 |
Dysentery, Information on Dysentery, Dysentery Gary, Causes of Dysentery, Symptoms of Dysentery
Author: Corwin Brown   | Posted: 16-05-2008 | Views: 56 | Rating: (287)  (?) 
Dysentery is a disease involving the inflammation of the lining of the large intestines. The inflammation causes stomach pains and diarrhoea. Some cases involve vomiting and fever. The bacteria enters the body through the mouth in food or water, and also by human feaces and contact with infected people. The diarrhoea causes people suffering from dysentery to lose important salts and fluids from the body.
This can be fatal if the body dehydrates. This disease struck the men in the trenches as there was no proper sanitation. Latrines in the trenches were pits four to five feet deep. When they were within one foot they were supposed to be filled in and the soldiers had the job of digging a new one. Sometimes there was not time for this and men used a nearby shell-hole.
Dysentery is an infection of the gut caused by a bacterium called shigella. Shigella sonnei is most often responsible for outbreaks in the UK. S. flexneri, S. boydii and S. dysenteriae are also causes. Dysentery is usually spread by hand-to-mouth transfer from person-to-person or from surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected person. An infection of E. histolytica is called amebiasis, and any resulting bloody diarrhea is called amebic dysentery. Infections of shigella bacteria, called shigellosis, can lead to bacillary dysentery.
The main symptom of epidemic dysentery is bloody diarrhoea. Other common symptoms include abdominal cramps, fever and rectal pain. Less frequent complications can include a form of blood poisoning known as sepsis, seizure and kidney failure. Approximately 5-15% of epidemic dysentery cases are fatal. It tends to be more common in infants, and elderly and malnourished people. Mortality is also highest in these groups.
Dysentery is dissimilar to dysentery caused by infection from shigella, in that it mostly occurs in places or countries with hot climates. But in a similar manner to the bacterium, the ameba is also spread via contaminated water, or contaminated and improperly cooked food or through directly eating raw vegetables or fruit grown on contaminated soil and, in some rare cases, through physical contact with a person who has been infected. Even people with little or no sign of the illness or infection can transmit the germs through physical contact with persons, they are simply known as carriers, and pass the illness very effectively. Especially in places where sanitary practices are rather less developed or poor, these types of dysentery can be quite abundant.
Good hygiene and a little common sense are the keys to avoiding dysentery. If you're visiting or living in an area with poor sanitation, be especially wary of the water. Simply brushing your teeth with tap water or tossing a couple of ice cubes in a drink can be enough to make you sick. In many areas, the only safe beverages are boiled water, canned or bottled sodas, beer, wine, and tea and coffee (made with boiled water). If it's not possible to boil your water, treat it with chemical disinfectants such as iodine or chlorine. For extra protection, strain the water through an "absolute 1 micron" filter (available at camping supply stores) before adding the disinfectant.
The first and main task in managing any episode of dysentery is to maintain fluid intake using oral rehydration therapy. If this can not be adequately maintained, either through nausea and vomiting or the profuseness of the diarrhea, then hospital admission may be required for intravenous fluid replacement.
Ideally no antimicrobial therapy is started until microbiological microscopy and culture studies have established the specific infection involved. Where laboratory services are lacking, it may be required to initiate a combination of drugs including an amoebicidal drug to kill the parasite and an antibiotic to treat any associated bacterial infection.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/dysentery-information-on-dysentery-dysentery-gary-causes-of-dysentery-symptoms-of-dysentery-415807.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Diseases and Conditions Articles
Colon Health is a Matter of Life and Death
By: Paul Rodgers | 26/07/2008
Herbal colon therapy is the cornerstone of much of our treatment for bowel conditions in the same way that endonasal therapy is the cornerstone for the treatment of ear, nose and throat diseases. To the uninitiated it might seem that the most obvious reason for the herbal colonic treatment would be for correcting constipation.
Ways Of Getting Back Pain Relief
By: Apurva Shree | 26/07/2008
Back pain can be a very distressing problem in your life. It will not only affect you physically but can be emotionally very depressing.Back pain can be a very distressing problem in your life.
Use Of Lower Back Pain Remedies
By: Apurva Shree | 26/07/2008
Back pain has now become a very common problem which can affect any age group. The pain in the lower back can be due to injury or accident, displaced disc, degenerated muscle etc. There are several exercises and stretches that can constitute a good lower backache remedy.
