VHOSPITAL.CLINIC · Parasite-Related Symptom
Diarrhoea is the hallmark symptom of giardiasis, affecting over 90% of symptomatic patients. The protozoan Giardia lamblia attaches to the duodenal mucosa, disrupting brush border enzymes and causing fat malabsorption — producing the characteristic greasy, foul-smelling stools.
Giardia trophozoites physically displace intestinal epithelial cells and release proteases that degrade tight junction proteins, increasing intestinal permeability and causing osmotic diarrhoea.
Diarrhea rarely appears alone. Giardiasis also commonly causes:
Confirming Giardiasis as the cause:
Untreated giardiasis causes diarrhoea for 2–6 weeks. With metronidazole or tinidazole treatment, symptoms typically resolve within 5–7 days.
Not always. Giardia-related stool is typically greasy, pale, and foul-smelling due to fat malabsorption — not the watery diarrhoea typical of bacterial infections.
Yes. In untreated cases or in immunocompromised patients, giardiasis can cause chronic intermittent diarrhoea lasting months, leading to significant malnutrition.
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