Abdominal cramps and diarrhea

definition

Abdominal cramps are spasmodic tension of the muscles in the intestinal wall. The muscles are usually responsible for the so-called peristalsis (bowel movement) and thus transport the food pulp through the individual intestinal sections.

Diarrhea is when bowel movements change from their normal consistency and frequency. If the bowel movement occurs more than three times a day, it is called diarrhea. In addition, the consistency is often very soft to runny. It is not uncommon for there to be a change in the color of the stool and a bad smell.

If the two symptoms occur together, one speaks of abdominal cramps with diarrhea.The abdominal fights can occur a few minutes to hours before or after the bowel movement or at the same time.

Treatment and therapy

The therapy for abdominal cramps and diarrhea depends on the underlying disease. Symptomatic therapy is often sufficient, especially for acute illnesses such as infections. Adequate fluid intake is particularly important, as a lot of fluid can be lost through diarrhea. If necessary, antipyretic medication and pain relievers can also be taken.

In the case of complaints that can be traced back to food intolerance, the triggering foods should be avoided at all costs. In this way, complete freedom from symptoms can usually be achieved. You can find out what else you can do here: Food intolerance

Chronic gastrointestinal diseases, on the other hand, often require longer treatment. In the case of autoimmune diseases in particular, therapy consists of a mixture of symptomatic and causal treatment. With these diseases, too, one should make sure to eat sparing foods and avoid triggering foods, and drinking enough is particularly important. Furthermore, a drug therapy is aimed at, which counteracts the excessive immune system of the body. This should be set individually by the attending physician.

Home remedies for abdominal cramps with diarrhea

Various home remedies can be used for stomach cramps and diarrhea. The most important are two components: those home remedies that lead to adequate fluid and food intake and at the same time protect the stomach. As well as home remedies that can relieve the discomfort.

The former home remedies include high-fluid foods such as broth and chicken soup. Teas that are gentle on the stomach (peppermint, chamomile, fennel, etc.) can also have a calming effect on the digestive tract. In addition, a lot of white bread (with little fiber) should be eaten until the stomach and intestines have "calmed down" again. The classic variant of pretzel sticks and cola for vomiting and diarrhea also achieves the desired effect: a lot of fluid is absorbed, at the same time the body is supplied with important salts that can be lost through diarrhea.

The symptomatic home remedies can, however, also improve abdominal cramps, with heat that is supplied to the abdomen playing an important role. A hot water bottle or a cherry stone pillow can significantly improve stomach cramps.

For detailed information on treating abdominal cramps with diarrhea, see:

• Home remedies for stomach cramps
• Home remedies to treat diarrhea

causes

The causes of abdominal cramps and diarrhea can be divided into different categories. First of all, one differentiates:

• infection
• autoimmune disease
• inflammatory processes
• metabolic cause
• Food-related causes

The main infectious causes include gastrointestinal infections (gastroenteritis). Usually these are viruses such as adeno, rota or noroviruses. Bacteria can also cause the symptoms of abdominal cramps and diarrhea; more rarely, fungal diseases or parasites are the origin of infectious gastroenteritis.

In the case of autoimmune diseases and inflammation, the symptoms are caused by changes in the mucous membrane in the intestinal wall. For example, due to this inflammatory change, less fluid can be absorbed from the food pulp, so that the stool becomes more fluid. At the same time, there are cramps in the intestinal muscles. Such inflammatory diseases can occur acutely, autoimmune processes in the gastrointestinal tract usually result in chronic diseases (chronic inflammatory bowel diseases).

Metabolic causes of abdominal cramps and diarrhea occur when the body's metabolic state is out of whack. The food-related abdominal cramps and diarrhea arise either from a food intolerance or from spoiled food.

Abdominal Cramps and Diarrhea After Meal - What Could It Be?

Abdominal cramps and diarrhea that occur a few hours after eating can be indicators of spoiled food. The spoiled food often has to first pass through the stomach and enter the intestines in order to trigger these complaints. Since the average time food remains in the stomach is around 2 hours (especially solid food longer), the first symptoms often occur after this period of time. In most cases, spoiled food leads to short-term, severe diarrhea with abdominal pain and cramps, and nausea and vomiting are usually part of the spectrum of symptoms.