Use These Back Pain Relief Products For A Healthy Back
By: Apurva Shree | 26/07/2008
As back pain has emerged as the most common problem in present day, various back pain relief products have surfaced in the market. People rely a great deal on these products to get positive results.
How To Be Independent With Schizophrenia
By: Ronen David | 26/07/2008
When people suffer from schizophrenia mean the condition where a person may find it difficult to differentiate what is real and what is not
The Unnerving Symptoms Of Back Pain
By: Apurva Shree | 26/07/2008
Are you facing periodical pain in your spine, neck, shoulders, hips, and waist or while moving your hands? If yes, be careful. You could be facing the symptoms of back pain.
Why Osteoporosis Is Still The Silent Thief
By: Joseph Nyamache | 25/07/2008
Because of the high prevalence rates of more common diseases like AIDS and Diabetes, most people tend to ignore other diseases that are equally important in our lives such as osteoporosis
Natural Remedies for Chicken Pox - Your Kids Will Thank You
By: Shannon Pollock | 25/07/2008
Chicken pox has been around forever and parents across the world know that it is normally a reason to panic. It can be very irritating for the person that has it though and it is commonly thought of as a childhood disease.
More from Corwin Brown
Glaucoma - Symptoms of Glaucoma
By: Corwin Brown | 03/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
There are two major types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and acute closed-angle glaucoma. Most glaucoma patients have open-angle glaucoma. There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of open-angle glaucoma. The first sign is usually loss of vision, which is why the disease is sometimes referred to as the "sneak thief of sight." Vision loss caused by glaucoma cannot be restored.
Coxsackie Virus – Information on Coxsackie Virus
By: Corwin Brown | 03/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Coxsackie virus (also written as coxsackievirus) is a member of the Picornaviridae family of viruses in the genus termed Enterovirus. Coxsackie viruses are subtype members of Enterovirus that have a single strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA) for its genetic material. The Enteroviruses are also referred to as picornaviruses (pico means "small," so, "small RNA viruses"). Coxsackie virus was first isolated from human feces in the town of Coxsackie, New York, in 1948 by G. Dalldorf.
Coxsackie Virus – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
By: Corwin Brown | 03/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Infection usually is spread by fecal-oral contamination, although occasionally the virus is spread by droplets expelled by infected individuals. Items like utensils, diaper-changing tables, and toys that come in contact with body fluids that contain the virus may also transmit them to other individuals.
What is Fibrocystic Breast Disease?
By: Corwin Brown | 02/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Fibrocystic breast disease is common and usually benign condition. Symptoms include swollen, tender breasts, and/or one or more lumps. Frequently, symptoms worsen just before a woman's menstrual cycle, subsiding near the end. For the majority of women these symptoms are a temporary discomfort; however some women experience severe pain.
Symptoms of Infertility
By: Corwin Brown | 02/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
The first obvious symptom of infertility is the inability to conceive. Unfortunately, most women or men won't discover their infertility until they have tried unsuccessfully to conceive for a period of time. Usually, it takes many tests and exams to come to the conclusion of an infertility diagnosis, but there are a few symptoms to be on the lookout for. A range of emotional and social problems and tensions between the couple regarding childlessness.
Fibrocystic Breast – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
By: Corwin Brown | 02/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Fibrocystic breast condition is a common, non-cancerous condition that affects more than 50% of women at some point in their lives. The most common signs of fibrocystic breasts include lumpiness, tenderness, cysts (packets of fluid), areas of thickening, fibrosis (scar-like connective tissue), and breast pain.
Fever Blister – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
By: Corwin Brown | 02/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause infections that affect the mouth, the face, the genitals, the skin, the buttocks, and the anal area. This article will concentrate on non-genital herpes. Many people acquire the virus and have no symptoms. For others, painful blisters appear near the area where the virus entered the body.
Fever Blister - Home Remedies for Fever Blister
By: Corwin Brown | 02/06/2008 | Diseases and Conditions
Fever blisters are caused more often by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) than herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). As a matter of fact, more than 85 percent of the world's population has been infected with HSV-1. These infections follow the usual course of herpes simplex virus infections in that the first outbreak is usually more painful and lasts longer than recurrent infections.
|
|
Health 
