Possible causes of diarrhea every morning and treatment for this pathological condition

Published: November 5, 2020 at 11:12 am

You can often meet people for whom constant diarrhea in the morning and after breakfast has become a common occurrence. Such manifestations of morning loose stool in both a child and an adult cannot be called normal, since the cause in this case, among a large number of different factors, may be serious diseases, the elimination of which may require long-term treatment. At the very first signs of diarrhea, which began to occur every day, it is necessary to identify its factors contributing to its appearance, using certain studies, and begin adequate treatment of the disease that contributed to the appearance of diarrhea in the morning.

Why can such an upset stomach occur and what can be done to urgently eliminate unpleasant symptoms? The main causes of diarrhea in the morning are usually the following:

The digestive tract is affected by parasites; Regular loose stools can be caused by infectious bowel diseases; Diarrhea and nausea that appear every day in patients of different age groups indicate allergic reactions; Diarrhea in the morning and evening, always accompanied by nausea and bitter vomiting in adults, often indicates the development of pancreatic pathologies. They are most often provoked by alcohol abuse or heavy and fatty foods; Any pathology of the digestive system also leads to daily loose stools.

Chronic diarrhea in the morning may also occur, the causes of which are fermentative dyspepsia. This is a violation of the digestion of carbohydrates, which occurs mainly in early spring due to dietary errors. Also, diarrhea after breakfast or lunch in this case appears due to a person’s consumption of foods rich in indigestible fiber, hasty eating, and disorders in the masticatory apparatus.

The causes of morning diarrhea are obvious. Most often it occurs due to taking laxatives, which are used to treat certain diseases. In this case, the patient is ready for the appearance of loose stools after each breakfast for the entire treatment period. But it also happens that indigestion occurs unexpectedly. In such a situation, a person immediately faces the question of what to do in this case and how to get rid of a severe symptom? First of all, it is worth understanding the reason why one-time watery bowel movements appear. There may be several of them:

A stressful situation or severe nervous shock always causes disturbances in the functioning of the body, which are mostly accompanied by loose stools. Such a symptom as diarrhea arising due to a psychological factor does not require specific treatment in adult patients, and goes away on its own after the person calms down; Increased intestinal motility and impaired digestion of food can provoke the appearance of unformed or watery bowel movements every day. Similar constant symptoms in the morning, nausea and diarrhea, also occur when the intestinal microflora is disturbed. This pathology must be treated without fail in order to prevent it from becoming chronic; Another common reason why an adult or child develops diarrhea in the morning may be the consumption of low-quality foods, drinks, raw water, or dirty hands while eating.

Since loose stools are just a symptom of disorders occurring in the body, it is best if it occurs to immediately consult a doctor and undergo the necessary research to identify the root cause of diarrhea and rule out possible serious diseases.

Why does a child have diarrhea in the morning and what to do in this case?

In young children, unformed feces containing large amounts of water appear very often. Although for the most part they are a common occurrence and do not pose a serious danger, almost all young parents become frightened when such symptoms occur. To calm them down, it’s worth taking a closer look at the factors that can cause your baby to have diarrhea every morning:

In children under one year old, stomach upset is most often a consequence of introduced complementary foods. In this case, after each meal with a new product, the baby has loose stools. To avoid such dysfunction, you should very carefully monitor the baby’s body’s reaction to new foods, and, if negative signs appear, completely eliminate the complementary foods that caused it from consumption; Also, morning sickness and diarrhea in young children can be caused by new bacteria entering the body. Children over two years of age become completely insensitive to most of them. To avoid such negative phenomena in children, it is necessary to carefully sterilize the dishes they use and periodically wash or pour boiling water over the toys; Often morning diarrhea turns out to be a child’s reaction to a stressful situation. It is usually accompanied by cramping pain, localized in the navel area, and stopping after going to the toilet. To understand why this situation occurs, it is worth observing the baby. Most likely, this is how he reacts to going to kindergarten or school. Only by identifying a frightening situation and consulting with a pediatric neurologist will it be possible to relieve the baby from severe symptoms.

