The following symptoms and complaints may indicate amebic dysentery (intestinal form):
Main symptoms
- Raspberry jelly-like diarrhea (diarrhea; mushy consistency with mucus threads and traces of blood).
- Crampy abdominal pain
- Tenesmus (constant painful urge to defecate).
Secondary symptoms
- Possibly fever (in about 30% of cases).
The following symptoms and complaints may indicate an amoebic liver abscess (extraintestinal form):
Main symptoms
- Liver abscess with a feeling of pressure
Secondary symptoms
- Possibly pain in the right upper abdomen.
- Possibly chest compression pain – possibly pain on deep inhalation or exhalation.
- Subfebrile temperatures (up to 38.5 °C)
- Diarrhea
Infants and young children
Dehydration (lack of fluids) and shock
The following children are at increased risk:
- Infants with low birth weight
- Infants, with signs of malnutrition
- Children under one year of age, especially children under 6 months.
- Children who have had > 5 diarrheal stools within the last 24 hours
- Children who have vomited more than twice within the past 24 hours
- Children who have not previously received supplemental fluids or have been unable to tolerate them
- Children in whom breastfeeding has been discontinued during the disease.
Warning signs (red flags) in children (= possible indicators of other diagnoses) [NICE recommendations; 1, 2 ]
- Fever > 38 °C in children younger than 3 months of age.
- Fever > 39 °C in children over 3 months of age
- Shortness of breath or tachypnea (“rapid breathing“).
- Changes in consciousness
- Meningismus (neck stiffness)
- Bulging fontanelle in infants
- Rash that can not be pushed away
- Blood or mucus accumulation in the stool
- Bilious (greenish) vomiting
- Severe or localized abdominal pain
- Distended abdomen or pain on release
