Using Probiotics for Diarrhea in Adults & Causes

One of the main indications for probiotics is the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. There is ample scientific evidence documenting the efficacy of certain probiotic strains in acute processes of the digestive tract.

The known benefits of using probiotics are digesting food and competing with pathogenic bacteria for nutrients, altering the local pH to create an unfavorable local environment for pathogens and preventing their growth and strengthening the intestinal barrier.

Probiotics prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders

Various studies have shown that probiotics are effective and safe, especially in the treatment of acute diarrhoea caused by viral gastroenteritis, rather than in diarrhoea caused by bacteria or parasites.

The probiotics that have been shown to be most effective in treating diarrhoea are:

• Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
• Saccharomyces Boulardii
• Lactococcus Lactis

Probiotics in preventing acute diarrhoea are:

• Saccharomyces Boulardii
• Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG
• Bifidobacterium Lactis
• Streptococcus Thermophilus

The probiotic reduces the duration of symptoms when diarrhoea is already established. And prevents its onset when there is recent and close contact with someone who has experienced acute viral diarrhea.

More about diarrhea

Diarrhea is defined as the emission of stool of decreased consistency, usually associated with an increase in stool frequency and volume. Diarrhea is generally considered the presence of 3 or more watery stools of decreased consistency in 24 hours. Most cases of acute diarrhea are self-limiting. If the diarrhoea is persistent and lasts for more than 4 weeks, it is already considered a chronic diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea is an extremely common health problem, with at least one episode per person per year occurring in the western world. However, in our environment (developed countries), its impact on the patient’s quality of life is low, except when it affects children, the elderly or patients with low resistance power.

The most frequent cause of acute diarrhoea are microorganisms, although in most cases the microorganism that produces it cannot be identified in the faeces.

Causes of acute diarrhoea in adults

The diagnosis of acute diarrhea is based on the patient’s symptoms and this is simple, but it is much more difficult to know the cause. Sometimes it is easy to establish the relationship between a particular food and diarrhoea (when other members of the family or the environment who have shared the food have the same symptoms).

But when this is not the case, it may be impossible to establish a causal relationship, since not all individuals who eat the same contaminated food necessarily develop diarrhoea. And most contaminated food has no characteristic of taste or smell that makes the contamination suspect.

Viruses are the predominant cause of acute diarrhoea in adults in 30-40% of cases. When the cause is viral, the patient usually also vomits accompanied by fever and prostration. The viruses that most frequently cause diarrhoea are rotavirus, Norwalk virus, enteric adenovirus and astrovirus, particularly in winter.

Infectious Diarrhea

Low-volume diarrhoea with blood and pus is called ‘inflammatory diarrhoea‘ and the causative agent is usually bacteria. The bacteria most often identified as the cause of diarrhoea are E coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and Salmonella. Infectious diarrhoea is acquired predominantly by feco-oral route by consuming food and water contaminated with the microorganism.