If diarrhea in the morning is caused by the fact that the baby overeats in the evening or consumes a very large amount of sweets, it is worth adjusting his diet. Also beware of food poisoning, which provokes the development of such symptoms, as their consequences can be very serious. To do this, it is necessary to very carefully check the quality of food and the expiration dates of products intended for the baby.

Each case of diarrhea in the morning should be considered individually, since the reasons that cause it are very diverse, from psychological health to physiological condition. Therefore, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, you should be more attentive to your body and, when the first pathological signs appear, contact a specialist.

Digestive problems always bring a lot of inconvenience. When you have diarrhea in the morning every day, there is cause for concern and determination of the true cause of the disease. Unpleasant sensations arise soon after waking up, but after a few hours they disappear without a trace. In general, a person does not feel signs of the disease, except for morning discomfort. It is necessary to understand why this condition develops and how to properly deal with it.

Causes of morning diarrhea

When you have diarrhea every day for a long time, it is difficult to establish the true cause of the disease. They can be varied. The disorder usually does not occur during the day; unpleasant phenomena are observed only in the morning.

If you figure out why an adult has loose stools every morning, you can choose the right treatment and protect the body from serious consequences. Most often, such problems occur due to the following factors:

food poisoning; emotional stress; penetration of infection into the body; systemic diseases; oncological tumors; pancreatic diseases; problems with the biliary tract; poor nutrition; allergic reactions; medications.

Loose stools in an adult can begin after eating mushrooms grown in unsuitable conditions or getting into the diet of a poisonous mushroom. Departures can be caused by low-quality food products, as well as those that were stored under improper conditions. However, in this case, diarrhea does not persist for a long time.

Most women are more susceptible to stressful situations than men. Due to deep experiences or changes in life, loose stools may persist for some time and even morning diarrhea may develop. An intestinal disorder develops due to the penetration of an infectious pathogen. The condition occurs after an illness or after contact with an infected person. Sometimes the causative agent of the disease enters the body through food, water or contaminated dishes. In some systemic diseases, diarrhea in the morning is considered normal. This unpleasant condition is most often provoked by diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Benign and malignant tumors provoke the development of morning diarrhea. This symptom appears with intestinal cancer, especially with diseases of the rectum. If your stomach is twisting after breakfast and diarrhea begins, the reasons may lie in the functioning of the pancreas. When diarrhea is accompanied by bitter vomiting, there is most likely a problem in this organ. When diarrhea is accompanied by pain on the right side, the problem may be the functioning of the gallbladder. When stones form in this organ, bile acids are not released into the digestive tract in the required quantity and with the correct frequency. All this disrupts normal digestion and leads to diarrhea. If diarrhea often occurs in the morning, the reasons may lie in poor diet. Eating large amounts of sweets and carbonated drinks disrupts the normal digestion process and this can trigger the onset of diarrhea. Some people experience diarrhea due to allergies. When an allergen enters the body, negative reactions begin. Some people suffer from red eyes, while others have an effect on the digestive system.

The use of certain medications can also cause diarrhea. Most often, this condition develops after treatment with antibiotics. Recovery from these remedies takes a long time, since the microflora is greatly disturbed.

How serious is it?

Each case is individual. If an intestinal disorder occurs once or occurs rarely, there is no reason to worry. It is enough just to adjust your lifestyle, review the menu, frequency of meals and portion sizes. However, when diarrhea becomes chronic, examination and proper treatment are necessary.

What is considered a chronic form of intestinal disorder? When diarrhea accompanies a person for several days, no more than 10, the condition is called acute diarrhea. If unpleasant symptoms persist for several weeks, diarrhea is considered chronic.

Why can diarrhea occur every day?

Every day, loose stools in an adult can occur for a variety of reasons. Among them the following groups can be distinguished.

The foods we eat and our usual diet largely determine the nature and frequency of stool. The following factors contribute to increased frequency of bowel movements and loose stools every day:

• fruits and vegetables with a pronounced laxative effect - beets, plums and prunes, apricots, peaches, figs, fresh dairy products, pickled vegetables;
• products high in coarse plant fiber - legumes (beans, peas, beans), white cabbage, rye bread, bran. They enhance intestinal motility, promoting rapid emptying, resulting in diarrhea developing every day;
• very fatty dishes and products - butter in large quantities, fried, smoked. If there is an excess of them in the diet, the pancreas is overloaded, and it cannot cope with the digestion of incoming food.

