Guide To Managing Radiation Enteritis

Radiation enteritis is a condition that occurs in individuals undergoing radiation therapy where the lining of the intestines becomes damaged and inflamed. This condition affects patients having radiation therapy aimed at the pelvis, abdomen, or rectum. Radiation enteritis occurs because the high-energy particles, x-rays, or radioactive seeds used in radiation therapy destroy not only the cancerous cells but the healthy cells as well. Individuals affected by this condition commonly experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, and bloody stools. For most individuals affected by this condition, symptoms will improve within a couple of months after the end of their radiation regimen. However, a few patients will experience chronic and long-term symptoms.

Treatment of radiation enteritis focuses on the management of symptoms and the prevention of further complications.

Medication To Treat Diarrhea And Pain

Most radiation enteritis patients will experience some degree of diarrhea and frequent abdominal pain. Diarrhea describes watery and loose stools. In a healthy individual, food moves from the stomach into the small intestine where all the nutrients are absorbed out of it. Food then moves into the large intestine where most of the fluid is absorbed. However, in cases of diarrhea, the stool moves too quickly through the large intestine for it to absorb a reasonable amount of fluid. Sometimes, diarrhea is caused by a functional failure of the large intestine to absorb fluid and not due to rapid movement. In individuals who have radiation enteritis, the lining of the large intestine may be too damaged or too inflamed to absorb fluid from the food adequately. The inflammation of the large intestine also causes severe abdominal cramping. Prescription strength medications are used to treat diarrhea by slowing the food down or through the use of other chemical mechanisms. Prescription strength pain medicine may also be prescribed to block the pain caused by excessive cramping.

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