#文章首发挑战赛#
Xiao Li, 26 years old, used to work for an Internet company, but was fired due to the company's poor efficiency, and has been idle at home. The failure of his last job made Xiao Li feel deeply tired, and he relied on playing games and eating takeout every day to live in a mess. He is especially fond of heavy food, and greasy barbecue and spicy hot pot have become frequent guests at his dinner table. The long-term sedentary and unhealthy diet Xi habits gradually accumulated many hidden dangers in his body.
Recently, Xiao Li found that his bowel movements were becoming more and more difficult, and he often suffered from constipation. He also noticed a strange phenomenon in his stool, that is, "the front is dry and hard, and the back is soft and sticky", which at first confused and worried him. He began to ask himself, why is there such a change in my stool, is this a sign of some kind of health problem?
In order to find out the cause, Xiao Li decided to seek the help of a doctor. When going to the hospital, the doctor asked about Xiao Li's symptoms and past Xi. After a series of examinations and tests, the doctor finally gave a diagnosis: microscopic examination showed that the glandular tissue covered by the columnar epithelium of the intestinal single layer was inconsistent in size and irregular shape, the epithelium was mildly atypical, and the nuclear division was occasionally villous adenoma, which grew like a polyp. In short, intestinal polyps.
Xiao Li's condition is already very serious, and if left untreated, it may develop into cancer. This news filled Mr. Li's heart with questions and fears, why does a simple stool abnormality develop into intestinal polyps?
Stool is the process by which the body excretes waste products, and its shape, color, and texture can reflect the health of the gut. Normal stools should be moderately hard and soft, shaped, and easy to defecate. However, sometimes people may encounter an anomaly in which the stool is "dry and hard at the front and soft at the back". This condition can be a manifestation of certain pathological problems that should be taken seriously and paid attention to.
The stool is "dry and hard in the front and soft and sticky in the back" Beware of these three diseases!
When we have a bowel movement, we sometimes find that the texture of the stool is different from usual. It is called "the front is dry and hard, and the back is soft and sticky" because the texture of the stool changes significantly at the exit during the bowel movement. In the early stages of bowel movements, the stool may be hard and dry, sometimes even viscous. In the later stage of bowel movements, the stool becomes softer and sticky, if this phenomenon lasts for a long time, you should be vigilant, it may be a disease coming to your door!
1. Functional constipation
Functional constipation is a common intestinal problem, and its main symptoms include difficulty in defecation, hard and dry stools, long stool intervals, and a lack of sensation of defecation. Patients may need to strain to have a bowel movement, and bowel movements may be accompanied by a feeling of intestinal colic, which may lead to the occurrence of complications such as hemorrhoids and fissures.
The shape of the stool also changes frequently, sometimes in the form of strips, hard and dry, sometimes in the form of small particles, and may even have mucus and blood streaks, etc., these symptoms may cause inconvenience and distress to the individual's daily life.
Functional constipation includes both primary and secondary constipation. Primary constipation refers to constipation without obvious cause and without organic lesions, mainly caused by intestinal motility disorders. Inadequate intake of fibre is a common cause of primary constipation.
Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate found in the cell walls of plants, and although it is not directly absorbed by the body, it is important for intestinal health. Numerous studies have shown that proper intake of fiber can regulate the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract and promote the flow of food in the intestines, thereby aiding digestion and absorption of nutrients.
When we do not consume enough fiber, the intestinal motility is insufficient, which will cause the stool to become dry and induration, resulting in a hard stool before and then soft, generally when this happens, the patient only needs to drink more water and eat some fiber-rich food, through lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, etc., the abnormal condition of the stool will be alleviated.
Compared with primary constipation, secondary constipation is more complex and diverse, and needs to be further studied. Secondary constipation refers to the symptoms of constipation caused by other diseases, drugs or lifestyle Xi on the basis of ruling out primary constipation. Secondary constipation requires identifying the specific cause of constipation by looking for the underlying condition, analyzing drug use, and adjusting lifestyle Xi.
Studies have shown that neurological disorders are a common category of conditions that cause secondary constipation. For example, Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system characterized by muscle stiffness and movement disorders.
Patients with Parkinson's disease often have gastrointestinal motility disturbances that lead to decreased bowel motility, which in turn leads to constipation. In addition, spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular disease, and other digestive disorders, such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), can lead to intestinal inflammation and intestinal motility disorders, which in turn can cause constipation and abnormal stool status.
