Recently, incidence of antibiotics-associated enterocolitis has increased. It is known that its typical disease is“pseudomembranous colitis”of which prognosis is poor. Also“acute hemorrhagic colitis (A. H. C.)”to be comparatively mild has been increasing, and this prognosis is good.
As we experienced five cases of A. H. C. which could be confirmed endoscopically, we tried to investigate clinical pictures of A. H. C.
The male/female ratio was 3/2, and the age range of the patients was among all ages. Antibiotics to be concerned with the cause were 2 AB-PC, 1 combinated drug of AB-PC and MCI-PC, 1 CB-PC and 1 CLDM. All antibiotics were administered orally. The daily dose was less than 2.0g. The period of administration was within 4-7 days, a short period. The symptoms of abdominal pain, slight fever and frequent diarrhea appeared within 4-8 days after the administration of antibiotics started. Then bloody stools appeared with subsequent 3 days, and the daily frequency of bloody diarrhea was 4-35 times.
Leucocytosis of moderate degree was present. No eosinophilia was observed. In spite of frequent bloody diarrhea, anemia was not observed in all cases.
We observed from the rectum to the splenic flexure by colonofiberscope (Olympus-CFMB 3), and the endoscopy demonstrated diffuse hemorrhage, edema, hyperemia and/or erosion. Their findings continued from the rectum or the sigmoid colon to the splenic flexure. But no pseudomembrane was found. The changes in the rectum might be observed, or not. Histologically their findings were nonspecific. Hemorrhage under mucosal epithelium and edema of lamina propria mucosae were showed in all cases, but infiltration of inflammatory cells was little. Barium enema revealed nonspecific findings.
The presence of
Klebsiella oxytoca in fecal bacterial pure cultures was detected in 3 cases soon after the onset, but this
Klebsiella oxytoca disappeared within 2-4 days, with the improvement of symptoms. By cessation of antibiotics, bloody stools disappeared within 3-7 days by symptomatic treatments, and the prognosis of A. H. C. was good. About second week after the onset, it improved as far as endoscopy demonstrated only mild edema.
Histologically edema in lamina propria mucosae became more slight. About second month after the onset, the mucosa was considered to become normal endoscopically, but extremely slight edema in lamina propria mucosae was continuing histologically.
The existence of
Klebsiella oxytoca in fecal bacterial pure culture is important as a clue to make clear of the mechanism of A. H. C., but the mechanism is yet unknown.
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