Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Cryptosporidiosis
Treatment
There are several treatments for cryptosporidium enteritis.
Drugs such as nitazoxanide have been used in children and adults. Other drugs that are sometimes used include:
- Atovaquone
- Azithromycin
- Metronidazole
- Paromomycin
- Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
However, these drugs often only help for a little while. It is common for the infection to return.
The best approach is to improve the immune status in people who have a weakened immune system. This can be done by using highly active antiviral therapy in people with AIDS. It can lead to a complete remission of cryptosporidium enteritis.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
In healthy people, the infection will clear up, but it can last up to a month. In people who are
Complications
- Cholangitis (inflammation of a bile duct)
- Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder)
- Hepatitis
-
Malabsorption (not enough nutrients being absorbed from the intestinal tract) - Pancreatitis
- Wasting syndrome (loss of body mass where the person becomes very thin and weak)
Calling your health care provider
Notify your health care provider if you develop watery diarrhea that does not go away within a few days, especially if you are immunosuppressed.
Previous Section
Review Date: 05/25/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in
Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division
of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts
General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
