​Symptoms of dysentery in adults

Dysentery, which can affect adults, is a common intestinal infectious disease caused by Shigella dysenteriae. It is more common in summer and autumn, but sporadic patients can be seen all year round. Bacillary dysentery is an infectious disease that can be transmitted through a variety of ways, mainly through water, hands, and flies, with an incubation period of approximately 1-2 days. People suffering from dysentery are in great pain, and in severe cases, they may even become exhausted. So what are the symptoms of dysentery in adults?

(1) Clinical manifestations: Acute bacillary dysentery

① Mild: Systemic poisoning symptoms are not obvious, body temperature is normal or slightly high, abdominal pain and diarrhea are mild, bowel movements are less than 10 times a day, and the stools are thin and sticky. Laboratory tests are often required for diagnosis.

⑧Common type: The onset is acute, and the patient may have chills and fever, with the body temperature reaching around 39°C. Accompanied by symptoms of poisoning such as headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Paroxysmal abdominal pain and diarrhea, patients have 10-20 bowel movements a day with blood and pus in the stool and a significant feeling of tenesmus.

③ Severe: sudden onset, high fever accompanied by vomiting, frequent bowel movements to the point of incontinence, and stools containing pus, blood and mucus. There is severe abdominal pain and a noticeable feeling of tenesmus, and severe water loss may cause peripheral circulatory failure.

④ Toxic type: more common in children aged 2-7 years old, with an acute onset. Before abdominal pain and diarrhea appear, high fever, mental depression, drowsiness or irritability may occur suddenly, followed by repeated convulsions and coma. At the same time, patients may experience symptoms of circulatory failure (shock) such as pale face, cyanosis of lips, cold limbs, weak pulse, and decreased blood pressure, or symptoms of respiratory failure such as irregular breathing rhythm, uneven depth, double inspiration or apnea. In summer and autumn, patients suspected of having this disease should be given cold saline enema or anal test strips to collect stool for microscopic examination and bacterial culture to confirm the diagnosis.

Chronic bacillary dysentery

① Chronic latent type: There is a history of bacillary dysentery, but there are no symptoms now, only positive stool culture or abnormal sigmoidoscopy.

② Chronic protracted type: There is a history of acute bacillary dysentery, which persists for a long time and does not heal, with occasional abdominal distension or long-term diarrhea, and frequent or intermittent stools containing mucus or pus and blood. Stool culture was positive.

③ Chronic acute attack: There is a history of acute bacillary dysentery, which is often triggered by improper diet, cold, fatigue, etc., but the symptoms are milder than the acute phase.

(2) Laboratory tests

Blood picture

In the acute phase, the total white blood cell count and neutrophil count increase. Chronic patients may have mild anemia.

Stool examination

Microscopic examination of the stool revealed a large number of pus cells, red blood cells, and macrophages. Stool culture can detect pathogenic bacteria