Cholera

Cholera's disease overview

What is

cholera?

Human cholera (Cholerae) is an acute infectious disease in the gastrointestinal tract caused by Vibrio Cholerae. Manifestations of cholera are mainly vomiting and diarrhea in large quantities, patients easily lead to severe dehydration and electrolytes, causing severe shock. If the patient is not treated promptly, it will lead to death.

Previously, cholera disease i has caused major pandemic, deaths for millions of people. Currently, cholera has been controlled in many places but there are still epidemics in African countries and some Asian countries. Cholera in Vietnam still occurs but most are only cases of dispersion, usually in the summer in coastal provinces.

Cholera forms:

  • Asymptomatic cholera
    • mild: Cholera is like normal diarrhea. Typical body: Cholera has acute evolution, manifestation of vomiting and large quantity diarrhea
  • Dark acute: Fast -proof cholera, every time diarrhea takes a lot of water, anuria, body exhaustion quickly after a few hours of diarrhea and can die Due to cardiovascular collapse.
  • Cholera disease in children : common is common like normal diarrhea. In older children, diarrhea and vomiting occur like adults, may be accompanied by a mild fever.
  • Cholera disease in the elderly: often leading to complications of renal failure despite being fully compensated.

    • Causes of Cholera's disease

    Vibrio Cholerae bacteria are the cause of human cholera. Vibrio Cholerae has a comma curved form, capable of moving quickly thanks to a hair, they develop well in an environment with lots of nutrients, alkaline environment such as in water, food, in the body of marine animals (Fish, crabs, sea oysters ...) ... Especially in cold temperatures, cholera can live a few days to 2-3 weeks. Cholera bacteria are destroyed by temperature (80 ° C/5 minutes), common bactericidal chemicals and acidic environment.

    Cholerae toxin produced by cholera bacteria in the small intestine is the most important cause of the disease. This toxin binds to the intestinal wall, obstructing the normal flow of sodium and chloride, causing the body to produce a huge amount of water, leading to diarrhea and quickly lose a large amount of water and electrolytes. P>

    Polluted water is the main source of disease of cholera, in addition to raw snails, fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods can also contain cholerae bacteria.

    Symptoms of Cholera's disease

    The main manifestations of cholera are diarrhea, no abdominal pain and vomiting transparent liquids. Diarrhea has been dubbed the "blue death" because the skin of the patient turns to green gray is the result of losing too much water

    The incubation period lasts from a few hours to 5 days.

    The onset period

    The main manifestation is boiling abdominal, bloating, diarrhea several times.

    The whole period:

  • continuous diarrhea, going out many times in large volumes, sometimes 10 to 20 liters of waste water a day. The typical fecal characteristics of the cholera are only water, white is opaque like rice water, no blood mucus.

  • Vomiting is very easy, at first vomiting food, after vomiting all water.
  • Patients with cholera often do not have fever, rarely abdominal pain.
  • Power failure causes fatigue, cramps ...
  • Symptoms of dehydration: hypotension, fast vessels, sunken eyes, wrinkled skin, urine reduction ....
    • In ordinary people, it is happening for 1-3 days if they are compensated enough and treated with appropriate antibiotics.

    Transmission route of Cholera's diseaseCholera

    Which of the cholera is spread?

    Cholera is mainly transmitted through food sources or water sources. In developed countries, seafood is often the main cause, and in developing countries mainly transmitted mainly from water sources

    When eating foods containing bacteria, most of them cannot survive in the acidic environment of the human stomach. Some bacteria survive from the stomach and to the small intestine, they will move through the thick mucous membrane of the intestine to reach the intestinal wall, where they can thrive. V. Cholerae bacteria began to produce twisted fibers to push themselves through the mucus of the small intestine.

    When coming to the intestinal wall, V. Cholerae started producing toxins causing large amounts of diarrhea in the infected person. As a result, the new bacteria into the drinking water and will go into the next host without appropriate and in the right place.

    People at risk for Cholera's disease

    Disease is extremely common in places with poor hygiene, crowded, war and famine. The cholera often appears in areas like Africa, South Asia and Latin America. The disease can affect all ages, but it will be more dangerous if appearing in young children.

    There are many factors that increase the risk of cholera, such as:

  • Poor hygiene conditions
  • Living in refugee camps, poor countries and areas devastated by hunger, war or natural disasters
  • Reduce or without stomach acid

    • Blood type O: Recent genetic studies show that a person's infection level for cholera is dependent on their blood type. People with blood type O are most susceptible to infection while people with blood type AB have the most resistance, almost immune.

  • Cooked food and shellfish.

    • Prevention of Cholera's disease

    Living habits help prevent cholera:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after the toilet and before processing food. Without soap and water, alcoholic disinfectants can be used.
  • Drink boiled water or have been disinfected.
  • Eating hot and fully cooked foods, avoiding street vendors in the streets without hygiene
  • Avoid eating sushi, seafood dishes
  • Peel fruit, vegetables before eating, such as bananas, oranges, grapes
  • Be wary of dairy foods, including creams and non -sterilized milk.

    • vaccine: Tauscular vaccine is safe and effective orally. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccinations of high -risk groups such as children, HIV -infected people, in countries where cholera is still much. 

    Diagnostic measures for Cholera's disease

    Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms through questioning and examination. After that, the doctor will recommend tests for determining diagnosis:

  • Soi fertilizer: Helps diagnose quickly. Soi under the microscopy will see strongly moving cholera in the feces, dyeing grams for gram -colored threading images.
  • Fertilizer implant: Early stool must be removed when symptoms of diarrhea first and before antibiotic treatment. Transplanting into specialized environments: Cholera bacteria will grow very fast and can be determined after 24 hours of transplanting.
  • PCR technique to find CTX gene: Helps diagnose cholera quickly (if possible).
    • blood concentration: Hematocrit increases.
  • Electrolyte disorders: Potassium reduction, decrease in bicarbonate, low pH.

    • Renal failure: URE and creatinine concentration increases in cases of severe cholera

    Cholera's disease treatments

    Principles of treatment cholera in humans

  • Isolate patients infected with cholera.
  • Supplementing water and electrolytes quickly and fully.
  • Use antibiotics to kill bacteria.

    • Specific treatment:

  • Water and electrolyte compensation: The goal is to replace water and electrolytes by oral fluids (Oresol, lemon juice ...)
    • Intravenous fluid: In cholera, most symptoms will be reduced if it is taken by oral, but if the patient is seriously dehydrated, the doctor may give static infusion. circuit Antibiotics: Antibiotics are not necessary for the treatment of cholera, but some drugs may reduce both the number and time of diarrhea. A dose of Doxycycline or azithromycin may be effective
  • Zinc supplements: Research has shown that zinc can reduce and shorten diarrhea time in children with cholera.

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