Clinical Presentation:
Clinical signs and symptoms of giardiasis include the following;
 Diarrhoea is the most common symptom of acute Giardia infections,occurring
in 90% of symptomatic subjects.
 Abdominal cramping,bloating,and flatulence occur in 70-75% of symptomatic
patients.
Gastrointestinal manifestations:
 Abrupt onset(rare)
 A small number of persons develop abrupt onset of:
 Explosive watery diarrhoea
 Vomiting
 Abdominal cramps
 Foul flatus
 Fever
 Malaise
 Subacute syndrome(more common)
 After the symptoms of abrupt onset.
 Most patients experience a more insidious onset of symptoms,which
are recurrent or resistant.
 Stools become malodorous,mushy,and greasy.
 Watery diarrhoea may alternate with soft stools or even constipation.
 Upper GI symptoms:
 Often exacerbated by eating accompany stool changes may present in
the absence of soft stools.
o This includes:
 Upper and mid abdominal cramping.
 Nausea
 Early satiety
 Bloating
 Substernal burning
 Acid indigestion
Constitutional symptoms:
 Anorexia,fatigue,malaise and weight loss are common.
 Weight loss occurs in more than 50% of patients.
 Chronic illness may occur
 Adults may present with long-standing malabsorption syndrome.
 Children may present with failure to thrive.
Extra intestinal manifestation:
 Are Rare
 Include allergic manifestation such as;
 Urticaria
 Erythema multiforme
 Bronchospasam
 Reactive arthritis
 Biliary tract disease