Paralytic ileus is a disease that affects the intestine, altering or ceasing its motility. In healthy people, during digestion, food goes through the intestine until it is digested or eliminated through peristaltic movements. However, in people with paralytic ileus, these movements do not occur or are almost non-existent, and can cause symptoms such as loss of appetite, constipation, vomiting or even intestinal obstruction. See more about this disease.
Paralytic ileus can be caused by other diseases or by the taking of some medicines, which can cause very serious problems if not treated, such as perforation of the intestine or generalized infection, also known as sepsis and therefore treatment should be done as soon as possible possible.
Possible causes
Paralytic ileus can be caused by several factors, such as:
- Cancer in the gut;
- Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease;
- Diverticulitis;
- Twisting of the colon;
- Inguinal hernias;
- Parkinson's disease;
- Taking narcotic drugs such as hydromorphone, morphine, or oxycodone and taking tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and imipramine;
In addition, this disease can also be caused due to the formation of fibrous tissue, which may occur after abdominal surgery, so it is important to be aware of the symptoms in the postoperative period.
What are the signs and symptoms
The most common symptoms that can occur in people with this disease are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation, swelling of the abdomen, bloating, nausea and vomiting, which may contain traces of stool.
In more severe cases, complications such as cellular necrosis of the intestine can occur due to the decrease of blood in the place or perforation of the intestine, that can cause an infection call of peritonite, that occurs due to the propagation of a bacterium present in the intestine, call E. coli . If the infection is not treated in a timely manner, it can lead to sepsis and organ failure.
How is the treatment done?
Before treating paralytic ileus, it is necessary to identify the cause that is at its origin. For this, the doctor can make a diagnosis through a physical examination, X-ray, CT scan or ultrasound.
Paralytic ileus can heal on its own; it is only necessary to stabilize the person by administering fluids through the vein, inserting a nasogastric tube to aspirate air and fluid, which will help relieve abdominal swelling. However, if there is no improvement, the doctor should choose another treatment in order to avoid intestinal obstruction.
If it is a drug that causes the problem, the doctor can stop taking this medicine, or prescribe a medicine that stimulates intestinal transit, such as metoclopramide or domperidone.
If the obstruction is partial, ie if food and fluids continue to be transported through the intestine, it is only necessary to stabilize the person and eat a diet low in fiber, and a medicine may also be prescribed to accelerate intestinal transit.
In cases of total obstruction, or if treatment for partial obstruction does not work, surgery may be necessary to relieve the obstruction, remove a portion of the bowel, or even remove the entire bowel. In cases where the entire intestine is removed, it is necessary to make an ostomy, which consists of the creation of a canal that connects the intestine to a kind of sac through an opening in the abdomen, where the feces are eliminated.
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