The process of defecation, which in everyday life is most often called the term “stool”, is a process of natural cleansing of the body from food processed as a result of digestion and absorption. According to the norm established by medical specialists, an adult should have bowel movements up to three times during the day, but at least once a day.

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If an adult does not have chronic diseases of the digestive system, disturbances in the functioning of the stomach and intestines, pregnancy, abdominal surgery, or stomach pain for any reason, then stool should not cause problems, difficulties or discomfort. The appearance of various abnormalities during defecation, including diarrhea, is a signal that negative processes are occurring in the body. Such disorders need to be given special attention; within the first day of their appearance, the reasons for their appearance must be determined and immediate treatment must be taken to eliminate the symptoms and possible consequences of the disease.

Diarrhea, or diarrhea, is a disease, the main symptom of which is a change in the consistency of the stool, it becomes liquid. If a patient develops diarrhea with foam, the causes of its occurrence can be very dangerous; acute diseases of the digestive system are possible. Foamy, loose stools require immediate treatment and should be disposed of as soon as possible.

Symptoms of the disease

Frequent foamy diarrhea is a sign of impaired acidity in the gastrointestinal tract, fermentative dyspepsia. The patient may experience the following symptoms:

• stools are frequent, loose and foamy;
• stool has a characteristic, sour odor;
• The stomach rarely or very slightly hurts with such stools;
• the stools are pale and yellow in color;
• small rashes appear on the body;
• there are a lot of small bubbles of gas and mucus in the stool;
• weakness, lethargy;
• sometimes the temperature rises several times during the day.

Sometimes diarrhea is simply the body’s reaction to nervous stress, but if it does not go away in less than 3-4 days, you should consult a doctor.

Causes of diarrhea with foam

The appearance of an illness such as diarrhea with foam in an adult can occur for several reasons:

The treatment for foamy diarrhea in an adult will depend on the cause of its occurrence. The most important thing is not to try to diagnose yourself, and not to use self-medication methods to relieve symptoms. Any medical procedure must be coordinated with a medical specialist.

In addition to taking medications, the patient must follow a special diet to successfully get rid of unpleasant symptoms. There are certain nutritional standards for diarrhea. There are cases when, to recover, it was enough to simply exclude some harmful foods from the diet.

1. If diarrhea occurs, you must avoid harmful, intestinal irritating foods, processed foods, home-canned food, fermented milk products, and fruits that cause dyspepsia. The patient should eat unsalted rice boiled in water. For baked goods, only rye bread is acceptable, and for fruits, bananas.
2. A prerequisite is strict adherence to fluid balance in the body. Diarrhea causes severe dehydration, so the fundamental factor in the diet for diarrhea is drinking plenty of fluids. Drinking non-carbonated alkaline mineral water will be beneficial. The use of herbal teas is acceptable in cases where there is no allergy.
3. First of all, it is necessary to restore intestinal functions lost during illness and soothe painful sensations if the stomach hurts. Therefore, those foods that cause irritation should be excluded from the diet.

If you follow these simple rules, your stool will soon return to normal and the problem will be resolved. Returning to normal foods and a normal diet should be slow and careful. You need to introduce different foods one at a time, carefully monitoring the condition of the body.

Folk remedies

In cases where diarrhea was not provoked by a dangerous disease in the body, you can use simple folk methods to strengthen stool at home. Infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants (St. John's wort, yarrow, rose hips, chamomile) and various fruits containing stool-strengthening substances (bird cherry, blueberries) have long been used. Various nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts) are good for getting rid of diarrhea.

It must be remembered that diarrhea with foam in prolonged cases can lead to dehydration, weakness and exhaustion of a person. If you do not pay attention to the symptoms of foamy diarrhea and a sore stomach in time, the consequence may be intestinal inflammation. Therefore, you need to take the disease responsibly and consult a doctor in time.

(or diarrhea) is a fairly common symptom of intestinal dysfunction in a child or adult, which everyone has encountered at least once in their life.

Usually the word “diarrhea” means a frequency of stool exceeding 3-5 times a day.

But these data are averaged, since for individual people this figure can vary from several (3-4) times a day to once every 3-4 days. And this may be the norm for them.

Signs of diarrhea

When diarrhea occurs, doctors use the term “dyspepsia” (or functional digestive disorders). It is functional dyspepsia that manifests itself as foamy diarrhea.

