and elimination of diseases that can provoke insufficient splitting of fats in the body and, accordingly, the formation of characteristic deposits in fecal masses. For example, these purposes are often resorted to antibiotic suppression of infections that develop in the small intestine.

Steatorrhea: treatment with

During the therapy, the patient is prescribed a course of drugs with an elevated lipase content. Active substances in the composition of medicines of this kind prevent the premature destruction of digestive enzymes under the influence of gastric juices.

Among the effective drugs, the reception of which allows to eliminate manifestations of steatorrhea, it is necessary to distinguish:

• "Pancreatin".
• Maalox.
• Creon.
• "Fosfalugel".
• "Gastal".

In the most neglected cases, patients are prescribed medication with adrenocorticotropic hormone and hydrochloric acid. Patients are recommended to take vitamin complexes. At the same time, therapy is performed using ascorbic and nicotinic acids.

In the treatment of steatorrhea, emphasis is placed on the use of low-fat meat, boiled fish, low-fat milk. Patients are required to give broths.

Possible complications of

Without proper treatment, steatorrhoea in later stages of development can cause the following negative consequences for the body:

1. Protein deficiency is a regressive condition due to insufficient absorption of protein in the tissue.
2. Hypovitaminosis - occurs as a result of the lack in the body of a sufficient amount of fat-soluble trace elements.
3. Total body exhaustion.
4. Development of water-salt imbalance - is expressed by a feeling of constant thirst, dehydration, the appearance of edemas on the body, excessive dryness of the mucous membranes.
5. Convulsive conditions - involuntary muscular contractions of a paroxysmal nature.
6. Oxaluria is the excretion of an excessive amount of oxalic acid from the body. Pathology is characterized by the formation of insoluble stones, which clog the urinary tract and kidney canals.
7. The defeat of important organs and systems - the heart, lungs, brain.
8. Development of mental problems - decreased performance, sleep disturbance, loss of concentration, difficulty in thinking operations.

Steatorea in pregnancy

Steatorea is characteristic of women who bear fruit. Usually pathology is manifested in late pregnancy. In most cases, it provokes the formation of fat deposits in feces slowing the outflow of bile because of the pressure of the uterus on the gallbladder.

In pregnant women, the disease is manifested by the abundant formation of a liquid stench that is colorless. At the same time, the mucus secreted by the body turns yellow.

Later, the disease can provoke a decrease in blood clotting, which makes it very difficult to stop bleeding immediately during childbirth. Without adequate diagnosis and treatment, the disorder leads to a weakening of the fetal bone tissue. In some cases, the consequence of developing the ailment becomes a deterioration in the eyes of both the mother and the child.

Completely eliminate the manifestations of steatorrhea in the fetus bearing allows the use of complex methods of treatment. In addition to taking appropriate medications, the expectant mother is prescribed a strict adherence to a diet. In particular, a pregnant woman is recommended to abstain from acute, fatty, fried foods, prescribe vitamin A, D, E, K.

Steatorrhoea in infants

The development of the disease in newborns is often due to inadequate liver development, the cause of which is pathological genetics. The prerequisite for the occurrence of an illness may be congenital lesions of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

As for the main reasons for the manifestation of steatorrhoea in children, it is worth noting above all the insufficient amount of gastric enzymes that participate in the breakdown of fats. The formation of substances that contribute to the formation of a healthy metabolism occurs naturally during the first three months of life. Before this time( in the presence of a malfunction in the body), elimination of the lack of enzymes allows the use of medications.

Conclusion

Steatorea is a rather unpleasant ailment, the main danger of which lies in the high probability of developing a whole mass of deviations in the functioning of vital organs and systems.

Practice shows that it is possible to effectively combat the disease with a rational diet with the intake of moderately fatty foods, saturation of the body with vitamins. These simple steps allow you to quickly transfer the disease to the stage of remission and avoid negative consequences.