Final answer:
After experiencing abdominal cramping and diarrhea following a trip to Mexico, Alex likely needs medical evaluation for conditions like giardiasis or acute gastroenteritis, which are common in travelers and can cause severe dehydration, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Alex, a 22-year-old college student, returned to Ohio from Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and started experiencing abdominal cramping and extensive watery diarrhea, it was essential to seek medical attention due to potential travel-related illnesses. Taking a clinical focus, it's important to note that these symptoms can be associated with several conditions such as giardiasis, a common illness caused by Giardia lamblia, which results in symptoms like diarrhea, gas, stomach cramps, and potentially severe dehydration. Travelers returning with such gastrointestinal symptoms could also be experiencing acute gastroenteritis, characterized by vomiting, abdominal pain, cramping, and dehydration. Troublingly, immunocompromised individuals may face severe illness or even death from such conditions if left untreated.
Other conditions that present similar symptoms and should be considered include bacterial or viral infections that could lead to symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including bacteremia, anemia, allergic reactions, and other organ or autoimmune effects. Therefore, after traveling abroad and experiencing such gastrointestinal distress, it's imperative to obtain medical attention to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment.