• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Giardiasis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Giardia; Traveler's diarrhea - giardiasis

Treatment:

Some infections resolve on their own. Anti-infective agents such as metronidazole (Flagyl, Protostat) or quinacrine may be used. Furazolidone (Furoxone) is generally used to treat children. Cure rates are generally greater than 80%. Drug resistance may be a factor in treatment failures, sometimes requiring a change in antibiotic therapy.

In pregnant women, treatment should wait until after delivery, because some of the drugs used to treat the infection can be harmful to the fetus. For severe symptoms, paromycin can be used with caution..

Expectations (prognosis):

Spontaneous resolution is common, but persistent infections have been reported and require further antibiotic treatment. Some people who have had Giardia infections for a long time are slow to resolve their symptoms even after the infection has gone.

Complications:

• Dehydration
• Malabsorption (inadequate absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract)
• Weight loss

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if diarrhea or other symptoms persist beyond 14 days, or if blood in the stool or dehydration occur.

• Review Date: 10/27/2005
• Reviewed By: Angelique Green, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Medicine, Director of Urgent Care Center, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.