Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. About 3% of persons who are infected with one type of Shigella, Shigella flexneri, will later develop pains in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. This is called Reiter's syndrome. It can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis which is difficult to treat.

V. vulnificus infection is an acute illness, and those who recover should not expect any long-term consequences.

It is not clear if the appendix has an important role in the body in older children and adults. There are no major, long-term health problems resulting from removing the appendix although a slight increase in some diseases has been noted, for example, Crohn's disease.

Long-standing GERD can lead to damage of the esophagus. This damage usually consists of breaks in the lining of the esophagus. In some cases ulcers can develop. In some patients, such damage can result in scarring and narrowing of the esophagus, making swallowing painful or difficult. A condition called Barrett's esophagus is thought to result from long-standing GERD in some patients. Barrett's esophagus is a risk factor for the development of esophageal cancer.

People who only have diarrhea usually recover completely. About a third of people with HUS can have kidney problems years later, and some require long-term dialysis. Sober warnings for salad lovers came from federal health officials Friday as they focused on a possible source of a multistate E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened nearly 100 more. Twenty-nine people have been hospitalized, 14 of them with kidney failure.

Most people who get campylobacteriosis recover completely within 2 to 5 days, although sometimes recovery can take up to 10 days. Rarely, some long-term consequences can result from a Campylobacter infection. Some people may have arthritis following campylobacteriosis; others may develop a rare disease that affects the nerves of the body beginning several weeks after the diarrheal illness.

Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. A small number of persons with Salmonella develop pain in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. This is called Reiter's syndrome. It can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis which is difficult to treat. Antibiotic treatment does not make a difference in whether or not the person develops arthritis.

Ciguatera poisoning has resulted in some neurologic problems persisting for weeks, and in rare cases, even years. Symptoms have sometimes returned after eating contaminated fish a second time. Amnesic shellfish poisoning has resulted in long-term problems with short-term memory. Long-term consequences have not been associated with paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and scombrotoxic fish poisoning.

The longer these illnesses persist, the greater the impairment to the individual's ability to work, love and play. The course of these illnesses is very similar to other psychiatric difficulties, such as drug and alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety, phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The illnesses dramatically interfere with the ability to work consistently or to go to school. They ruin relationships, and make it very difficult to experience pleasure in life.

Traumatic brain injury is not a one-time event; it has long-term effects and may cause numerous physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes for individuals and their families. TBI may place enormous emotional and financial burdens on the family. There may be extreme difficulty with return to work or school.^ return to top ^