The length of your intestine is 28 feet. It means the foods you consume travel from your body a long way before complete digestion and excretion. Your intestine uses certain muscle contractions to fulfil this task. These contractions move in a wave motion.
It is termed as peristalsis. These muscle contractions work to move the food forward that is digested. However, if the problems of nerves slow down or somehow this motion has been blocked, it can result in a traffic jam in the area of your intestine.
Ileus refers to the lack of these movements somewhere in the area of your intestine that leads to the development of food blockage. Ileus word is used in medical terms to denote the disease of the small intestine involving movement issues.
An ileus can cause intestinal obstruction. It means no liquid, food, or gas material passes through the area of your intestine. Certain surgeries can lead to this condition. Other causes exist that can develop this condition in humans. The concern for ileus disease is serious.
People with this disease do not know that food has started building up in the area of their intestines. It pushes a great amount of material to build up inside your intestine. The ileus can cause perforation of the intestine without having adequate treatment.
It also leads to bowel contents leaking inside the areas of your body cavity. High levels of bacteria are present in these contents. It can be deadly for patients who have ileus disease. It is important to get a quick treatment if anyone has experienced the symptoms of ileus disease.
Causes
After surgery, people can develop ileus. Doctors often prescribe medicines to people that slow down the movements of the intestine. It refers to a type of paralytic ileus. The intestine is not blocked in this case. But it stops moving properly.
As a result, little movement of digestive food occurs. It does not move sometimes. Medications like oxycodone, hydromorphone, and morphine can cause paralytic ileus. There are many other possible causes that can lead to ileus.
These causes include intestinal cancer, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, and Parkinson’s disease. You can say that in adults, these diseases are the common causes for the development of ileus. This disease can also occur in children.
A common cause of the presence of ileus in children is intussusception. It occurs when a part of your intestine slides into itself. Common symptoms of ileus are gastrointestinal symptoms.
Treatment
Treatment for ileus is associated with its severity. The severity refers to where the disease is causing partial or complete obstruction of your intestine.
Partial Obstruction
Sometimes diverticulitis or Chrohn’s disease shows that any part of the intestine is unable to move. Some bowel material can also get through. If you are stable, your doctor will advise you to eat a low-fiber diet. It helps to decrease bulky stools.
Complete Obstruction
This condition is a medical emergency. Treatment is associated with your complete health. For example, doctors do not recommend extensive abdominal surgery to some people. It includes people who have colon cancer. This surgery is also not recommended to older adults.
Doctors use a stent of metal in this case in order to make the area of the intestine more open. Food starts passing with the stent. But individuals may still need abdominal surgery to decrease the damage portion and blockage.
Paralytic Ileus
Doctors try to figure out the underlying cause in order to plan treatment for paralytic ileus. If medications have not caused the condition of ileus, your doctor will prescribe you other medications in order to stimulate the motility of the gastrointestinal.
One medication patients may get from their doctor is metoclopramide. Try to stop the medications that are causing the issue of ileus if it is possible for you. But do not stop taking the medication without the approval of your doctor especially if it is an antidepressant.
It is possible to treat the disease of ileus without surgery if the stages of paralytic are early. If you want to get fluids intravenously, you have to stay in the hospital to get proper treatment.
Never delay the issue of ileus because it can prove dangerous for your health. Try to visit a doctor as soon as possible in order to plan a right treatment for you with your doctor.
