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Topic Overview What is traveler's diarrhea? What causes traveler's diarrhea? What are the symptoms of traveler's diarrhea? Symptoms include: Diarrhea. Abdominal cramps.
Mild to severe dehydration. General lack of energy, nausea, and vomiting. Fever, vomiting, and stools with blood or mucus. These symptoms mean you have serious diarrhea, which is more likely to lead to problems with dehydration. Dehydration may alter the effect of any medicines being taken, such as oral contraceptives or antimalarials.
How is traveler's diarrhea treated? Let your stomach rest. Do not eat for several hours or until you are feeling better. Take frequent, small sips of bottled or boiled water or a rehydration drink and small bites of salty crackers. Packets of the salts are available at stores and pharmacies in most developing countries. Add one packet to boiled or treated water, making sure to read the instructions regarding the proper amounts of salts and water. Drink the solution within 12 hours if kept at room temperature, or within 24 hours if refrigerated.
Begin eating a simple diet of bland foods, such as crackers, rice, bread, potatoes, or bananas, which usually will help slow diarrhea. In some cases, persistence of gastrointestinal symptoms relates to chronic underlying gastrointestinal disease or to a susceptibility unmasked by the enteric infection. Most prominent among these is celiac disease, a systemic disease manifesting primarily with small bowel changes.
In genetically susceptible people, villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia are seen in response to exposure to antigens found in wheat, leading to malabsorption. The diagnosis is made by obtaining serologic tests, including tissue transglutaminase antibodies. A biopsy of the small bowel showing villous atrophy confirms the diagnosis. One prevailing hypothesis is that an initiating exogenous pathogen changes microbiota of the gut, which triggers inflammatory bowel disease in genetically susceptible people.
Depending on the clinical setting and age group, it may be necessary to do a more comprehensive search for other underlying causes of chronic diarrhea. Consider colorectal cancer in the differential diagnosis of patients passing occult or gross blood rectally or in those with new-onset iron-deficiency anemia.
In a certain percentage of patients who present with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, no specific source will be found. Following an acute diarrheal infection, patients may experience temporary enteropathy characterized by villous atrophy, decreased absorptive surface area, and disaccharidase deficiencies. This can lead to osmotic diarrhea, particularly when large amounts of lactose, sucrose, sorbitol, or fructose are consumed.
Use of antimicrobial medications during the initial days of diarrhea may also lead to alterations in intestinal flora and diarrhea symptoms. Diagnostics to determine specific microbial etiologies in cases of persistent diarrhea have advanced in the past number of years. This technology uses a single stool specimen to detect multiple bacterial, parasitic, and viral enteropathogens simultaneously.
Except in the case of Cryptosporidium , these assays have high sensitivity and specificity; however, the clinical ramifications and the economic impact of using these diagnostic molecular panels has yet to be assessed fully. In some cases, molecular testing may detect colonization rather than infection, making it difficult for clinicians interpret and apply the results properly. Traditional methods of microbial diagnosis have relied on the use of microscopy; 3 or more stool specimens should be examined for ova and parasites, including acid-fast stains for Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora , and Cystoisospora.
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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Read this next. The 5 Most Effective Diarrhea Remedies. It might seem logical to reach for an anti-diarrheal product such as Imodium loperamide or Lomotil diphenoxylate. However, these products should not be used if the cause of your symptoms is dysentery or if you see any signs of blood in your stools.
An antidiarrheal agent should only be taken if you have been prescribed an antibiotic. When using an antidiarrheal for travelers' diarrhea, it is especially important to keep yourself well-hydrated. Discontinue the product if your symptoms worsen or if you are still experiencing diarrhea after two days. Gas pain? Stool issues? Sign up for the best tips to take care of your stomach. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Travelers' diarrhea. Updated October 8, LaRoque RL, et. Updated August 12, Chapter 2: Preparing international travelers.
Yellow Book. Updated November 22, Wanke, Christine A. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
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