Cholera is a serious disease that is spread by the Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The bacteria usually spreads through water that has been contaminated by an infected person’s fecal matter. It can also be spread through raw shellfish and raw fruits and vegetables. Not everyone who is exposed to the bacteria gets sick, but their stool may still contain traces of the bacteria. Even a tiny amount of fecal matter could contain enough of the bacteria to infect someone else.
When an individual does get sick with cholera, they’ll rapidly lose fluids, which causes uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes life threatening symptoms. A severe case of cholera can lead to death within hours, and even mild or moderate cases can make you dangerously dehydrated. Fortunately, the disease is easy to treat with rehydration solutions and antibiotics. The sooner you receive medical treatment, the sooner your symptoms will clear up. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of cholera, so you can seek immediate medical attention if you become infected.
1. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the main symptom of cholera. The majority of people who are exposed to the cholera bacteria only experience this mildly or moderately, and it’s often attributed to other problems like food poisoning. About one in 10 people infected with the bacteria develop serious symptoms. In these cases, the diarrhea comes on very suddenly and can be severe. This occurs because the bacteria produces a toxin that binds to the walls of your small intestine.
There, it interferes with your body’s sodium and chloride levels, and it causes the cells that line your intestine to release more water than usual. Diarrhea and other symptoms usually appear two or three days after being infected with the bacteria, but it sometimes only takes a few hours for a person to become ill. Stools usually have a pale or milky appearance. In severe cases, you may lose a quart of fluid an hour, which can lead to extreme dehydration. The disease can be fatal if you lose too much fluid or salt, so fast treatment is important. It can usually be treated by drinking lots of water and consuming a mixture of salt and sugar, but you may need intravenous solutions to replace the fluids.
2. Dehydration
Because the diarrhea can cause you to lose so much fluid, dehydration is the other major sign of cholera. It can range from mild to severe depending on how much fluid you’ve lost, and it can set in just hours after the other symptoms start. If you lose 10 percent or more of your body weight, you’re severely dehydrated. Being dehydrated can cause a number of other symptoms, including dry mouth, sunken eyes, dry or shriveled skin, low blood pressure, and rapid heart rate. The loss of sodium, potassium, and chloride along with your body’s fluids can cause intense muscle cramps.
3. Shock
Shock is the most serious symptom of dehydration. As you lose fluids, you also lose minerals in your blood, which causes an electrolyte imbalance. Losing electrolytes causes your blood volume to decrease, which causes your blood pressure and oxygen levels to drop quickly. This is known as hypovolemic shock, and a severe case can cause death within just a few minutes. Mild symptoms of shock include headaches, dizziness, nausea, excessive sweating, and fatigue. Severe symptoms include clammy or pale skin, rapid breathing, confusion, lightheadedness, weakness, blue lips or fingernails, and loss of consciousness. If you experience these symptoms, you must seek emergency medical attention.
4. Seizures
Non-epileptic seizures cause a temporary loss of physical function that results in a variety of symptoms, including impaired movements, coordination issues, a tingling sensation, and loss of sight, smell, or touch. Severe cases of cholera can cause this symptom because of low blood pressure or reduced oxygen levels in the body. A rapid drop in blood pressure is known to cause non-epileptic seizures, and dehydration can cause your blood pressure to drop dramatically. Low blood sugar, a common result of cholera, is another cause of seizures. Children who are infected with cholera are especially likely to experience seizures because they’re more susceptible than adults to low blood sugar.
5. Abdomen Pain
Because the cholera bacteria affects your intestines, abdominal pain is a potential symptom of the disease. This is rare with mild cases of cholera, but more serious cases often cause abdominal pain. Your small intestine may become distended because of all the fluid entering it, which can be very painful. You may feel a sudden sharp pain or a continuous aching pain. Also, loss of electrolytes can lead to muscle cramps, which you may feel in your abdomen or anywhere else in your body. Abdominal pain or cramps may be one of the first symptoms to set in, and it can occur just hours after becoming infected.
6. Nausea
Feeling nauseous is an especially common symptom in the early stages of the disease. Cholera affects your gastrointestinal system, so it can make your stomach feel very uneasy. The loss of fluids and electrolytes associated with cholera can also make your feel nauseous, weak, or shaky. You may feel extremely nauseous whenever you move, and the nausea may last for several days. This can make it difficult to ingest fluids, which can make you even more dehydrated. In turn, the lack of fluids will make your stomach feel even more upset, and this can easily become a vicious cycle. Hydration is the most important consideration in treating cholera, and it will eliminate nausea and other symptoms.
7. Vomiting
Nausea is closely associated with vomiting. If you feel nauseous as a result of cholera, you will likely vomit as well. Some people only experience minor issues with vomiting, but some people vomit for hours and hours while infected with the disease. It’s often one of the earliest signs of the disease, but until other symptoms set in, most people attribute it to a different illness. Vomiting can be a serious problem because it causes your body to lose even more fluids, which will worsen all of your other symptoms. In cases of severe vomiting, the loss of fluid and electrolytes can be fatal if the individual doesn’t receive medical attention within a few hours.
8. Lethargy
Lethargy is a common result of cholera that occurs because of many of the other symptoms. Being dehydrated can cause you to become lethargic because it affects so many of your body’s functions. Some people also become extremely fatigued because they struggle to eat while being so sick, and the body will have no energy without proper nutrition. Cholera may also cause you to stay up all night in the bathroom, and it can be difficult to sleep with all of the painful symptoms. Because of lack of sleep, moodiness and irritability are also common signs of cholera that accompany lethargy. In extreme cases, lethargy can be accompanied by confusion or delusions.
