Colitis
Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook
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Overview
Colitis refers to any inflammation of the colon (large intestine).Etiology
- Gut dysbiosis
Diagnosis
- Organic Acid Test (elevated markers for gut dysbiosis).
Differential Diagnosis
- Pseudomembranous Colitis (oral antibiotics, nosocomial, toxin in stool)
Treatment
- Treat dysbiosis if present.
Pathophysiology
Pseudomembranous Colitis
Dysbiotic overgrowth of the gut with Clostridium difficile can give rise to a potentially fatal inflammation of the colon called pseudomembranous colitis. This dysbiosis is commonly associated with oral antibiotics, and is often nosocomial (contracted in a hospital setting).Since Clostridium difficile is resistant to many common oral antibiotics, treatment with oral antibiotics tends to kill competing beneficial bacteria in the gut, allowing the Clostridium difficile to grow unchecked [Afghani1994] [Finegold1986].
ICD-9 Codes
| ICD9-Code | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
References
Unless specifically noted above, references used in the construction of this web page include the following:[FDM] Lecture notes from Functional Medicine University.
[SCNM] Lecture notes from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
[UT] Lecture notes from the University of Tennessee graduate programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
[Afghani1994] Afghani B, Stutman HR. Toxin-related diarrheas. Pediatr Ann. 1994 Oct;23(10):549-50, 553-5.
[Finegold1986] Finegold SM. Anaerobic infections and Clostridium difficile colitis emerging during antibacterial therapy. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl. 1986;49:160-4.
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This web page is http://www.DrWeyrich.com/disorders/colitis.html - Phone Dr. Weyrich at (480) 423-6952