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VIII.40 - Dysentery

from Part VIII - Major Human Diseases Past and Present

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Kenneth F. Kiple
Affiliation:
Bowling Green State University, Ohio
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Summary

Dysentery is an inflammation of the large intestine characterized by loose stools containing blood and mucus, and by tenesmus - painful and unproductive attempts to defecate. Diarrhea, marked by the frequent production of watery stools, may be confused with dysentery in historical accounts, but references to bloody flux refer to true dysentery. The condition may be caused by an ameba, Entamoeba histolytica, or by several species of bacteria, especially in the genus Shigella. Peptic ulcer dyspepsia is rare in people under the age of 20, but by age 30, 2 percent of the males and 0.5 percent of the females in a population have developed the condition. For men, the incidence increases steadily with age, reaching a peak of around 20 percent in the sixth decade of life. The incidence for women remains low, about 1 percent, until menopause, after which it climbs as rapidly as in men.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1993

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  • Dysentery
  • Edited by Kenneth F. Kiple, Bowling Green State University, Ohio
  • Book: The Cambridge World History of Human Disease
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521332866.102
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  • Dysentery
  • Edited by Kenneth F. Kiple, Bowling Green State University, Ohio
  • Book: The Cambridge World History of Human Disease
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521332866.102
Available formats
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  • Dysentery
  • Edited by Kenneth F. Kiple, Bowling Green State University, Ohio
  • Book: The Cambridge World History of Human Disease
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521332866.102
Available formats
×