Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFrequent SymptomsRare SymptomsComplicationsWhen to See a DoctorFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Frequent Symptoms
Rare Symptoms
Complications
When to See a Doctor
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people infected withcholerado not develop any symptoms.For those who do, they will feel a lot like they have food poisoning, complete with diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
In most cases, symptoms (while unpleasant) are typically mild, though severe dehydration and other complications from cholera can be fatal if treatment isn’t obtained quickly enough.
© Verywell, 2018
Cholera can cause physical discomfort in a number of ways, but there are a few symptoms characteristic in nearly all symptomatic cases: diarrhea, nausea, and dehydration.
Watery Diarrhea
Often the very first sign of cholera is painless diarrhea that occurs within a day or so of becoming infected. The diarrhea is extremely watery and has a sort of pale murkiness that resembles water after rinsing rice, which is what gives it its nickname “rice water stool.”
Nausea and Vomiting
In the early stages of cholera, the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal discomfort like nausea and, in some cases, vomiting. Waves of vomiting can last for hours at a time and—when combined with the watery diarrhea—can further the risk of dehydration.
Unfortunately, dehydration can also lead to more nausea, prompting a vicious cycle that, unless broken, can quickly spiral into severe complications.
Dehydration
Cholera forces a lot of fluid from the body through spells of diarrhea and vomiting, making it easy to become dehydrated if those fluids and electrolytes aren’t replaced.
When this happens, some signs of dehydration will start to appear, such as:
In approximately 10 percent of cases, people can experience severe symptoms of cholera—most notably, very large quantities of watery diarrhea.The massive amount of fluid lost in such a short amount of time can quickly lead to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance—two complications that can be severe, if not life-threatening.
Other symptoms of severe disease can include low blood pressure, persistent vomiting, rapid heart rate, and muscle cramps.
Worrisome signs of severe dehydration and electrolyte loss include:
In cases of severe disease, these complications can develop quickly—within a matter of hours—and are particularly dangerous for individuals that can decline fast if they lose too many fluids and electrolytes, including small children and pregnant people. This is why prompt attention to the manner is necessary.
Young Children
Smaller bodies need proportionately more fluids than adults to stay hydrated because of the limited amounts of fluids they can store and how quickly they need to be replaced. Compared to healthy adults, it’s far easier for young children and infants to become dehydrated or experience a drop in blood sugar as a result of cholera—and subsequently, go into shock or die as a result.
In places where cholera is common, kids are also less likely than adults to have built up an immunity against the bacterium. For this reason, children under 5 years old account formore than halfof new cases and a sizable portion of cholera-related deaths worldwide.
Pregnant People
Like small children, pregnant people need more fluids than the average adult to stay hydrated, making it easier for them to become dehydrated. If that happens, it can reduce the blood flow to the placenta and limit the amount of cushion and nutrients available to protect and sustain the developing fetus.
If you become infected with cholera in the third trimester especially, it canincrease the riskof going into labor too early.
Other At-Risk Groups
Because of how cholera affects the body’s cells and digestive system, there are a number of individuals who could be at risk for worse outcomes if they become infected. These groups should be aware of the risks and potential complications. They include individuals who:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Warning Signs Can Include:Wrinkled skinDecline (or absence of) urination, especially in young children and infantsFast heart rateLow blood pressureSevere muscle crampsRestlessness or irritability
Warning Signs Can Include:
Wrinkled skinDecline (or absence of) urination, especially in young children and infantsFast heart rateLow blood pressureSevere muscle crampsRestlessness or irritability
While you might be able to manage cholera just fine at home, it’s important to note that cholera is a reportable disease in the United States in part because of its great potential for outbreaks.
If you’ve visited a country where cholera is common or have any other reasons to believe you’ve been exposed to the bacteria, you should see a healthcare provider to confirm a cholera diagnosis so that he or she can alert public health officials to conduct an outbreak response, if necessary.
Frequently Asked QuestionsThe primary symptoms of cholera are profuse diarrhea and the vomiting of clear fluid. The diarrhea is often described as “rice-water stool” due to its milky, translucent appearance. Extreme thirst, stomach pain, headache, leg cramps, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and restlessness or irritability are also common. Fever is rare.Yes. In fact, the majority of cholera infections are either asymptomatic or very mild. Only around 5% to 10% result in severe disease.Cholera symptoms develop quickly, usually within 12 hours to five days of consuming water or food contaminated with theVibrio choleraebacteria.Most cholera cases resolve within two to 14 days, depending on the severity.It’s important to note, however, that people with asymptomatic cholera can still excreteVibrio choleraein stool one to 10 days after infection.As such, anyone at risk of cholera exposure shouldwash their handsfrequently and avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.Yes. Death typically occurs as a result of severe dehydration. In cases like these, as much as one liter of water can be lost per hour. This can lead tohypovolemic shockin which the massive loss of fluids decreases blood circulation to organs, leading to organ failure and death—sometimes within hours. Death usually occurs when there is a loss of 10% or more of the total body weight.Because stomach acids can protect againstVibrio choleraebacteria, people who lack stomach acids—such as young children, older adults, or people on chronicstomach acid medications—may be at greater risk of the disease. For unknown reasons, people withtype O bloodare also at risk, as are pregnant people and those with medical conditions.
