A silver Taxco bracelet or a purple Oaxacan armadillo are charming souvenirs from a trip to Mexico, but stomach cramps are not. Yet a number of travelers venturing to Mexico come back sick. One syndrome alone -- travelers' diarrhea -- is usually the culprit for this misery.
Unwelcome Traveling Companion
Travelers' diarrhea is the most common illness suffered by international travelers, affecting 30 to 70 percent of voyagers to developing countries such as Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is usually the result of consuming contaminated food or water. Loose or watery stools may be accompanied by abdominal cramps, pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. Sometimes blood is passed with the stools. Five to 10 percent of people who experience travelers' diarrhea return home with ongoing digestive system problems, note the authors of a February 2011 "Gastroenterology & Hepatology" article.
Travelers' Diarrhea Causes
Many bacteria, viruses and parasites can cause travelers' diarrhea, but E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Shigella bacteria are typically the most common culprits among people visiting Mexico, according to a June 2012 report published in "Clinical Infectious Diseases." Norovirus and the parasites Cryptosporidia and Giardia have also been found in people returning from Mexico. The pathogens responsible for travelers' diarrhea vary with the season, destination and individual risk factors. The likelihood of illness is greater in adolescents and in people with a weak immune system or taking daily acid-reducing medications, such as ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), lansoprazole (Prevacid), esomeprazole (Nexium) and omeprazole (Prilosec).
Persistent Digestive Symptoms
Most people with travelers' diarrhea improve within a week, but not always. Unless diagnosed and treated, these persistent problems can become chronic. Continuing symptoms after travel to Mexico is often caused by parasites, such as Giardia. Depending on the length of the Mexican trip and the date of infection, diarrhea from parasites might not begin until after the traveler is home. Lactose intolerance can also develop in association with travelers' diarrhea, with increased bowel symptoms noticed after eating or drinking dairy products. Symptoms may occur daily or intermittently. Antibiotics will not clear parasites, but other medications will, such as metronidazole (Flagyl). Seeking medical care can prevent chronic bowel problems related to a bout of travelers' diarrhea.
Savvy travelers to Mexico see their doctor before their trip so they don't have to see them after. This gives health-care providers the opportunity to prescribe any recommended take-along medications. Antibiotics and antispasmodic medications are often given for use if travelers' diarrhea arises. Mild episodes may be treated with diarrhea medications such as loperamide (Lomotil). More severe cases may require antibiotics. Coupled with careful attention to eating and drinking habits, the risk of persistent stomach cramps after a trip to Mexico is lessened, giving the savvy traveler freedom to enjoy her trip.
Urgent Care Red Flags
Bloody stools, dehydration, abdominal pain and persistent or high fever should spur prompt medical attention. Indications of dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting include decreased urination, dark urine, dry mouth and dizziness on standing. Emergency medical care is needed with any change in -- or loss of -- consciousness or fainting.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers' Diarrhea
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology: New Developments in Traveler's Diarrhea
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Persistent Travelers' Diarrhea
- American Journal of Gastroenterology: Post-Diarrhea Chronic Intestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in North American Travelers to Mexico Post-traveler's Diarrhea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Clinical Infectious Diseases: Patterns of Illness in Travelers Visiting Mexico and Central America -- The GeoSentinel Experience
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mexico
- Journal of Clinical Microbiology: Noroviruses as a Cause of Diarrhea in Travelers to Guatemala, India, and Mexico
- Clinical Infectious Diseases: Travel-associated Enteric Diseases Diagnoses After Return to the United States, Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), 2004-2009
- American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: Epidemiology of Cryptosporidiosis in North American Travelers to Mexico
- Journal of Clinical Microbiology: Microbial Etiology of Travelers' Diarrhea in Mexico, Guatemala, and India -- Importance of Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides Fragilis and Arcobacter Species
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