Dysentery

Dysentery
Other names	Bloody diarrhea
A person with dysentery in a Burmese POW camp, 1943
Specialty	Infectious disease
Symptoms	Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever[1][2]
Complications	Dehydration[3]
Duration	Less than a week[4]
Causes	Usually Shigella or Entamoeba histolytica[1]
Risk factors	Contamination of food and water with feces due to poor sanitation[5]
Diagnostic method	Based on symptoms, Stool test
Prevention	Hand washing, food safety[4]
Treatment	Drinking sufficient fluids, antibiotics (severe cases)[4]
Frequency	Occurs often in many parts of the world[6]
Deaths	1.1 million a year[6]

Dysentery (UK: /ˈdɪsəntri/,^[7] US: /ˈdɪsənˌtɛri/),^[8] historically known as the bloody flux,^[9] is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea.^[1][10] Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation.^[2][5][11] Complications may include dehydration.^[3]

The cause of dysentery is usually the bacteria from genus Shigella, in which case it is known as shigellosis, or the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica; then it is called amoebiasis.^[1] Other causes may include certain chemicals, other bacteria, other protozoa, or parasitic worms.^[2] It may spread between people.^[4] Risk factors include contamination of food and water with feces due to poor sanitation.^[5] The underlying mechanism involves inflammation of the intestine, especially of the colon.^[2]

Efforts to prevent dysentery include hand washing and food safety measures while traveling in countries of high risk.^[4] While the condition generally resolves on its own within a week, drinking sufficient fluids such as oral rehydration solution is important.^[4] Antibiotics such as azithromycin may be used to treat cases associated with travelling in the developing world.^[11] While medications used to decrease diarrhea such as loperamide are not recommended on their own, they may be used together with antibiotics.^[11][4]

Shigella results in about 165 million cases of diarrhea and 1.1 million deaths a year with nearly all cases in the developing world.^[6] In areas with poor sanitation nearly half of cases of diarrhea are due to Entamoeba histolytica.^[5] Entamoeba histolytica affects millions of people and results in more than 55,000 deaths a year.^[12] It commonly occurs in less developed areas of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia.^[12] Dysentery has been described at least since the time of Hippocrates.^[13]