digestive disorders
E. coli Gastroenteritis
Symptoms ofE. coliGastroenteritis
The most common symptoms of gastroenteritis are diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Although usually mild, the infection also can cause abdominal pain, abdominal expansion (distention) from gas, severe diarrhea, and Dehydration . Hemorrhagic colitis due toE. coliinfection causes severe abdominal cramps that begin suddenly along with watery diarrhea, which may become bloody within 24 hours. The diarrhea usually lasts 1 to 8 days. Fever is usually absent or mild but occasionally can exceed 102° F (39° C). About 5 to 10% of people, mostly children under 5 years of age and adults over 60 years of age, who have hemorrhagic colitis develop a severe complication called Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS) . Symptoms of hemolytic-uremic syndrome include a low red blood cell count (anemia, characterized by fatigue, weakness, and pale skin color) caused by the destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia), a low platelet count ( 