If you want to know more about food poisoning, your best bet is to read too:

• Everything about food poisoning
• Symptoms of food poisoning

If the abdominal cramps and diarrhea occur immediately during the meal or only very shortly afterwards, this often speaks for other diseases. A chronically irritated gastrointestinal tract (for example, in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases) can play an important role in this. Irritable bowel syndrome or irritable stomach syndrome and related diseases often manifest themselves in symptoms such as abdominal cramps and diarrhea immediately after eating. The interactions between psychological stress and malaise with the irritated digestive tract play an important role.

These articles could also be of interest to you:

• Abdominal pain after eating
• Diarrhea after eating

More symptoms

In addition to abdominal cramps and diarrhea, other digestive system symptoms are common. The symptoms are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Fever can also often occur as part of infection or inflammation. As a rule, affected people are weak, tired and less productive. In the case of an acute abdominal cramp, sweats or even fainting can occur. If the disease causes damage to the intestinal mucosa, changes in the color of the stool (for example reddish or dark discoloration of the stool due to blood deposits) can often occur.

Flatulence

Flatulence is a common symptom that can be seen along with abdominal cramps and diarrhea. The trigger for this lies in the bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria are present in the intestines of every human being and play a large part in digestive work. The intestinal bacteria are unbalanced in particular by certain foods but also by a disruption of the bacterial colonization (for example by infectious germs). Your digestion changes so that more digestive gases are produced. These inflate the intestines and can lead to a feeling of fullness. In addition, affected people get flatulence because they have to let the increased intestinal gases escape.

Read more about this under: Home remedies for flatulence

nausea

Nausea is a common symptom associated with chronic and acute gastrointestinal disorders. Initially it can occur due to various digestive tract disorders as well as abdominal cramps and diarrhea symptoms. In the case of an acute illness such as an infection, the symptoms persist for a few days until the body has excreted the pathogenic substances again and combated them.

Chronic diseases, on the other hand, lead to permanent damage to the intestinal wall, for example, and they often occur in bursts. In particular, nausea that occurs in spurts without a specific identifiable trigger can indicate chronic irritation of the stomach or esophagus.

Also read our topic on:

• stomach pain
• Nausea and diarrhea

Vomit

Vomiting is a symptom that reflects a protective mechanism in the digestive tract. This protective mechanism plays a major role, especially in diseases with gastrointestinal germs of all kinds or spoiled food. By vomiting, the body tries to get the harmful substances out of the digestive tract. Vomiting has a similar effect as diarrhea, which also enables the spoiled substances to pass through the body more quickly. This means that fewer pollutants and pests are absorbed by the intestine into the body, and the substances only remain in the digestive tract for a short time and are quickly excreted.

fever

Fever is a common symptom in the body that suggests an immune system response. With the help of this mechanism, the body tries to kill foreign germs. Therefore, fever often occurs with gastrointestinal infections caused by bacteria or viruses. Chronic gastrointestinal diseases, which are caused by autoimmune processes, also activate the immune system. Often times the fever does not rise as much in these cases as it does in an acute infection.

Body aches

Pain in the limbs is a classic symptom of the flu, so these symptoms in connection with abdominal cramps and diarrhea are particularly common with gastrointestinal flu. In addition, there are often complaints such as nausea and vomiting as well as fever, loss of appetite and fatigue. Often times, gastrointestinal flu is caused by viruses, so there is no causal treatment. Therapy therefore usually consists of symptom relief by lowering pain and fever, as well as sufficient fluid intake and physical rest.

Blood in the stool

Blood in the stool can show up in two different ways. If the blood comes from the back of the intestine, it is usually fresh blood and shows up in the form of bright red deposits on the stool. However, if the blood comes from the anterior sections of the intestine or from the stomach, it is digested in the course of the intestinal passage, which is why it takes on a dark brown to black color and thus stains the stool darkly.

Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract can be caused by infectious damage to the mucous membrane. Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases also attack the mucous membrane and are therefore often associated with blood in the stool. If there is blood in the stool, it is important to see a doctor and clarify the cause of the bleeding source.

