AI Article Synopsis
- Pseudomembranous colitis is a condition caused by an overgrowth of Clostridium Difficilis in the intestines, often triggered by antibiotic use or weakened immune systems.
- Diagnosis involves observing clinical symptoms and endoscopic findings, with laboratory tests needed to confirm the presence of the bacteria and its toxins in feces.
- Treatment typically involves stopping antibiotics and administering oral Vancomycin, which has shown effective results in cases, including one described that highlighted the quick recovery following treatment.
Article Abstract
"Pseudomembranous colitis" is a disease which has gained importance in the last decades. It is caused by intestinal colonization by "Clostridium Difficilis" which in normal situations, especially in the evolutive age, is a component of the normal saprophytic flora. Antibiotic therapy, or reduction of the immunological defenses by surgical procedures, infections, weakening diseases or malnutrition states may produce an alteration of the intestinal flora with a prevalence of Clostridium Difficilis which causes, with its intestinal toxin, organic and functional damages. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and on endoscopic picture. The isolation of Clostridium Difficilis and its toxin in the patient's faeces is possible only in well-trained laboratories. The disease subsides with antibiotic interruption and with Vancomycin oral therapy. The Authors describe a paradigmatic case characterized by the simultaneous presence of antibiotic therapy, surgical procedure, characteristic endoscopic picture and by the prompt clinical and endoscopic recovery with Vancomycin.
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