What is Dysentery?

An inflammatory disease of the intestine, dysentery is severe diarrhoea accompanied by blood. It is most commonly caused by parasitic pathogens and bacteria. The initial signs of dysentery include passing loose stools more than thrice a day.

Symptoms

Common symptoms include:

• Dysentery symptoms may involve severe diarrhoea with additional symptoms that may vary from person to person depending on the types of dysentery and severity of the condition. Amoebiasis: If a person is affected by amoebiasis, there may not be any signs of dysentery in most cases. However, some people may get mild dysentery symptoms such as:
• High fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal cramps

Causes

Possible causes include:

The main causes of dysentery disease are parasitic and bacterial infections. These pathogens are highly contagious in nature which makes dysentery an easily transmissible disease. Dysentery causes pathogens to spread through contamination of food or water by faecal matter from an already infected individual. This is mostly a result of not maintaining good personal hygiene or when there is a dearth of proper water supply. Common types of bacteria that may cause dysentery are:

• E. coli
• Shigella
• Campylobacter
• Salmonella

Diagnosis

If you're experiencing gastroparesis symptoms, consulting a doctor for an accurate diagnosis is essential. Your doctor may perform several tests, including:

If dysentery symptoms don't resolve on their own within a few days or if the condition becomes severe with blood loss through stools, it is important to seek a doctor's advice and get treated. They may check your symptoms, perform a physical examination, and recommend some tests to be performed.

Tests for dysentery may include stool culture wherein a sample of stool is tested in a laboratory to look for the presence of amoebic parasites, and bacteria. The sample may be collected in a special container provided by the hospital.

The doctor may also perform a sigmoidoscopy procedure to look inside the colon region which may help to rule out the condition.

Treatment

The treatment for dysentery is aimed at removing the pathogens as early as possible. The most common dysentery treatment if it is caused by amoeba is through the administration of medicines.

If the reason for dysentery is bacteria cases of bacterial dysentery, persistent symptoms are treated by antibiotics. Few pts are required IV intravenous fluids, it is possible to get better without any treatment or other medication. However, if the condition doesn't get better, patients may require medical intervention where they may be put on intravenous fluid and antibiotic administration.

Conclusion

Consult your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of Dysentery for proper diagnosis and management.