With improper nutrition, the stool is unformed, with lumps of undigested food, often accompanied by flatulence.

Diarrhea in the morning every day can occur due to poisoning from poisons, salts of heavy metals (in production or when ingested with poor-quality food), household toxins (ingestion of detergents), and certain medications. A feature of diarrhea in this case is the presence of weakness, abdominal pain; in severe poisoning, convulsions and loss of consciousness may occur.

Intestinal infection is one of the most common causes of loose stools every day in an adult. Its development can be caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi - accurate identification of the causative agent of the infection is possible only through diagnostic tests (blood and stool tests).

Symptoms of an intestinal infection, in addition to diarrhea, are:

• temperature increase;
• frequent vomiting;
• the presence of pathological impurities in the stool (mucus, blood, greens);
• cramping abdominal pain;
• weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, muscle pain and headaches.

Loose stools can develop every day due to chronic diseases, most often with damage to the gastrointestinal tract due to:

• acute and chronic pancreatitis;
• irritable bowel syndrome;
• cholecystitis;
• peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
• Crohn's disease;
• digestion and absorption disorders (gluten enteropathy, lactase deficiency, etc.);
• chronic colitis and enterocolitis.

Diarrhea every day in adults and adolescents can also occur for other reasons:

• when the climate and usual diet change - “travelers’ diarrhea”;
• during pregnancy;
• in some women during menstruation and 1–2 days before it begins.

Provoking factors

Despite the large number of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, not many suffer from diarrhea. When certain situations occur, the disorder turns out to be an alarming signal, prompting a person to be examined by a specialist. What can cause intestinal upset?

It is important to analyze whether the following factors exist:

the manner of eating very quickly, without chewing food thoroughly; abuse alcohol, especially at night; uncontrolled use of medications, including laxatives; pay great attention to easily digestible carbohydrates in the diet; eat a lot of fiber.

Loose stools in the morning can be caused by many factors. This condition of women in the early stages of pregnancy is not surprising. Sometimes toxicosis is accompanied by severe diarrhea, including morning diarrhea.

It’s not enough to know why diarrhea starts in the morning. You need to understand how to effectively get rid of it without harming the body.

What is important to know

When diarrhea begins in an adult in the morning, it is important to correctly determine the cause of the unpleasant phenomenon and correct the situation as soon as possible. Any treatment for diarrhea should be based on several principles:

Restoration of water-salt balance. Normalization of intestinal motility. The use of drugs that do not directly affect the intestines.

In any case, daily diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Liquid feces contain a lot of water, salts and trace elements that are important for normal life. Therefore, it is important to take rehydration measures first. To do this, the patient is given plenty of fluids. Pure water and herbal teas are suitable. Patients are given salted and sweetened water alternately. You can use special solutions, for example “Regidron”.

When diarrhea is severe, you can protect the body by taking medications that slow down the passage of fluid through the intestines. This could be Loperamide or Imodium. It is important to note that these products are not used for food poisoning, infectious diseases and parasitic diseases.

Medicinal medications that do not affect the intestines as an organ are sorbents. These include Enterosgel, Atoxil, Activated Carbon and White Coal. Passing through the digestive tract, the drug attracts all toxic compounds without affecting its walls. Diarrhea stops on its own due to a decrease in the level of intoxication.

Therapy methods

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to identify the causes of diarrhea that occurs every day. Therefore, a number of diagnostic measures are first carried out, including examination of stool for the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in it.

Even before the doctor prescribes medication, you need to start following a diet. It includes avoiding fatty, spicy and fried foods, as well as preferential consumption of strong tea, hard-boiled eggs, bird cherry or blueberry decoction. A decoction of rice taken every morning also helps.

