Ulcerative Colitis

Pseudomembranous Colitis: An Overview

Pseudomembranous colitis refers to an the inflammation of the colon or the large intestine. It occurs in people who have used antibiotics in their past. The antibiotics cause the proliferation and spread of harmful micro organisms. The inflammation caused in the disease is associated with an overgrowth of the bacterium, Clostridium difficle. Other organisms can be involved in less than 10 percent cases. Psueudomembranous colitis occurs more often in adults and is very rare in infants because they get protective antibodies from their mothers. The conditions in the disease may become serious and can even threaten your life.

The symptoms of the disease which are most common are watery and sometimes accompanied by bloody diarrhea. The other signs include fever, urge to have a bowel movement, nausea, dehydration, pus or mucus in the stool, and pain in the abdomen along with cramps.

There are various causes of this type of colitis. The major cause of pseudomembranous colitis is the intake of antibiotics which create a disturbance in the bacterial balance in the colon. The toxins are released when the count of the bacteria increases causing the inflammation of the colon. This condition persists when the antibiotics are taken orally rather than through a vein. The antibiotics taken before an operation for the prevention of surgery related infections.

Apart from the antibiotics, anti-viral and anti-fungal drugs are also associated with pseudomembranous colitis. People having cancer also catch the disease because chemotherapy disrupts the bacteria in the intestine.

Psuedomembranous colitis is very common in people in hospitals and nursing homes often when they receive drugs and undergo surgery. The risk factors that the disease involves are the age, weak immune system, intestinal surgery, diseases of the colon. As soon as you notice certain indications associated with the disease, you should immediately consult your doctor. These indications may include constant diarrhea, abdominal pain and pus and blood in your stool particularly if you take or have been taking antibiotics.

The doctor treating your pseudomembranous colitis would first and foremost take your medical history taking note of the current or previous antibiotic use and recent hospitalizations if any. You will also be asked about the signs and symptoms like the diarrhea and pain in the abdomen. The doctor will also conduct some tests like stool sample, colon examination and also order for CT scan to take images of colon.

The treatment meant for the disease involve stopping the antibiotic. This is enough to reduce the problem of diarrhea and slowly the symptoms reduce and disappear within two weeks. The most common medications are Metronidazole as the first drug but if you are quite ill, the doctor may prescribe you with Vancomycin as it produces a faster response. Sometimes the combination of the two is also given when the case is special. Rifaximin is another antibiotic recommended by doctors.

With these valuable inputs on pseudomembranous colitis, you should have a clear understanding about the disease and its treatment options.