The primary symptoms of cholera are profuse diarrhea and the vomiting of clear fluid. The diarrhea is often described as “rice-water stool” due to its milky, translucent appearance. Extreme thirst, stomach pain, headache, leg cramps, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and restlessness or irritability are also common. Fever is rare.
Yes. In fact, the majority of cholera infections are either asymptomatic or very mild. Only around 5% to 10% result in severe disease.
Cholera symptoms develop quickly, usually within 12 hours to five days of consuming water or food contaminated with theVibrio choleraebacteria.
Most cholera cases resolve within two to 14 days, depending on the severity.It’s important to note, however, that people with asymptomatic cholera can still excreteVibrio choleraein stool one to 10 days after infection.As such, anyone at risk of cholera exposure shouldwash their handsfrequently and avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.
Yes. Death typically occurs as a result of severe dehydration. In cases like these, as much as one liter of water can be lost per hour. This can lead tohypovolemic shockin which the massive loss of fluids decreases blood circulation to organs, leading to organ failure and death—sometimes within hours. Death usually occurs when there is a loss of 10% or more of the total body weight.
Because stomach acids can protect againstVibrio choleraebacteria, people who lack stomach acids—such as young children, older adults, or people on chronicstomach acid medications—may be at greater risk of the disease. For unknown reasons, people withtype O bloodare also at risk, as are pregnant people and those with medical conditions.
What Is Cholera?
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholera.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Cholera.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.8 Cholera and acute malnutrition.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.7 Cholera and pregnancy.Centers for Disease Control and Infection.Cholera: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC Yellow Book 2024: cholera.Harris JB, LaRocque RC, Qadri F, Ryan ET, Calderwood SB.Cholera.Lancet. 2012;379(9835):2466-2476. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60436-XJahan S.Cholera – epidemiology, prevention and control. In:Significance, Prevention and Control of Food Related Diseases. InTech. doi:10.5772/63358World Health Organization.Cholera.Fanous M, King KC.Cholera. In:StatPearls.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.World Health Organization.Cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholera.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Cholera.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.8 Cholera and acute malnutrition.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.7 Cholera and pregnancy.Centers for Disease Control and Infection.Cholera: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC Yellow Book 2024: cholera.Harris JB, LaRocque RC, Qadri F, Ryan ET, Calderwood SB.Cholera.Lancet. 2012;379(9835):2466-2476. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60436-XJahan S.Cholera – epidemiology, prevention and control. In:Significance, Prevention and Control of Food Related Diseases. InTech. doi:10.5772/63358World Health Organization.Cholera.Fanous M, King KC.Cholera. In:StatPearls.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
World Health Organization.Cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of cholera.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholera.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Cholera.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.8 Cholera and acute malnutrition.Médecins Sans Frontières.5.7 Cholera and pregnancy.Centers for Disease Control and Infection.Cholera: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC Yellow Book 2024: cholera.Harris JB, LaRocque RC, Qadri F, Ryan ET, Calderwood SB.Cholera.Lancet. 2012;379(9835):2466-2476. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60436-XJahan S.Cholera – epidemiology, prevention and control. In:Significance, Prevention and Control of Food Related Diseases. InTech. doi:10.5772/63358World Health Organization.Cholera.Fanous M, King KC.Cholera. In:StatPearls.
World Health Organization.Cholera.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of cholera.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholera.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Cholera.
Médecins Sans Frontières.5.8 Cholera and acute malnutrition.
Médecins Sans Frontières.5.7 Cholera and pregnancy.
Centers for Disease Control and Infection.Cholera: causes and how it spreads.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC Yellow Book 2024: cholera.
Harris JB, LaRocque RC, Qadri F, Ryan ET, Calderwood SB.Cholera.Lancet. 2012;379(9835):2466-2476. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60436-X
Jahan S.Cholera – epidemiology, prevention and control. In:Significance, Prevention and Control of Food Related Diseases. InTech. doi:10.5772/63358
Fanous M, King KC.Cholera. In:StatPearls.
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