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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffCholera can quickly become fatal. In the most severe cases, the rapid loss of large amounts of fluids and electrolytes can lead to death within two to three hours. In less extreme situations, people who don't receive treatment may die of dehydration and shock 18 hours to several days after cholera symptoms first appear.
Although shock and severe dehydration are the most devastating complications of cholera, other problems can occur, such as:
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Dangerously low levels of blood sugar (glucose) — the body's main energy source — may occur when people become too ill to eat. Children are at greatest risk of this complication, which can cause seizures, unconsciousness and even death.
- Low potassium levels (hypokalemia). People with cholera lose large quantities of minerals, including potassium, in their stools. Very low potassium levels interfere with heart and nerve function and are life-threatening.
- Kidney (renal) failure. When the kidneys lose their filtering ability, excess amounts of fluids, some electrolytes and wastes build up in your body — a potentially life-threatening condition. In people with cholera, kidney failure often accompanies shock.
References
- Menon MP, et al. Vibrio cholerae (cholera). In: Long SS. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1115736543&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7020-3468-8..50164-4&isbn=978-0-7020-3468-8&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7020-3468-8..50164-4&uniqId=235185902-3. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Cholera. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs107/en/. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Cholera. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Butterton JR. Overview of Vibrio cholerae infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Seas C, et al. Vibrio cholerae. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1115767246&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00214-9&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00214-9&uniqId=235185902-6. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Stanton B, et al. Oral rehydration therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Oral rehydration solutions: Made at home. Rehydration Project. http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm#recipes. Accessed Feb. 10, 2011.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 15, 2011.
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