Causes and Symptoms of Giardia Infection
Giardia Infection
Giardia infection is an infection in intestine which is caused by parasites. This infection is characterized by bloating, vomiting, abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea and nausea. Children are more prone to get this disease.
Causes of Giardia Infection
Giardia is a parasite that lives in the human intestine and also found in cats and dogs. This infection is spread through contaminated water and also the parasites get transmitted from the hand to the mouth while changing the soiled diapers. A cyst can easily survive for months in soil and water. When the cyst reaches the intestine it breaks open and releases a number of parasites in to the intestine. These parasites in turn cause damage to the intestinal walls.
When the infected animals contaminate the water with their stools these parasites get in to the water and when human beings drink this water they will become infected and cause the disease.
Contaminated food and soil may also cause the spreading of this disease. Inadequate hygienic conditions and poor living habits increase the risk for getting this disease. Un-boiled Drinking water may also make you prone to get this infection. The incubation period of this disease is one to four weeks.
Symptoms of Giardia Infection
Symptoms usually appear one or two weeks after being infected and it may last for two to six weeks. In very rare cases this disease may last for months and even for years. Most of the infected persons have diarrhea that is almost watery and it may accompany with abdominal pain. The stool may be of foul smelling, greasy in appearance and there may also be bloating and gas problems. The abdomen is sometimes distended and the patient may loss appetite. The infected people may have weight loss, fatigue and the improper absorption of nutrients may also leads to anemia.
People who are traveling a lot are at risk of getting this disease if they are not careful about their drinking and eating. Drink lot of boiled water to compensate the water loss during diarrhea. If your symptoms are not subsiding in two weeks time or if you have severe diarrhea then consult your doctor and take medicines.