Drug treatment for an adult, regardless of the cause of daily diarrhea, includes the use of the following:

• Preparations with a rehydrating effect that help restore water-salt balance. At home, you can make this remedy yourself and drink it every day. To do this, in a liter of warm water you need to mix a teaspoon of table salt, half a teaspoon of soda and 10 teaspoons of sugar.
• Sorbents. These drugs do not affect intestinal motility, but adsorb and remove toxins and other harmful substances. Thus, regardless of the cause of the disease, sorbents reduce the frequency of bowel movements and the severity of diarrhea if it occurs every morning. After this treatment, nausea also decreases and the stomach hurts less often. Drugs in this group include Smecta and activated carbon. They can be purchased at any pharmacy.
• Drugs that affect intestinal motility. These include Imodium and Loperamide. Since diarrhea causes increased peristalsis, taking medications that slow it down is an effective method of combating diarrhea. However, you need to know that these remedies only eliminate the symptom of the disease, but do not affect its causes.
• Drugs that normalize intestinal microflora. With dysbacteriosis, it becomes difficult to digest food and its evacuation accelerates, nausea occurs and the stomach bloats every day. In this case, treatment with live lacto- and bifidobacteria is necessary.

Thus, diarrhea in the morning not only causes general discomfort, but also causes significant harm to the body. Therefore, if this condition recurs frequently, it is necessary to consult a doctor and start treatment on time.

Do I need a diet?

Even if the stomach hurts very rarely during morning diarrhea, to get rid of the unpleasant condition, a diet is necessary. Without proper nutrition, the recovery process can take a long time, and the condition can worsen.

The table provides basic nutritional recommendations during treatment for morning diarrhea.

In some cases, in addition to intestinal disorders, symptoms develop that require the attention of a specialist.

Treatment methods

The principles of treating symptoms in an adult and a child are no different. First, you need to contact the right specialist. Secondly, to get rid of the symptoms of indigestion, you need to take detoxification and rehydration products. Smecta and activated carbon are not only the most effective and affordable. They are approved for use during pregnancy.

The basis of treatment is the removal of toxins and the provision of a binding effect. Rehydron restores water balance. In case of infection, antibiotics and agents to restore microflora are prescribed. In addition to drug treatment, doctors recommend drinking a lot of water and following a diet.

Alarming symptoms

If you have diarrhea every morning, then there are some symptoms, if they occur, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Most often, the doctor will prescribe a set of examinations to determine the cause of deviations from the norm.

Cases when stool contains blood impurities cannot be ignored. This may indicate serious pathologies. Possible reasons for this phenomenon:

cracks in the rectum; salmonellosis; complicated hemorrhoids; intestinal fistula; polyps in the intestines; gastrointestinal ulcer; cirrhosis of the liver.

It is important to correctly approach the treatment of this problem so as not to cause harm.

When should you go to the doctor?

Most patients who have diarrhea every morning are in no hurry to seek help. This form of diarrhea becomes habitual and does not cause concern. In some situations, there is really no point in worrying about morning diarrhea, since it is secondary, and arises as a consequence of pathologies existing in the body. But there are times when you need to see a doctor immediately. Such critical situations include:

• lack of positive effect and improvement of condition provided treatment lasts 5-7 days;
• if diarrhea occurs in young children or elderly people with a history of chronic pathologies;
• a sharp increase in temperature to 38 C and above;
• pain syndrome that cannot be relieved with antispasmodics and painkillers;
• dehydration of the body, which is characterized by the appearance of a specific unpleasant odor from the mouth, pale skin tone, sunken eyes, cheeks, and general weakness;
• the appearance of impurities of blood, mucus, and pus in the stool.

If these situations occur, you must immediately seek specialized medical help. Ignoring the deterioration of the condition is fraught with complications.

Morning diarrhea can be either an independent nosological form or a syndrome indicating the occurrence of disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea should not be ignored, even if this condition does not cause discomfort. Timely seeking help and properly selected treatment is the key to success.

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Treatment of diarrhea

Treatment depends on what caused the pathological condition. It is important to remember that intestinal upset is a natural protective reaction of the body.

It is necessary to provide the sick person with plenty of fluids. It is necessary to give drugs that absorb toxic substances, for example, “Activated carbon” or “Atoxil”. This is relevant, especially if the cause of the illness was poisoning.

If diarrhea is caused by neurogenic factors, it is important to reconsider your lifestyle and try to avoid stress. In some cases, it may be appropriate to consult with a specialist to select an effective antidepressant.

