A Colon Infection: What Are The Treatment Options?
The words "colon infection" can actually refer to a variety of problems related to the human colon.
However, when medical professionals use the term, they're most often referring to a disorder caused by a certain type of bacteria known as Clostridium difficile (commonly called C. difficile or simply C. diff).
Most C. diff colon infections are experienced by older adults who are in a hospital or living in a nursing home or other long term care facility. The reason they get these infections is the fact that they're taking antibiotics to cope with some other health problem.
The problem occurs because antibiotics not only kill bacteria that cause sickness - they also kill bacteria in our intestines which help us digest our food properly. Without enough of these "good" types of bacteria, C. diff runs rampant in your digestive tract. When Clostridium difficile grows, it produces toxins that damage cells in the lining of the intestines and colon. The result is inflammation and pain.
If your colon infection is fairly mild, it will probably go away when you stop taking the antibiotic. However, if your infection is more serious, your doctor may need to prescribe a different kind of antibiotic to kill the C. diff.
The antibiotics that seem more likely to produce Clostridium difficile infections are fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and penicillin.
Clostridium difficile is plentiful and can found in plants, dirt and water. It is especially plentiful in human and animal feces, and since it can float easily on air, it spreads quickly where sanitation is poor.
To avoid C. diff contamination, be sure to keep all surfaces in your environment clean and wash your hands often. This is because C diff bacteria produce spores that can spread throughout a room and live for weeks or even months. By touching a place where C. diff bacteria is located, then touching your mouth, you could be starting a series of events that produces a colon infection.
It's possible for C. difficile can reside in your system without ever making you sick. But individuals who have C.. diff can certainly spread them to other people who will then develop a colon infection in turn.
In recent years, more and more cases of colon infections caused by C. diff have diagnosed. A new form of Clostridium difficile bacterium has mutated which is even more aggressive. It is resistant to medications that worked before, and has resulted in several outbreaks in the last decade.
Symptoms sometimes don't show up for weeks or even months after Clostridium difficile gets into your digestive system. When colon infection symptoms do appear, they may include those detailed below.
* Mild abdomen pain and tenderness, or stomach cramps.
* Bathroom visits that may reach 15 times a day, with very watery diarrhea. This may continue for several days.
* Inflammation in the colon (also referred to as colitis).
* It's possible that you'll see pieces or raw tissue in stools, along with blood and pus..
* Nausea accompanied by fever.
* Decreased appetite and sudden weight loss.
* Symptoms of dehydration.
If these symptoms persist for several days, call your physician.
Once you know for sure a colon infection has been caused by C. difficile, your doctor is likely to tell you to stop taking the antibiotic that brought it on. Symptoms will probably improve, but further treatment for your infection of the colon may be necessary.
The good news is this. There are other antibiotics you can take that will kill Clostridium difficile without destroying the helpful bacteria in your system. The most frequently prescribed among these are known as metronidazole and vancomycin. Side effects like nausea are possible with both, and they may also leave a bitter taste. Be sure never to take metronidazole at the same time as you drink alcohol.
Your doctor may also suggest taking certain probiotics that have been proven to help restore your intestinal tract. Saccharomyces boulardii, a variety of yeast, has been effective for some patients when combined with medications.
Surgery is not usually performed, but may be done in severe cases.
Colon infection treatment is not always successful. An infection in the colon will sometimes come back because all the C. diff germs were not removed during the initial treatment. It can also return if the individual has come in contact with a new strain.
by: Neal Kennedy
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