Enteritis is a general term for intestinal inflammation, mainly referring to enteritis and colorectitis, which is a very common disease. According to the cause of the disease, it can be divided into infectious and non-infectious. It can have acute onset or long-term chronic symptoms. Common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other digestive tract discomfort. In terms of treatment, it is often necessary to comprehensively consider the cause and condition of the disease and to treat it promptly can generally lead to recovery.

What types of enteritis are there?

There are various classifications of enteritis, which can be distinguished according to the duration of the disease, different causes, different parts, etc. In addition, the gastrointestinal tract is sometimes mentioned together. Here are some simple examples for understanding:

• According to the course of the disease: acute gastroenteritis, chronic gastroenteritis. According to whether there is infection: infectious enteritis, non-infectious enteritis.
• Infectious conditions: rotavirus enteritis, norovirus gastroenteritis.
• Non-infectious conditions: Ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease.
• By site: colitis, proctitis.

What are the symptoms of enteritis?

Enteritis mainly presents with gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients may present with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and may contain undigested food, mucus, and even blood, pus, etc.

Some patients may have fever, headache, tenesmus (discomfort in the lower abdomen, wanting to defecate, but not being able to have a bowel movement quickly), dehydration, acidosis, or even shock.

What are the common causes of enteritis?

The causes of enteritis can be divided into infectious factors and non-infectious factors, as follows:

Infectious agents

• Bacterial infection: Bacterial enteritis is most commonly caused by Escherichia coli, Salmonella, etc.
• Viral infection: such as rotavirus, etc., can cause viral enteritis.
• Fungal infection: Fungal enteritis can be caused by Aspergillus, Candida albicans, etc.
• Parasitic infections: For example, Entamoeba histolytica and Schistosoma can cause parasitic enteritis.

Non-infectious factors

• Improper diet: such as overeating, eating too spicy and exciting foods, eating allergic foods, etc.
• Poisoning: Such as accidentally eating irritating chemicals, heavy metal poisoning, etc.
• Abuse of antibiotics: Long-term abuse of antibiotics can lead to an imbalance of intestinal flora.
• Autoimmune diseases: For example, ulcerative colitis is caused by an imbalance in the immune system of the intestinal mucosa.

How to treat enteritis?

Enteritis caused by different causes has different treatments. It mainly includes drug treatment and symptomatic treatment. Treatment should be based on the doctor’s recommendations after diagnosis. Try to avoid taking drugs, such as analgesics, etc. before seeing a doctor. This may cause the doctor to misjudge the condition and worsen the disease. Common treatments include:

Medical treatment:

• Antibiotics: such as sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, etc., are mostly used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. If the condition is severe, glucocorticoids (such as prednisone, hydrocortisone, etc.), immunosuppressants (such as azathioprine, methotrexate, etc.), and other drugs are also needed.
• Antidiarrheal drugs: such as loperamide, etc., are mainly used to stop diarrhea.
• Probiotic preparations: such as Bacillus licheniformis, etc., are used as auxiliary drugs to help restore intestinal function.

Symptomatic treatment:

• Pay attention to rest and avoid being emotional or stressed;
• If the condition is serious, fasting should be done and parenteral nutrition should be given if necessary;
• If patients with diarrhea have dehydration symptoms such as decreased urine output and dry mouth, they should pay attention to receiving appropriate treatment, such as drinking light salt water, rehydration salt, etc. In severe cases, intravenous rehydration should be chosen to correct the balance of water and electrolytes.

What should you pay attention to in life with enteritis?

Pay special attention to dietary hygiene. Because the intestinal tract of patients with enteritis is damaged, try not to eat cold, spicy, hard, or spoiled foods to avoid aggravation of the condition.

If there is an infection or other conditions, you must insist on taking the medicine according to the doctor’s instructions and try to avoid missing medicine or stopping medicine at will.

Patients with ulcerative colitis should take medication on time and have regular outpatient follow-up visits; patients should strengthen daily exercise, such as walking, jogging, Tai Chi, etc., to improve their immunity.

How to prevent enteritis?

Pay attention to personal hygiene, wash hands before meals and after using the toilet, and use soap and hand sanitizer to prevent pathogens from entering the intestines through the mouth and causing enteritis.

Pay attention to food hygiene, reduce the number of meals out or choose clean restaurants, eat fewer leftovers, and use the refrigerator to store food rationally to prevent the growth of bacteria and the production of toxins.

Find out which foods you are allergic to and resolutely avoid them to prevent enteritis caused by food allergies.

Do not buy or use antibiotics casually to prevent the misuse of antibiotics from causing an imbalance of intestinal flora and enteritis.