Travel‐related gastrointestinal diseases: Assessment and management

Introduction Gastrointestinal illnesses are among the most common health problems affecting travellers returning from international travel. Its public implications include economic healthcare costs and risk of promoting antimicrobial resistance. This narrative review aims to critically appraise literature concerning gastrointestinal diseases in outlines a practical approach aid clinicians their assessment management. Methods The Medline (PubMed) SCOPUS databases were searched for articles relating issues travellers. Articles primarily restricted those published last 5 years. Only studies on human subjects included. Results Diarrhoea is symptom experienced by approximately 40%–60% travellers, but abdominal pain, bloating fatigue also common. Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli species remain cause travellers’ diarrhoea (TD), with parasitic predominating persistent symptoms. Molecular diagnostic techniques enable highly sensitive simultaneous testing multitude enteropathogens, though more research required confirm pathogenic significance organisms identified. Further into poorly absorbable antibiotics novel therapies such as phage treatment may help alleviate burden There role empirical anti-parasitic therapy selected cases. Conclusion Clinicians across range medical specialities should be familiar presentation, aetiology management illness traveller. Efforts improve destination sanitation hygiene infrastructure serve reduce preventable this setting.