Verified By Apollo Hospitals October 1, 2024
Pseudomembranous colitis is a medical condition that involves the inflammation of the large intestine. It is related to antibiotic usage leading to proliferation of the bacterium called Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) in the lining of the intestines. This in turn causes the large intestine to swell.
Pseudomembranous colitis is a medical condition that causes inflammation of the large intestine. If you have stayed in the hospital recently and been on antibiotics, you have a high chance of developing it. Specific antibiotics such as penicillin, clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, and cephalosporins cause the bacteria to infect the intestinal lining.
It is diagnosed by taking a sample of your feces to analyze the presence of the bacteria. Your doctor may also use a sigmoidoscope to view your large intestine to check for the presence of bacteria.
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The symptoms of include the following:
There are numerous bacteria in your colon in a naturally healthy balance, but antibiotics and other medications can upset this balance. Pseudomembranous colitis occurs when certain bacteria — usually C. difficile outgrow other bacteria that normally keep them in check.
The following factors may upset the balance of the good vs harmful bacteria in the colon:
If you experience symptoms such as watery stool, bloody stool after taking antibiotics, pus in your stool, or fever, please visit the doctor nearest to you.
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Taking simple preventative measures can reduce the risk. These include,
There are a few factors that make a person more vulnerable, which are:
A few complications that may arise are:
Pseudomembranous colitis is treated with antibiotics that target the bacteria Clostridium difficile. These antibiotics are Metronidazole, Vancomycin, or Fidaxomicin. The doctor will prescribe any one of these antibiotics for a period of 14 days.
Pseudomembranous colitis is a medical condition that involves the inflammation of the large intestine. It usually happens after an intake of antibiotics that cause an overgrowth of the bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. diff) to infect the lining. This in turn causes the large intestine to get inflamed. It is treated by administering antibiotics that target the Clostridium difficile (C. diff) bacteria for a period of 14 days.
Yes, it can recur. In such a case, it needs prompt medical attention
It takes around 14 days to recover from pseudomembranous colitis.
Yes, pseudomembranous colitis can be treated with a set of antibiotics.