Diarrhea with foam usually has the following manifestations:

• rumbling in the stomach
• frequent foamy stools, usually with a sour odor
• feces contain gas bubbles, starch grains, fibers of undigested food
• There may be no pain during bowel movements.

Causes of diarrhea with foam

Foamy diarrhea can appear for many reasons, in which the digestion of food in the intestines is impaired. The most common causes of foamy diarrhea can be:

• binge eating
• eating rough or fatty foods
• alcohol or other drinks in excessive quantities
• intolerance to any food or drug
• stale or germ-contaminated food
• stress
• inflammatory or infectious intestinal lesions (enterocolitis)
• any diseases of other organs of the digestive system (gastritis, hepatitis, pancreatitis, etc.).

Diarrhea with foam in an adult

Sometimes foamy diarrhea is the only manifestation of intestinal dysfunction in an adult . But more often this manifestation of diarrhea is accompanied by other symptoms that indicate general intoxication:

• the appearance of nausea and vomiting
• the presence of foam, mucus, blood in the stool
• elevated body temperature
• appearance of a rash.

If such symptoms continue in an adult for more than 2 days, then he must seek help from a doctor. Dehydration and intoxication can lead to cardiac dysfunction, a drop in blood pressure, and a sharp deterioration in health.

Diarrhea is especially dangerous for elderly or frail people

Diarrhea with foam in children

In a small child , feeding on breast milk, diarrhea with foam may be a reaction to the insensitivity of some food (the mother ate something “wrong”). A baby with diarrhea can have stools from 8 to 12 times a day. In this case, feces are often green and may contain foam, blood, and mucus.

Lactose intolerance

In an infant, diarrhea with foam can occur when there is a conflict between the mother's fore and hind milk. In this case, the baby sucks out the milk that is easier to suck (front milk), and the hind milk remains in the breast. A large amount of lactose in first milk is difficult for infants to digest, leading to lactose intolerance.

Lactose deficiency in infants has the following manifestations:

• loose, foamy stool with a sour odor
• the child is feeling unwell
• nausea, vomiting
• elevated body temperature.

Lactose deficiency in a child is congenital and is associated with a violation of the ability of the pancreas to produce lactose. The degree of enzyme deficiency can be judged by analyzing the baby's stool.

It happens that a child, despite feeling normally, often experiences colic, bloating, and foamy diarrhea. At the same time, the baby eats with appetite, is active, and gains weight normally. In case of lactose deficiency, it is recommended to review the child’s diet. If he is bottle-fed, then low-lactose or fermented milk mixtures are used.

Celiac disease

Recently, many children have been diagnosed with celiac disease when the body does not have enzymes that break down the gluten protein found in cereals (oats, barley, wheat). This condition in a small child or infant may also be accompanied by diarrhea with foam. In this case, doctors recommend a special gluten-free diet.

Dysbacteriosis

Another cause of diarrhea with foam may be dysbacteriosis. The causes of dysbacteriosis can be different. This condition, for example, can occur after taking antibiotics, when the balance of intestinal microflora is disturbed. Dysbacteriosis is difficult to treat and requires consultation with a doctor.

First aid for diarrhea

When sudden diarrhea appears, few adults immediately run to the doctor. Most try to help themselves so as not to end up in the hospital.

If you are absolutely sure that foamy diarrhea does not pose any threat to you and want to help yourself, then here some recommendations for this.

• Dieting. All dairy, fatty, sweet foods are excluded from the diet
• “Astringent” food: decoction of rice, bird cherry or blueberry
• Lots of fluids (glucose-saline solutions of the “” type, still mineral water, dried apricot decoction) to maintain the mineral balance in the body and remove harmful breakdown products
• Enema with chamomile decoction or activated charcoal to cleanse the intestines of harmful poisons
• Taking activated charcoal to remove toxins from the digestive system. This is a time-tested remedy
• Infusion of oak bark for intestinal sanitation. To do this, one teaspoon of oak bark is poured with half a liter of boiling water and left for 8-9 hours. After straining, take 2 tablespoons 4 times a day. The infusion is also used for cleansing enema

Treatment of diarrhea

If you consult a doctor for foamy diarrhea, the patient will be offered hospital treatment. An approximate treatment regimen is usually as follows:

• etiotropic therapy (except for mild forms of the disease) with drugs that suppress inflammation in the intestines - antibiotics or cephalosporins (depending on the severity of the disease, the patient’s age, concomitant diseases)
• antidiarrheals (imodium), which suppress intestinal motility (not prescribed for children under 12 years of age)
• probiotics (Linex, Bifi-form, etc.) contain live microorganisms and restore intestinal microflora
• adsorbents (smecta, enterosgel,) to remove toxins for 5-7 days
• enzymes to restore digestion (, panzinorm) 7 - 10 days.

