A course unit on tropical medicine

1. TROPICAL
MEDICINE
DYSENTERY
BY
AMPEIRE ANITA
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2. OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson every one should know the following.
What is dysentery
Treatment, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, complications and prevention of
dysentery
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3. INTRODUCTION
• Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation, primarily of the colon.
• It can lead to mild or severe stomach cramps and severe diarrhea with mucus or blood in the
feces.
• With out adequate hydration, it can be fatal
• Infection with shigella bacillus, or bacterium, is the most common cause. Than that from
Entamoeba histolytica
• Dysentery is a notifiable disease.
• Each year worldwide, there are between 120 million and 165 million cases of shigella infection,
of which 1 million are fatal. Over 60% of these cases are children under five in developing
countries.
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4. WHAT IS DYSENTERY?
• Dysentery is an infectious disease, which refers to an infection of the intestines
resulting in severe diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the feces.
• WHO defines dysentery as any episode of diarrhea in which blood is present in
loose, watery stools.
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5. RISK FACTORS TO DYSENTERY INFECTION
• Attendance or work in a day care setting
• Close contact with an infected person or animal
• Consumption of untreated water from lakes, rivers or streams,
• Fecal to oral contact,
• Travel in country where the infection is common
• Use of public swimming pools
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6. SYMPTOMS OF DYSENTERY
• The symptoms range from mild to severe, largely depending on the qualilty of
sanitation in the areas where infection has spread.
• Mild symptoms.
• A slight stomach ache
• Cramping
• Diarrhea that is bloody,
• Abdominal bloating, nausea with or without vomiting
• Decreases urine output, dry skin and mucus membranes, feelings of thirsty, fever
and chills, weight loss, muscle weakness,
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7. SYMPTOMS OF BACILLARY DYSENTERY
• Symptoms tend to appear within 1 to 3 days of infection. There is normally a mild
stomach ache and diarrhea, but no blood or mucus in the feces. Diarrhea may be
frequent to start with.
• Less commonly, may be:
• Blood or mucus in the feces
• Fever, nausea, vomiting
• Intense abdominal pain
Note: often symptoms are so mild that a doctors visit is not required, and the
problem resolves in a few days.
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8. SYMPTOMS OF AMOEBIC DYSENTERY
• Abdominal pain
• Fever and chills
• Nausea and vomiting
• Watery diarrhea, which can contain blood, mucus or pus
• The painful passing of stools
• Fatigue
• Intermittent constipation
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9. CONT..
• If amoeba tunnel through the intestinal wall, they can spread into the bloodstream
and infect other organs.
• Symptoms may persist for several weeks
• The amoeba may continue living within the human host after symptoms have
gone. The symptoms may recur when the persons immune system is weaker.
• Treatment reduces the risk of the amoebae surviving.
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10. ASSIGNMENT.
• Find out other differences between bacillary dysentery and amoebic dysentery
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11. AMPEIRE ANITA
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12. DIAGNOSIS
• Clinical presentation after physical examination.
• Stool analysis
• Endoscopy
• Ultrasound scan
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13. COMPLICATIONS
• Dehydration, due to frequent diarrhea and vomiting,
• Liver abscess, if amoeba spreads to the liver.
• Post infectious arthritis, joint pain may occur following the infection
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome. Shigella dysentriea can cause the red blood cells to
block the entrance to the kidneys, leading to anemia, low platelet count, and
kidney failure.
Some patients have also experienced seizures after infection.
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14. TREATMENT
• Treatment includes supportive care such as IV fluids
• Medications such as antibiotics to kill the bacteria, shigellosis, amoebic dysentery
is treated with metronidazole
• Specialists such as gastro entrologist, pedtrician etc
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15. PREVENTION OF DYSENTERY.
• Prevention of dysentery includes the following
• Good food hygiene, heating food enough and avoiding over chilling the food/ cooling.
• Frequent hand hygiene
• Washing fruits and vegetables
• Avoid swimming in public water bodies
• Good sanitation, such as keeping diapers, dog bags, cat litter away from food
preparation areas.
• Ensuring good sanitation
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16. END
THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING. REMEMBER THE SOPS TO PREVENT COVID-
19.
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