Paralytic ileus is a disease that affects the intestine, changing or stopping its motility. In healthy people, during digestion, food passes 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 taking some medications, and can cause very serious problems if left untreated, 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:
- Bowel cancer; Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease; Diverticulitis; Colonic torsion; Inguinal hernias; Parkinson's disease; Taking narcotic medications 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 can 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, bloating of the abdomen, fullness, nausea and vomiting, which may contain traces of feces.
In more severe cases, complications such as cell necrosis of the intestine can occur due to the decrease of blood in the site or perforation of the intestine, which can cause an infection called peritonitis, which occurs due to the spread of a bacterium present in the intestine, called E. coli. If the infection is not treated in a timely manner, it can lead to sepsis and organ failure.
How the treatment is done
Before treating the 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 exam, X-ray, computed tomography or ultrasound.
The paralytic ileum can heal on its own, just stabilizing the person by administering fluids through the vein, inserting a nasogastric tube to suck in air and liquid, which will help relieve abdominal swelling. However, if there is no improvement, the doctor should choose another treatment in order to avoid an intestinal obstruction.
If it is a medication that is the source of the problem, the doctor may suspend the taking of that medication, or prescribe a medication that stimulates intestinal transit, such as metoclopramide or domperidone.
If the obstruction is partial, that is, if some food and fluids continue to be transported through the intestine, it is only necessary to stabilize the person and eat a low-fiber diet, and a medicine to speed up intestinal transit may also be prescribed.
In cases of total obstruction, or if treatment for partial obstruction does not work, it may be necessary to resort to surgery to relieve this obstruction, remove a portion of the intestine or even remove the entire intestine. In cases where the entire intestine is removed, it is necessary to have an ostomy, which consists of creating a channel that connects the intestine to a kind of sac, through an opening in the abdomen, through which the feces are eliminated.