Many people take the appearance of diarrhea lightly, take a few pills, and the diarrhea goes away.

Self-medication often risks the disease becoming chronic, which can seriously undermine a person’s health in the future.

It is most important to prevent any intestinal infections by observing generally known sanitary standards about clean hands, using good-quality products, proper storage of dishes, using individual utensils, etc.

Therefore, take care of yourself, your children, and always be healthy!

Normal stool is one of the indicators of the proper functioning of the body. However, intestinal function sometimes malfunctions. The stool becomes liquid and changes color. This often happens after eating a spoiled product. If foamy diarrhea appears in an adult, then this is a signal of significant disruptions in the functioning of the intestines. In this case, it is strongly recommended to consult a doctor.

Causes of foam during bowel movements

Foamy diarrhea may be evidence of the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the body. Quite often, this disorder is accompanied by elevated body temperature and general malaise. Dizziness and weakness also appear, pain occurs in the abdomen, and nausea and vomiting may occur.

The color of stool sometimes turns green. It is characterized by a sour smell. These signs indicate an infectious infection. It is impossible to get rid of such manifestations on your own. In this case, medical attention is required.

Diarrhea with foam can also occur for a number of other reasons:

Most adults, if foamy stool appears, begin to look for ways to independently solve the problem. Complications often arise due to inept or incorrect actions. In order to reduce the severity of the symptoms of foamy diarrhea, there are the following recommendations:

1. Drink as much liquid as possible without gases. A decoction of chamomile and oak bark, compote made from dried apricots, and rehydron will also help. They help restore mineral-salt balance, protect against dehydration and allow you to quickly remove toxins from the body.
2. To normalize stool, you need to eat foods that strengthen the stomach. Decoctions of rice, blueberries or bird cherry are also used for this.
3. The use of activated carbon promotes the effective removal of toxins from the body.
4. An enema is also a means of removing harmful substances from the intestines. To perform this, you can use an infusion of oak bark or chamomile.
5. Exclude dairy, fatty, sour and spicy foods, confectionery, seasonings and fast food.

If diarrhea with foam does not stop within two days or the frequency of visiting the toilet increases, then a visit to the doctor or even calling him to your home becomes an urgent necessity.

Treatment of foamy diarrhea in adults

Effective treatment can be prescribed only after undergoing an examination and making an accurate diagnosis. Therapy is performed based on the reasons that caused the unpleasant manifestation:

The appearance of diarrhea with foam may be a sign of some disease. Therefore, long-term self-treatment is not recommended. After undergoing diagnostic measures, a specialist will help you quickly get rid of unpleasant symptoms.

Proper nutrition for diarrhea

To create the possibility of a faster cure for diarrhea, not only timely initiation of therapy is required, but also compliance with certain rules in the preparation of the diet. At the same time, sometimes by excluding some products from your menu, you can achieve a positive result without the use of medications.

If loose stools appear, then you must immediately give up both fatty and difficult-to-digest foods, milk, and not only exotic, but also fruits that are familiar to the body. A diet based on boiled rice in water without the use of salt and fat has proven itself well. It is advisable to use rye bread. The only fruit allowed is bananas. There is even a diet that involves eating only this product.

Drinking during a diet should not just be sufficient, but plentiful. Alkaline mineral water, but without gases, is recommended, as well as teas brewed from raspberries, chamomile flowers or linden. The menu should not include foods that can cause intestinal irritation.

Only by following these recommendations and therapeutic measures is it possible to quickly normalize stool. In order not to provoke a relapse, it is advisable to gradually switch to a normal diet in the following days and avoid eating unusual or new dishes and products.

It is believed that the act of defecation, or stool, is a natural daily form of cleansing the body of processed food. Normally, an adult can have stool up to three times, but at least once a day. With proper balanced nutrition, the absence of chronic intestinal and other diseases, in the absence of pregnancy in a woman and if there have been no recent surgical operations, stool should not cause any difficulties or discomfort. Therefore, if deviations and abnormalities appear in the stool, you should pay special attention to this.

