Symptoms Of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Diarrhea

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately half of all patients experience diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Gastrointestinal symptoms usually occur early in the course of the disease. Loose stools occur when excessive fluid is secreted into the intestinal lumen or when there is a decreased ability to re-absorb the liquid in the large colon. Infectious diarrhea typically occurs when viruses damage the gut's epithelium, reducing its ability to remove water from the stool. Hemorrhagic fevers like hantavirus pulmonary syndrome also infect the vascular epithelium of the capillaries and alter their permeability. As a result, the microvasculature becomes leaky, and water moves from the blood to the lumen of the intestine. The increased water, combined with a reduced ability to absorb it, causes hypermotility and watery bowel movements.