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Gastrointestinal infections in returned travelers
Affiliations- Students’ Scientific Circle of Travel Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine, Military Institute of Medicine, Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland
- Polish Society of Maritime, Tropical and Travel Medicine, Powstania Styczniowego St. 9B, 81-519 Gdynia, Poland
open access
Abstract
Gastrointestinal infections are one of the most frequent medical conditions diagnosed in patients who travel to tropical or subtropical destinations. The most common disorder occurring in up to 60% travelling people is travelers’ diarrhea (TD). The illness is defined as a minimum of three loose stools within 24 hours; in most cases TD is caused by the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Its symptoms usually persist for 4–5 days and resolve spontaneously or on self-administered empirical antimicrobial therapy, but in case of an invasive infection, it is necessary to seek medical care. As most tourists travel for 1–2 weeks, the disease often persists or develops upon return; therefore, it is important to raise awareness of TD’s clinical features and treatment options among physicians from travelers’ home countries unaccustomed to this health problem. Another issue, which is gaining more and more importance in recent years, is post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic disturbance affecting up to 17% of patients, who have had travelers’ diarrhea. This review aims to promote prophylaxis of gastrointestinal disorders and to extend knowledge about their after-effects in returned travelers.
Abstract
Gastrointestinal infections are one of the most frequent medical conditions diagnosed in patients who travel to tropical or subtropical destinations. The most common disorder occurring in up to 60% travelling people is travelers’ diarrhea (TD). The illness is defined as a minimum of three loose stools within 24 hours; in most cases TD is caused by the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Its symptoms usually persist for 4–5 days and resolve spontaneously or on self-administered empirical antimicrobial therapy, but in case of an invasive infection, it is necessary to seek medical care. As most tourists travel for 1–2 weeks, the disease often persists or develops upon return; therefore, it is important to raise awareness of TD’s clinical features and treatment options among physicians from travelers’ home countries unaccustomed to this health problem. Another issue, which is gaining more and more importance in recent years, is post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic disturbance affecting up to 17% of patients, who have had travelers’ diarrhea. This review aims to promote prophylaxis of gastrointestinal disorders and to extend knowledge about their after-effects in returned travelers.
Keywords
gastrointestinal infections, travelers’ diarrhea, treatment, prophylaxis
About this articleTitle
Gastrointestinal infections in returned travelers
Journal
Issue
Article type
Review article
Pages
244-251
Published online
2019-12-24
Page views
1656
Article views/downloads
1216
DOI
10.5603/IMH.2019.0039
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2019;70(4):244-251.
Keywords
gastrointestinal infections
travelers’ diarrhea
treatment
prophylaxis
Authors
Agnieszka Fedor
Ignacy Bojanowski
Krzysztof Korzeniewski
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