What should a normal stool look like?

Normal stool, subject to full adherence to a healthy lifestyle and diet, has the following characteristics:

• has practically no
• homogeneous in structure,
• comes out in one or two steps, without straining,
• has the shape of a sausage,
• color ranges from light brown to dark brown,
• the act of defecation occurs every day at the same time.

What does foamy stool look like?

Frequent foamy stools in an adult are the main sign of fermentative dyspepsia. In addition to its liquid consistency, such stools have a characteristic sour odor. In this case, the patient notices rumbling in his stomach in the absence of pain or slight mild pain. There may be discomfort in the intestinal area. The color of the stool is pale, practically without pigmentation. The feces themselves have a lot of gas bubbles, starchy grains, a lot of fiber, and there are also iodophilic microbes and organic acids.

Foamy stools - reasons

If you deviate from the norm, the stool may look different. Feces may take on a different color - white, yellow, black, green. The stool may be mixed with blood or mucus, or both. The stool may be thin and foamy. In all such cases, we can assume the presence of pathology in the digestive system.

Foamy stools are usually liquid. The cause of such stool is functional dyspepsia. - a term meaning a functional disorder of the digestive process. Such disorders usually occur in the absence of a sufficient amount of digestive enzymes, as well as in poor nutrition. In some cases, functional dyspepsia occurs due to a bacterial infection.

Most often, fermentative dyspepsia is caused by poor nutrition over a long period of time. Usually this is the abuse of carbohydrate foods - sugar, honey, fruits, legumes, cabbage, flour products, as well as fermented drinks (kvass, for example). As a result, favorable conditions are created for the emergence of fermentation flora.

What are the dangers of fermentative dyspepsia?

Any diarrhea leads to dehydration, and prolonged diarrhea may well result in the appearance of intestinal disease. Foamy diarrhea sometimes leads to exhaustion of the body, which negatively affects a person’s overall health.

Treatment of foamy fatigue in adults

Basic treatment - This is about establishing proper nutrition. At the beginning of treatment, it is best to refuse food altogether or “sit” on a mono-diet without consuming fatty foods or dairy products. You should also not eat a lot of fiber. Activated carbon or Polyphepan will help cope with toxins. Next, you need to adhere to a diet, which should be based on a balanced set of foods containing carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and fiber.

– this is not a separate disease, but a symptomatic manifestation of disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, treatment of diarrhea begins with a set of examinations and clarification of the reasons that caused stool liquefaction. The normal duration of the disease is fourteen to twenty days (acute diarrhea); if recovery does not occur, then it is chronic.

Etiology of broken stool:

• dangerous products with violations of shelf life, violation of norms for heat treatment of products during food preparation;
• mild food intoxication;
• individual intolerance to certain types of products or their components (allergy);
• stress conditions, changes in stool due to changes in climate zone and changes in diet (exotic dishes).

If diarrhea associated with these reasons disappears after 2-4 days of illness, then there is no cause for concern. However, irritable bowel syndrome also occurs due to a number of other factors:

• entry into the body of pathogens of infectious diseases (shigellosis; intestinal infection caused by salmonella; rotavirus disease);
• the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the digestive organs: changes in the gastric mucosa (gastritis), ulcers on the colon mucosa;
• enzymatic deficiency (lactase, lipase, etc.);
• chemical poisoning.

If diarrhea is due to serious reasons, qualified assistance from a gastroenterologist and examination in a hospital setting are required.

Pay attention to changes in the color of the intestinal contents, this will help establish the correct diagnosis and carry out adequate treatment measures. Foamy stools are the first signal about the presence of dangerous disturbances in the functioning of the digestive parts of the intestines. It is advisable to immediately contact the clinic.

Yellow and green stool

Diarrhea with foam is formed when pathogenic microorganisms enter the intestinal cavity. Accompanied by a temperature above 38 degrees, weakness, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Liquid-like stool, colored green, and a sour smell are a hallmark of an intestinal infection. Treatment at home will not give positive results. Occurs when there is a microbial imbalance (intestinal dysbiosis), which negatively affects intestinal function. As a result of a long course of antibacterial therapy. With the rapid development of dysbiosis, there is a yellow tint of discharge and foam in liquid stool. An adult undergoes treatment to restore the balance of bacteria. The course takes 14-21 days.

