Among the people who often visit other countries with an unusual climate for the organism, a unique cuisine and other factors that can induce indigestion, so-called travelers diarrhea is very common. This syndrome manifests itself in the first days after arrival in a foreign country or on another continent and is characterized by the appearance of diarrhea, sometimes nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain and headaches.
The human body during life adapts to the conditions that are characteristic of its habitat. These include the products that are customary for the diet, and climatic conditions, and even bacteria and microorganisms, to which immunity has been developed. Travelers' diarrhea according to statistics happens in almost half of all people who visit other countries during rest, business trips, or for other reasons. This is due precisely to the inappropriateness of the organism to new, unusual conditions for it.
One of the causes of travelers' diarrhea is a change in diet. Even foods that are familiar to humans, but grown or produced in another country, can provoke a gastric disorder, since they may contain elements unusual for the digestive system. For the same reasons, travelers' diarrhea can be provoked by the peculiarities of the traditional cuisine of the population of the visited country. For example, too sharp Asian food can strengthen intestinal motility, which will provoke the appearance of diarrhea in a person who has problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Or, the use of unusual vegetables and fruits, meat, seafood, exotic food can adversely affect the body's ability to digest food. Also, indigestion can cause stress, acclimatization, unusual salt composition of water.
More common cause of traveler's diarrhea syndrome is still various harmful microorganisms. The most common category is serotypes of Escherichia coli. This bacterium in 4 out of 5 cases of traveler's diarrhea is its causative agent. Esherichia coli is very stable and can survive in the environment for several months. The main area of its distribution is developing countries, but its various strains are present practically in all corners of the earth. The danger of epidemiological development of this infection is very high, since the main mechanism for its spread is transmission through food and water. Low level of sanitation and insufficient compliance with personal hygiene rules, improper or insufficient heat treatment of food can cause the microorganism to enter the body, which will subsequently cause traveler's diarrhea.
Symptoms of traveler's diarrhea
Symptomatic of this syndrome directly depends on the serotype of the escherichia that has affected the gastrointestinal tract. Each of the five serotypes has its own signs and in its own way affects the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which makes it possible to establish which bacterium has entered the body.
Strains that produce enterotoxin and colonizing the small intestine, by their vital activity in the gastrointestinal tract, cause excessive discharge of fluid into the cavity of the colon, which does not have time to be absorbed and is the cause of development of disorders, in particular travelers' diarrhea. In this case, bacteria of this type do not cause pathologies in the structure of the intestinal tissues. Symptoms of infection with this bacterium are frequent defecations with abundant water component, headaches, nausea and vomiting, weakness. The disease begins with an acute manifestation of symptoms, may occur in both mild and severe forms, followed by dehydration.
As agents of travelers diarrhea, enteroinvasive and enterohaemorrhagic serotypes are more dangerous, because bacteria of the first type by implantation into colon cells provoke inflammation and erosion, and the cytotoxin released by enterohemorrhagic serotype can lead to pathological disturbances of the intestinal blood supply up to necrosis. Symptoms of travelers diarrhea caused by the impact of enteroinvasive serotype are malaise, chills, stools that have a watery consistency, bloody mucus appears. Enterohemorrhagic serotype is characterized by a loose stool, the intensity of which increases during the course of the illness, acute abdominal pain, vomiting. With the help of endoscopy, the patient can identify ulcerous or hemorrhagic colitis. The most severe form of the disease can lead to the development of Gasser's syndrome with possible fatal outcome, most often observed in preschool children.
Treatment of travelers diarrhea
In the absence of a threat of an epidemic of certain infections, travelers' diarrhea does not cause serious consequences and is treated by the patient independently. If the patient has symptomatology manifested in moderate and severe form, then urgent hospitalization is required.
The mild form of the disease provides a moderate diet before the onset of improvement, and it is also necessary to replenish the water-salt balance by taking rehydration medications or drinking a lot. In acute forms of travelers' diarrhea, the correct treatment is selected exclusively by a specialist.