Some Clinical features of diarrhea due to common causative organisms
Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases
The clinical features due to various causative agents may overlap and may even be atypical
Following is a list of commonly seen clinical features associated with different agents.
Also, the general principles of diarrhea management are similar for most causative agents.
CLINICAL FEATURES: CHOLERA
- Rice-watery stool
- Marked dehydration
- Projectile vomiting
- No fever or abdominal pain
- Muscle cramps
- Hypovolemic shock
- Scanty urine
CLINICAL FEATURES: E. COLI (ETEC) DIARRHEA
- Watery stools
- Vomiting is common
- Dehydration moderate to severe
- Patient usually afebrile
- Mild abdominal pain
CLINICAL FEATURE: ROTAVIRUS DIARRHEA
- Insidious onset
- Prodromal symptoms, including fever, cough, and vomiting precede diarrhea
- Stools are watery or semi-liquid;
- Mild to moderate dehydration, but may become severe without treatment
- Fever– moderate grade
CLINICAL FEATURE: SHIGELLOSIS
- Frequent passage of scanty amount of stools, mostly mixed with blood and mucus
- Moderate to high grade fever
- Severe abdominal cramps
- Tenesmus– pain around anus during defecation
- Usually no dehydration
CLINICAL FEATURES: AMEBIASIS
- Gradual in onset, alternating with periods of constipation or remission.
- Offensive and bulky stools containing mostly mucus and sometimes blood
- Lower abdominal cramp
- Mild grade fever
- No dehydration
References:
K. Park, 2019. Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases, In: Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 25th ed. Jabalpur, 2019
Qadri, F., Svennerholm, A. M., Faruque, A. S., & Sack, R. B. (2005). Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in developing countries: epidemiology, microbiology, clinical features, treatment, and prevention. Clinical microbiology reviews, 18(3), 465–483. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.18.3.465-483.2005
Crawford, S. E., Ramani, S., Tate, J. E., Parashar, U. D., Svensson, L., Hagbom, M., Franco, M. A., Greenberg, H. B., O'Ryan, M., Kang, G., Desselberger, U., & Estes, M. K. (2017). Rotavirus infection. Nature reviews. Disease primers, 3, 17083. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2017.83
Aslam A, Okafor CN. Shigella (Shigellosis) [Updated 2019 Nov 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482337/
Hale TL, Keusch GT. Shigella. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 22. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8038/
International travel and health; WHO website. Available at: https://www.who.int/ith/diseases/amoebiasis/en/ accessed on 27th March 27, 2020, at 2 PM
Amoebiasis, Victoria State Govt website. Available at: https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/disease... accessed on 27th March 27, 2020, at 2 PM
Clinical features suggestive of dehydration
ORAL REHYDRATION SALT (ORS)
Management of Acute Diarrhoea in Children
4 Rules of Home Treatment for Diarrhea in Children
Sugar Salt Solution for Rehydration
6 Steps of ‘Skin Pinch’ Test for Assessing Dehydration
Some Clinical features of diarrhea due to common causative organisms
Principles of management of diarrhea
Control of diarrheal diseases
Indicators of Diarrhea Control
Vaccines for prevention of diarrhea