Amoebic dysentery - What will happen?

The diarrhoea that you get from amoebic dysentery may go away after a few weeks. But unless you get treatment, you'll still have amoebas in your body. This means you could still pass on the infection to other people. Also, you could get diarrhoea again.

Without treatment, amoebas can continue to live in your bowels (intestines) for months or even years. In about 9 in 10 people, they don't cause any symptoms.[1] [2] But they may irritate the inside wall of your bowels and cause an open sore (an ulcer).[2] [3] This may bleed and you may get bloody diarrhoea.

If you have diarrhoea for more than a few days, or you've got blood or mucus in your stools, you should see a doctor.

Your doctor can prescribe treatments that will help your symptoms and kill the amoebas in your body.
It's important to tell your doctor if you've been travelling in another country, because amoebic dysentery is rare in the UK.
Your doctor will want to take a sample of your stools so they can be tested for amoebas. You may also have a blood test.
Your doctor will also examine your abdomen. This is because, rarely, the infection can break through the wall of your bowels and affect other parts of your body, such as your liver.[2] [4] This can cause swelling in your abdomen. If your doctor thinks the amoebas have spread to your liver, you may need more tests, such as an ultrasound.[2] [5] An infection in your liver can be treated with antibiotics.[5]

Sometimes, the amoebas can cause a more serious condition called fulminant colitis. Fulminant colitis is rare, but it can be life-threatening. The symptoms include:

Severe inflammation of your bowel
Pain all over your abdomen
Very bad diarrhoea
High temperature.

It's important that you see a doctor as soon as possible if you get any of these symptoms.

Treatments for amoebic dysentery are very good. But even without treatment it's rare to die of it.[2] [4] This usually only happens in developing countries where good medical care isn't always available.[6]

Your doctor may give you advice on how to avoid passing on the infection to the people you live or work with. Make sure you wash your hands after going to the toilet and before preparing food.[4] If you work with food or you're a health care worker, you should stay off work until your doctor says it's safe for you to go back to work.

References

World Health Organization. Amoebiasis. Weekly Epidemiological Record. 1997; 72: 97-99.
Horga MA, Naparts TR, Dhawan VK, et al. Amebiasis. Available at http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic80.htm (accessed on 8 November 2007).
Haque R, Huston CD, Hughes M, et al. Amebiasis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2003; 348: 1565-1573.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Amebiasis fact sheet. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/amebiasis (accessed on 8 November 2007).
Stanley SL. Amoebiasis. Lancet. 2003; 361: 1025-1034.
Espinosa-Cantellano M, Martinez-Palomo A. Recent developments in amoebiasis research. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 2000; 13: 451-456.

Glossary

diarrhoea: Diarrhoea is when you have loose, watery stools and you need to go to the toilet far more often than usual. Doctors say you have diarrhoea if you need to go to the toilet more than three times a day.
liver: Your liver is on the right side of your body, just below your ribcage. Your liver does several things in your body, including processing and storing nutrients from food, and breaking down chemicals, such as alcohol.
stomach ulcer: A stomach ulcer is a break in the surface that covers the inside of your stomach.
ultrasound: Ultrasound is a tool doctors use to create images of the inside of your body. An ultrasound machine sends out high-frequency sound waves, which are directed at an area of your body. The waves reflect off parts of your body to create a picture. Ultrasound is often used to see a developing baby inside a woman's womb.
antibiotics: These medicines are used to help your immune system fight infection. There are a number of different types of antibiotics that work in different ways to get rid of bacteria, parasites and other infectious agents. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.
inflammation: Inflammation is when your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot and sore. Inflammation happens because your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something that's in your body and could harm you (like a splinter) or from things that cause allergies (these things are called allergens). Inflammation is one of the ways in which your body heals an infection or an injury.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.