2. Intestinal polyps
Intestinal polyps are a common gastrointestinal disorder that refers to a benign tumor that grows locally on the mucosa of the colon or rectum, usually attached to the intestinal wall by the neck, and appears as a grape or mushroom-like protrusion on the mucosal surface. Intestinal polyps can be classified into different types, the most common of which is to divide intestinal polyps into 3 categories based on their morphological characteristics under visual observation: polypecial adenoma, polyposoid adenosis, and other polyps.
Among them, polyposis adenoma is the most common type, accounting for the vast majority of intestinal polyps. Intestinal polyps are usually asymptomatic in the early stages, but as the tumour grows, patients may develop a range of problems related to bowel movements. The growth of intestinal polyps will occupy a certain amount of intestinal space, resulting in poor intestinal peristalsis and the process of bowel movement will become difficult.
At the beginning of a bowel movement, part of the stool in the intestine is blocked, resulting in a dry and hard stool in front of the bowel movement. As the defecation progresses, the stool in the back becomes soft and sticky due to the increased force of defecation.
Although intestinal polyps are benign tumors, they present certain harms and potential risks. When intestinal polyps grow or become inflamed, patients experience some noticeable symptoms. Common symptoms include intestinal bleeding, blood in the stool, anemia, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some intestinal polyps can also cause intestinal blockage and infection, leading to abdominal pain, bloating, loss of appetite and other related manifestations.
In addition, according to research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, some large intestinal polyps may also form ulcers on the mucosa, resulting in torsion or prolapse of larger intestinal polyps in the intestine, and intestinal tubes are embedded with each other to cause intussusception. If intussusception is not treated in time, there may be a 15%~20% chance of leading to intestinal obstruction. This may lead to the displacement of the damaged intestinal mucosa into the blood circulation, leading to a systemic inflammatory response, which may lead to the failure of multiple organs such as the lungs and kidneys, and may even lead to death.
Coincidentally, a study published by the British Cancer Centre in 2015 showed that intestinal polyps are one of the important precursor lesions of colorectal cancer, and about 80% of colorectal cancer patients have intestinal polyps in the early stages of the lesion. Intestinal polyps may also increase the risk of other diseases, and the probability of cardiovascular disease will increase by 20.1% and the probability of kidney disease will increase by 6.3% in people with intestinal polyps.
3. Bowel cancer
Colorectal cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, refers to malignant tumors that originate in the lining of the colon (large intestine) or rectum and is one of the most common cancers worldwide. It usually grows in the large intestine and may spread to the deeper layers of the intestinal wall or even other organs as the mood progresses. According to the World Health Organization, bowel cancer is one of the top five cancers in the world in terms of cancer incidence and mortality, and abnormal stool color and shape are often the earliest symptoms of bowel cancer patients.
Normally, the color of the stool is usually brown, which is due to a mixture of metabolites of substances such as bilirubin. Bowel cancer may cause abnormal stool color, such as bright red, black or silvery-white. This is because intestinal tumors can cause bleeding, and when blood mixes with stool, it can cause a change in color, but it is not accurate to judge by color alone.
Bowel cancer can also cause people to change their shape during bowel movements. This is due to a local blockage caused by a tumour in the intestine that may occupy the intestinal space. When the tumour is located in the colon or rectum, the stool forms a hard, dry solid stool in the anterior part of the tumor, while in the posterior part of the tumor, the liquid stool is excreted through a relatively unobstructed section of the intestine near the tumor, so it is soft and sticky.
summary
Although abnormal stool is a common phenomenon in life, it is necessary to pay attention to patients who have suffered from abnormal stool for a long time, reasonably control their diet, adjust Xi their lifestyle habits, seek medical attention in time and follow the doctor's treatment advice is the key to preventing intestinal diseases. Through our efforts, we are able to better maintain health and improve the quality of life of our patients.
Bibliography:
Yan Guangjun on the treatment of intestinal polyps from the "transformation of ruffian", Zou Dan, Henan Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2023-11-10
Intestinal polyps should not be underestimated, Hao Miao, Renren Health, 2023-07-20 Reflections on the diagnosis and treatment of functional constipation in traditional Chinese and Western medicine, Hu Lunan, Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine and Digestion, 2021-11-10
A Study of Patients with Early Colon Cancer, Pei Ma, Chinese Journal of Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, 2023-11-15