If you are sensitive to your health, you can protect yourself from many problems. If unpleasant symptoms occur, it is important to take action immediately. If intestinal upset persists for several days and the cause cannot be determined, it is better to consult a doctor for testing.

Regular diarrhea in the morning causes discomfort and spoils the mood at the beginning of the day. But then the disease ceases to manifest itself, creating the impression that everything has returned to normal. Unfortunately, this lasts until the next awakening.

Basic First Aid Points

It is not worth stopping the symptoms on your own, since all these unpleasant sensations are the body’s natural reaction to the ingress of negative pathogens, and an attempt to get rid of them on its own. That is, you should not take medications for diarrhea without a doctor’s prescription.

But there are several recommendations that can alleviate the condition if the patient is feeling sick and has diarrhea:

1. You can take absorbents. If gagging prevents you from doing this, then you need to perform an enema procedure.
2. You need to drink a lot of clean still water.
3. You should not eat food at all, so as not to provoke further development of the disease.

Treatment for diarrhea and vomiting can be quite varied, depending on the cause that provoked these disorders. But it is worth remembering that vomiting and diarrhea are clear signs of hidden damage to internal organs, so you should not miss this signal.

If you are faced with this situation and do not know what to do with vomiting and diarrhea, then it is better to call an ambulance, which will help you get rid of the disease correctly and quickly and prevent the disease from developing. In modern medicine, it is not customary to treat diarrhea; the cause that provoked this condition can be treated.

Causes

It is certainly difficult to find out what led to the development of diarrhea without a medical examination. After all, each body reacts individually to diseases. Some will have a fever, others will experience an upset stomach. But the most common symptom is:

Food poisoning as a result of consuming questionable mushrooms, accidental ingestion of poisons, or improper dosage of medications. Stress and increased nervous tension can cause diarrhea. Most often, women under 30 years of age are susceptible to this. Infections. As a result of pathogenic microflora entering the gastrointestinal tract. Diabetes mellitus and other diseases of the endocrine system. Tumor formation in the rectum. If diarrhea is accompanied by bitter vomiting, then there is a problem with the pancreas. The appearance of pain in the right hypochondrium indicates problems in the gallbladder and cholelithiasis. Loose stools develop in the morning with fermentative dyspepsia. Most often, the disease occurs in the summer as a result of excessive consumption of sugars and soda. Taking medications that inhibit intestinal microflora. Therefore, probiotics are prescribed along with a course of antibiotics. Allergy. It is difficult to identify which substance the body does not perceive. First of all, citrus fruits, brightly colored fruits, honey, seafood, and milk are excluded from the diet.

The quality of stool is influenced by both the physical and psychological state of a person.

Each case should be considered separately. If morning diarrhea has been bothering you for several days, do not put off visiting a doctor. After all, timely treatment is the key to quickly getting rid of the disease.

Depending on the duration of the gastrointestinal tract disorder, there are 2 types of diseases:

If the illness lasts 2-10 days, it is acute diarrhea. If the malaise drags on for 2-12 weeks, it becomes chronic.

Features of accompanying symptoms

Associated symptoms may vary. It all depends on the reason that caused them. Accordingly, they distinguish:

• increased body temperature;
• dehydration;
• change in taste in the mouth (due to bile);
• pain syndrome;
• loss of appetite;
• intestinal autointoxication;
• acid-base imbalance.

The greatest danger is dehydration as a result of uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea. When dehydrated, the following symptoms appear:

1. Dry mucous membranes.
2. Strong feeling of thirst.
3. The amount of urine decreases sharply, it becomes dark yellow due to an increase in its concentration.
4. Dizziness, headache.
5. Feeling of heartbeat.
6. Nausea and profuse diarrhea cause weakness.

An increase in temperature accompanies diarrhea in the following cases:

• food poisoning;
• acute inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (pancreatitis, cholecystitis);
• infection.

The temperature rises during acute inflammatory processes or bacterial infections. A person experiences typical symptoms of fever:

1. Headache.
2. Nausea.
3. Aches throughout the body or joints.
4. Loss of appetite.
5. Chills.
6. Confusion.
7. You may feel dizzy and feel cold (chill).
8. Drowsiness.