Read more about this topic below:

• Blood in the stool with diarrhea
• Blood in your stool and stomach pain

Back pain

If back pain occurs in connection with abdominal cramps and diarrhea, it is usually a radiation of the pain from the abdomen to the back. The feeling of pain can also be interpreted in the back by the brain through nerve connections. In addition, the abdominal cavity borders directly on the back and the spine towards the rear. Therefore, complaints of the gastrointestinal tract associated with diarrhea and abdominal cramps can also affect the muscles in the back and surrounding structures. Often the abdominal pain leads to reflex tension in the back muscles, so that back pain also occurs at the same time as the abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

Sweats

In most cases, sweating is a sign that the autonomic nervous system is in a mess. The autonomic nervous system can be divided into two antagonists: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. In particular, the parasympathetic nervous system becomes active during digestion and can therefore be easily addressed even when there are complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.

Too much irritation of the parasympathetic nervous system leads to a reaction from the opposing partner (sympathetic nervous system), which drives the production of sweat. Typically, the sweats occur at the same time as the abdominal cramps. Most affected people get cold sweats. Sweating can be a warning sign of impending fainting.

Read more about this: Causes of Excessive Sweating

Faint

Fainting spells (syncope) are usually characterized by decreased blood flow to the brain. Due to various mechanisms, the brain is briefly insufficiently supplied with oxygen and other nutrients. This inadequate supply triggers fainting. Conditions that cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea can upset the body's nervous system. The gastrointestinal tract is very well supplied with nerves that send information from the abdomen to the brain as well as transport instructions from the brain to the digestive tract.

If, for example, there is inflammation and the associated abdominal cramps and diarrhea, the nerves can be overloaded. This leads to a circulatory breakdown. Pain associated with the disease can also cause such dysregulation and thus worsen blood flow to the brain for a short time. Cold sweats, malaise and dizziness often precede the faint.

diagnosis

Abdominal cramps and diarrhea are initially not an independent disease, but rather two symptoms that often occur together. These symptoms usually become clear quickly when the doctor interviewed the person concerned. This should be followed by a physical examination of the entire abdomen. Depending on the suspected cause, further diagnostic steps can then be carried out.

If an infectious event is suspected, the pathogen can be determined from stool samples, but symptomatic therapy without further diagnostics is often sufficient. In the case of causes such as metabolic and inflammatory diseases, a detailed diagnosis should initially be carried out with blood tests and, if necessary, imaging (ultrasound, X-ray, MRT) of the abdomen. If necessary, gastric and colonoscopies can be performed. Food intolerances are diagnosed through elimination attempts, provocation tests and blood tests.

You can read detailed information on this here: Prepare for a colonoscopy

Duration and forecast

How long abdominal cramps and diarrhea last depends on the underlying cause. Infections of the gastrointestinal tract usually last a few days to a week and then heal completely. Particularly at risk are old and young people, whose bodies cannot fight the pathogens well and who cannot tolerate the high loss of fluid.

Food intolerances, on the other hand, often last a lifetime, if the triggering foods are avoided, however, complete freedom from symptoms can be achieved. Chronic diseases of the digestive tract are characterized by relapsing symptoms.

You may also be interested in the following article: Duration of diarrhea

Course of disease

The course of the disease, like the duration, depends on the cause of the abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

Intolerance, spoiled food and infections become very noticeable for a few hours to days and then subside within a few days. In contrast, chronic and psychosomatic complaints, which are often aggravated by psychological stress, lead to longer courses of illness. The symptoms occur in a relapsing manner (for example in the case of acute stress). Over the course of several months or even years, the symptoms can improve with adequate therapy.

How contagious is that?

The risk of infection is particularly high in the case of infections with bacteria and viruses. How contagious the abdominal cramps and diarrhea are depends on the individual pathogen. Contact with the affected person or with infected body fluids (vomit, diarrhea) can increase the risk of infection, which is why parents of sick children, for example, are particularly at risk.

On the other hand, autoimmune diseases and food intolerances cannot be infected. In these diseases, genetic transmission rather plays a role in the development of the disease.