Diarrhea, Cholera and Dysentery belong to a group of diseases known as ‘infectious diseases’. They are called infectious because they are caused by infective agents who are easily transferred from one person to another. These organisms are bacteria, viruses and parasites and fungi. They are common among children as well as adults, but they are the leading causes of mortality in children. The patient suffering from diarrhea, Cholera and dysentery feels fatigued, eyes are sunken, blood pressure is low, and dehydration is present. These symptoms are due to loss of water and electrolytes. The patient can become malnourished during an acute attack of diarrhea, Cholera and dysentery. Diarrhea, Cholera and dysentery result in severe dehydration and exhausts core nutrients of the human body. Before stating the difference between Diarrhea, Cholera and dysentery we define them as:

Diarrhea:

Diarrhea is defined as a twenty-four-hour passage of three or more stools, with consistency softer than conventional or watery stools. Lose stools are also called Diarrhea during a bowel movement. Repeated movement of developed stools is often not diarrhea and neither is breastfeeding infants passing loose, “pale” stools. It accounts for hospital admissions in the summer and rainy seasons of 40 to 50 per cent. It is transmitted primarily by mouth with impure food and water. Some organisms are more infective than other and causes great trouble even if enter the body in a small amount. Factors which increase the risk of getting infected are lack of immune power, unhygienic conditions, infected water and food, malnutrition and level of education. Diarrhea causes excessive loss of water resulting in loss of skin elasticity, weak pulse, high heart rate, sunken yes, and cold skin and decreased or absent urine output. Loss of electrolytes is manifested as vomiting, deep breathing and loss of weight. According to the World Health Organization, worldwide, almost 1.7 billion cases of adolescence diarrheal disease occur each year. Diarrhea is a significant cause of malnutrition in kids under the age of five.

 Cholera:

Cholera is an acute diarrhea attack, but a single organism called ‘Vibrio Cholera’ is responsible for it. It is transmitted by unhygienic water or food, too. In children breast milk is a protective factor that develops immunity to cholera. The time in which the organism achieves entrance into the human body and the initiation of symptoms is very brief i.e. 4 to 6 hours but in some cases it can stretch to 5 days. Patients can experience moderate to extreme diarrhea. Its unique feature is the sudden onset of huge, more severe, painless water diarrhea due to its consistency which is called ‘Rice Water Stool.’

  Dysentery:

It is an inflammation of the gut, with pain, diarrhea, bloodstained stools, and often a temperature above 38.3’C or (101’F). The causes of dysentery include bacteria (such as Shigella), protozoa (such as amebae), parasitic worms (such as schistosomes), and viruses that include (Rota Virus, Norovirus). There are two main forms bacillary dysentery or shigellosis caused by genus Shigella and Amoebic dysentery caused by Entameba Histolytica, which is protozoal infection. Common symptoms seen in the patients suffering from dysentery are abdominal pain with bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and fever with chills. Dysentery may lead to dehydration that can be fatal in many circumstances.Below we state the difference between Diarrhea, Dysentery and Cholera.

Diarrhea vs  Cholera vs Dysentery

Cholera: Frequent bowel movement and severe vomiting is seen in Cholera patients.

Diarrhea: Excessive discharge of watery stools frequently.

Dysentery: Dysentery is an infectious disease causing severe blood-borne diarrhea. Mucus can be found in the stool in some case scenarios.

Causative organisms:

  • Diarrhea is caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, which is due to unwise drinking / eating. Allergic reactions, sudden excitement, unusual emotional stress, eating chemical substances, food poisoning may also be its causes. Sometime change is water and food intake during travel to different places can also be a cause.
  • Cholera is caused by vibrio cholera. Infected person feces bacterium may also cause this.
  • Dysentery is mainly caused by pathogens that include Shigella, Salmonella, and E-Coli, Entamoeba Histolytica, viruses and parasites too. It could also be spread to people dwelling in unsanitary conditions by polluted water

Transmission:

  • Diarrhea is transmitted through impure food and water.
  • Cholera is transmitted through infected food and water plus direct contact with feces and vomitus. Contaminated insects can also cause this.
  • Dysentery it is transmitted by faecal-oral route by ingestion of food or water contaminated by it. It can also be transmitted by flies or through other objects contaminated by faeces of patients.

Stages:

  • Diarrhea is not divided into stages but acute and chronic forms.
  • Cholera has two stages i.e. stage of evacuation and stage of collapse.
  • Dysentery it is two staged disease i.e ingestion and invasion.

Diagnosis:

  • Diarrhea is purely a clinical disease but stool examination is carried out to determine the cause.
  • Cholera is diagnosed through presence of vibrio cholera in stools, culture of stools or rectal swabs.
  • Dysentery is mostly diagnosed clinically based on symptoms to evaluate; further, we go for stool culture or invasive process (sigmoidoscopy).

Treatment:

  • Diarrhea is a self-limiting disease is treated through fluid and electrolyte replacement.
  • Cholera, along with fluid and water replacement, antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and tetracycline are given.
  • Dysentery, the goal of treatment in dysentery should be to eradicate the pathogen (bacterial, viral or parasitic) that triggers the infection and prevent the aggravation through medicines. Other than consuming plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Prevention:               

  • There is no diarrhea vaccine but only change is caused by hygienic conditions.
  • Cholera vaccination is present.
  • Dysentery can be managed by water quality monitoring, good hygiene, properly disposing human waste and health education

Conclusion:

Diarrhea, Cholera and Dysentery difference illustrates that they that prove to be life threatening so these conditions need to be avoided and if they arise at all, they should be treated promptly until the body’s essential nutrients are fully depleted.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease

https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/dysentery

https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6639

https://medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/dysentery