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Pseudomembranous Colitis: Pathophysiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment

   

Added on  2023-06-08

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DISEASE AWARENESS
Learning points from
reflection
Majority of the people are unaware
regarding the causal organism of the
disease
Majority of the people are unaware
of the cause of infection, that is
exposure to antibiotics
Awareness about the disease is
directly proportional to the
educational qualification of the
people
People except from medical
background find difficulty in exactly
placing the different aspects of the
disease
People may even confuse
pseudomembranous colitis with
ulcerative colitis
Pathophysiology
The initiates when the gut lining gets exposed
with antibiotics. The exposure leads to
overgrowth of the causal bacteria mainly C.
difficile. Due to the overgrowth of the bacteria,
there is an increase in the production of toxin.
The increased amount of toxin cause damage to
the mucosa which leads to inflammation and
necrosis, a condition known as the
pseudomembranous colitis
DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
Stool test- stool specimen is taken and detected for presence
of the bacteria (c. difficile)
Blood tests- blood test will show an elevated level of white
blood cell count, which may indicate pseudomembranous
colitis
Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy- a tube is used to examine
the inside of the colon for signs of pseudomembranous colitis
with the help of a miniature camera at tip of the tube
symptoms, an abdominal x-ray or an abdominal CT scan can
be done to look for complications such as toxic megacolon or
colon rupture
CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
Watery diarrhea
Abdominal cramps or tenderness
Fever
Pus or mucus in stool
Nausea
Dehydration
TREATMENT
Stopping the antibiotic is found to be the cause of the
infection.
Antibiotic effective against C. difficile
Faecal microbial transplantation (FMT) - In
extremely severe condition, a transplant of stool is
done from a healthy donor to restore the balance of
bacteria in the colon
McCance,K.L.,Huether,S.E., Brashers,V.L and N.S. Rote.Pathophysiology. The biologic basis for disease in adults and children. 2014, 7th Edition, Elsevier
Pseudomembranous Colitis: Pathophysiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment_1

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