Clinical Characteristics of Enterocolitis in Korean Adults: A Retrospective Study at a Single Center.

Background/aims: Although the diarrheal disease caused by has been continuously increasing in Korea, there has been limited study on the clinical aspects of enteritis in adults in Korea. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and characteristics of adult patients with enteritis.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with enterocolitis at Nowon Eulji University Hopsital between January 2016 and December 2017. enterocolitis was diagnosed through polymerase chain reaction of stools from patients with acute diarrhea.

Results: Among 630 hospitalized patients with acute diarrhea, enterocolitis was diagnosed in 88 patients (14.0%). The mean age was 37.9±19.1 years. enterocolitis was most prevalent in the summer (52 patients, 59.1%). Patients exhibited more than 10 times of diarrhea in 36 (40.9%), high fever above 39°C in 19 (21.59%), and abdominal pain above 5 points on the numeric rating scale in 23 (26.14%) cases. In abdominal CT scan, pancolitis was found in 58 patients (65.9%). Small intestine was involved in 37 patients (42.4%). Mean CRP was 10.14 mg/dL (range 0.72-32.27 mg/dL). The duration of diarrhea after antibiotics treatment was 2.34±1.51 days in the ciprofloxacin treatment group and 2.26±1.71 days in the 3rd cephalosporin treatment group.

Conclusions: enterocolitis was common during summer. Commonly healthy young adults were hospitalized due to severe symptoms of enterocolitis. Whole colon and small bowel were frequently involved. Most patients were treated with antibiotics, and the efficacy of 3rd cephalosporin treatment was not inferior to that of ciprofloxacin treatment.