Pain syndrome is observed in the case of spasm of the smooth muscles of the intestines, an inflammatory process, especially when the peritoneum is involved. The pain can be associated with eating, be constant or intermittent. Bloating can cause abdominal pain. Flatulence is a frequent companion to digestive disorders. As a result of a disorder of motor and enzymatic activity, the processes of fermentation and decay intensify. This is due to the active formation of gases. Loose stools may be foamy.

Factors that provoke diarrhea

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to eliminate the source that may cause discomfort:

Eating foods high in fiber. The predominance of easily digestible carbohydrates in the diet. Alcohol abuse the night before or in the evening. Diarrhea can also be caused by beer. Hasty absorption of food, poor chewing of food. Taking laxatives. Psychological fatigue. Moving to another city or country. The body needs time to adapt to new water.

To summarize, the reasons for the development of diarrhea in the morning can be combined into one - dysbacteriosis. Nutritional adjustments and intake of lacto- and bifidobacteria are required.

What determines the color of diarrhea?

Stool staining will help determine the cause of the disease before test results are ready.

The yellow color of stool is caused by excessively rapid passage through the intestines. If the temperature rises, it means that an infection has entered the body. In addition, this coloration of morning diarrhea can appear due to viral hepatitis or taking certain medications. White color and the presence of undigested pieces of food are a sign of disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas and liver. In infants, this color may appear after the introduction of complementary foods, during teething. Green color and presence of mucus indicates fermentation or bacterial infection. At the same time, feces have a sharp, unpleasant odor. This color can also be a sign of liver problems. Black-brown diarrhea is a symptom of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Perhaps an ulcer has opened. Also, this color appears when taking activated carbon, blueberries, medications containing bismuth, iron. Bright red or cherry-colored stool indicates bleeding in the large intestine. It may cause anal fissure and hemorrhoids. Foamy stools with a sour smell are a sign of fermentative dyspepsia.

In most cases, morning diarrhea goes away after 3 days.

But if this does not happen, or there is a fever, severe pain, vomiting, there are signs of bleeding or dehydration, or there is pus in the stool, consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Causes of diarrhea at night

Loose stools at night can occur not only due to food poisoning. Sometimes the reasons lie much deeper. Therefore, you need to pay attention to both the nature of the stool and other symptoms. In order for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis, he must know as much as possible about the patient’s well-being. Treatment depends on the cause. Knowing this, you can quickly understand what the symptoms of the disease indicate.

The causes of diarrhea in children and adults differ. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the age of the patient.

What causes nighttime diarrhea in adults:

1. Malfunction of the thyroid gland . With thyrotoxicosis, the amount of hormones produced increases. Diarrhea at night in an adult is not the only manifestation of this disorder. It is accompanied by sleep disturbances, fatigue, weight loss, and tachycardia. The nature of the stool is important - it is watery and frequent.
2. Diabetes is one of the causes of diarrhea in the evening or at night. This occurs due to disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas.
3. Hypocortisolism is insufficiency of the adrenal cortex. The disease in some cases is a consequence of oncology and tuberculosis.
4. If diarrhea is accompanied by cramps , then it is necessary to pay attention to the condition of the parathyroid glands in order to confirm or refute their pathology.

Diagnostics

If stomach upset persists, you will need to make an appointment with a therapist.

In this case, you will need to take the following tests:

Laboratory examination of stool for the presence of infections, parasites, bacteria. Undergo sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy - intestinal diagnostics. Ultrasound. X-ray examination

Based on the results of the examination and the clinical picture of the disease, the patient may be referred for consultation with an infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist and additional examinations.

Sowing on flora. Gastroscopy. Proctological examination. Microscopy of feces. Biochemical and general blood test. Intestinal pH measurements. Serological diagnostics are carried out.

Diagnosis of diarrhea

Diarrhea has pronounced symptoms, so it is not difficult to identify. The reasons are not so simple. For this purpose, a thorough medical examination is carried out. It includes:

• patient survey (nature of pain, frequency of visits to the toilet, weight loss);
• external and proctological examination;
• stool examination;
• general and biochemical blood test;
• endoscopy of the digestive system;
• Ultrasound examination of the gastrointestinal tract.