With white colored foamy discharge:

• Inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (ulcerative colitis, microflora disorders, congenital deficiency of digestive enzymes).
• With helminthic infestation, it appears with a foamy component.
• Lactase deficiency (infancy). Flows without temperature. It also occurs in adults as a result of pancreatic disorders.

Appearance of foam and mucus:

• Individual intolerance to specific products (allergic reaction).
• Poor nutrition (fatty foods, unusual dishes). If treatment is chosen incorrectly, complications arise.

Treatment methods

Contact a medical facility for help. The following measures will help reduce the occurrence of violations of this kind.

Drink: herbal infusions - brewed oak bark; chamomile tea; drink made from dried apricots and bird cherry; rice water; water containing minerals without gases. Restore the balance of minerals and salts in the body, protect against dehydration, and promote the elimination of toxic substances.

Medical nutrition: exclude dairy products from the diet; baked goods; fried foods; fruits other than bananas; foods and vegetables containing fiber; spicy foods, sauces (mayonnaise and ketchup); seasonings

Medicines: treatment of intestinal dysfunctions distinguishes four groups of drugs that improve the patient’s condition with intestinal tract disorders.

• Probiotic and prebiotic. Restores the balance of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacterin, Bifidin).
• Enterosorbent drugs (charcoal, Polysorb, Carbopect). Absorbs and subsequently removes toxins.
• Reducing peristalsis in IBS (Stoperan, Lopedium). Calms the contraction of the walls of the stomach and intestines, reduces the frequency of diarrhea.
• Antibacterial. Taken to suppress pathogenic microbes and bacteria that cause intestinal disorders (Enterofuril, Metronidazole).

Liquid stool in childhood

The phenomenon is a problem that parents often encounter, because from birth to 3 years the gastrointestinal tract functions intermittently and unstably.

Diarrhea at 3 years old

Stool disorders in children are caused by pathogenic microbes that enter the body through unwashed hands or with improperly processed food, or when eating expired food. There is no need to panic if a child has diarrhea, but urgently alleviate the symptoms of the disease and begin treatment. Be sure to consult a pediatrician; it cannot be treated with folk remedies. In preschool age, it is not the disease itself that is dangerous, but the consequences of diarrhea if timely treatment is not started.

If loose stool is associated with a number of other factors:

• mucous components;
• bleeding; liquid stool with foam.

The manifestation of these symptoms is a reason to urgently contact a medical facility. Before an examination is carried out and medications are prescribed, it is important for adults to prevent dehydration (dehydration). To do this, let the child drink boiled water at intervals. The volume of liquid is 10 milliliters per kilogram of weight.

Causes of broken stool:

• neurotic disorders;
• obtained through nutritional routes of transmission of infection (through the mouth, contact with contaminated water, airborne and household transmission of infection);
• secretory disorders of the digestive organs;
• toxic poisoning.

If it continues continuously, this indicates serious diseases of the intestinal cavity (enteritis, colitis).

Preschoolers are susceptible to symptoms:

• the consistency is mushy or watery, and 70% of the intestinal excretion is liquid-like;
• not accompanied by pain in the abdominal area;
• passing thin stool 3 times a day.

With functional diarrhea, the patient’s physical growth is normal, and this type of disease can only be detected in laboratory tests. The leading cause of IBS in three-year-olds is occupied by viral infections that enter the digestive tract with dirty hands. Together with contaminated water and food, Shigella bacteria enter the child's intestinal cavity, and dysentery infection occurs. In this case, appropriate treatment is prescribed by a gastroenterologist or infectious disease doctor.

Changed color and foam in liquid discharge in children

Yellow color indicates serious problems of the intestinal tract, but not in all cases. If a light or green tint, mucus or bloody spots appear, and against this background the body temperature rises and the small child feels worse, parents are immediately advised to consult a doctor. In addition to color changes in your baby's stool, pay attention to foam in the diarrhea. This is due to a number of reasons:

In what cases should you be concerned: with mucus, fever, anabolism (vomiting), acute abdominal pain. The consistency of the diarrhea is watery and it is bright yellow in color, with foaminess present. If these signs are present, this indicates danger. If left untreated, diarrhea in children can be fatal.

For a milder version of diarrhea: without impurities and changes in stool color, without fever, it is recommended to adhere to the drinking regime and dietary nutrition (table No. 1). To prevent dehydration (Regidron) and drugs that restore intestinal microflora (Lactofiltrum).