What is giardiasis?
Giardiasis is an innocent infection of the small intestine by the parasite Giardia lamblia. A parasite is an organism that requires a host to survive.
Most people do not even notice the infection. But some people get symptoms such as diarrhea, flatulence, burp, abdominal pain and occasionally weight loss. The disease is often self-limiting. Will the disease not come over, you will get medicine.
Giardia lamblia is a global phenomenon, even in the Netherlands. Travelers to (developing) countries with poor toilet facilities and impure drinking water have the greatest risk of contracting giardiasis. You can not get vaccinated against giardiasis.
Infection with Giardia lamblia
People infected with giardia lamblia parasite have some sort of eggs (cysts) in their feces. These cysts can infect other people again. This happens for example if someone does not wash his hands properly after using the toilet and after preparing food. Children can infect each other at the daycare or school. This happens through door handles or toys.
Also pets like dogs and cats, can be infected with the parasite giardia. Yet giardiasis is not more common in people with a pet.
Especially in developing countries with poor sanitary conditions, you run great risk of infection. In some areas even epidemics of giardiasis for.
If you are traveling to a country where the parasite is common, then do not drink unfiltered tap water or uncooked. Wash your hands regularly, especially after using the toilet.
What are the symptoms of giardiasis?
Giardiasis does not always symptoms. Most people do not realize that they carry the parasite. If giardiasis unpleasant symptoms, which are mostly intestinal problems, such as:
- diarrhea or mushy, smelly stools;
- gassing. This gives symptoms such as flatulence, bloating and let farmers. Some people smell the rotten egg farmers;
- abdominal pain. The abdominal pain can be aching or even violent (colic) and is often at the top or in the middle of the abdomen;
- nausea;
- poor absorption of nutrients. This can cause weight loss. This is quite rare.
Giardiasis disease diagnosis
The doctor asks about your symptoms. If they think you have giardiasis, then let them examine your stool. If there are no cysts in your stool, you must submit one or two stools. This is necessary because the cysts do not always sit in the stool. By examining the stool more often, the study is reliable. Yet it happens that doctors did not detect the disease, because there are no cysts in the stool.
Treatment for giardiasis
Giardiasis usually will pass. This can be within a few weeks to months.
Do you have symptoms such as diarrhea? Then you get medication. Usually, doctors prescribe the drug metronidazole for. Tinidazole also helps a lot.
Sometimes, after the treatment from examination of your stool that not all parasites are slain. You will then again medication at a higher dose.