A 58-year-old man with recurrent ulcerative colitis, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal distention

Article Abstract:

Toxic megacolon is the inflammation and swelling of the large intestine along with symptoms like fever, anemia, elevated white blood cells and increased heart rate. The care of a man with ulcerative colitis and bloody stools illustrates a typical case. Diagnosis can be guided by X-rays, blood and stool tests, biopsy and clinical findings. Infectious agents, abrupt changes in medication, and loss of bloodflow to the colon can cause this complication of colitis. Antinflammatory drugs, antibiotics and surgical removal of the colon are possible treatments.

Diagnosis, Megacolon

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A 23-year-old man with hemolytic anemia and bloody diarrhea

Article Abstract:

A 23-year-old man was admitted to a hospital with fever, anemia, and bloody diarrhea. His anemia was hemolytic in nature, which means something was destroying his red blood cells. In his case, it was an autoimmune reaction. His doctors suspected an underlying condition that was causing the anemia. A colonoscopy with biopsy of colon tissue revealed that he had ulcerative colitis. This is an inflammatory bowel disease that sometimes causes autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The autoantibody appears to develop in the colon as a result of the colitis.

Hemolytic anemia

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A 15-year-old girl with abdominal pain and bloody stools

Article Abstract:

A 15-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital with abdominal pain and blood in her bowel movements. She had had an episode of pancreatitis about four months before admission and had noted blood in her bowel movements on several occasions since then. Her physicians suspected inflammatory bowel disease and this was confirmed by examination of biopsy specimens taken during colonoscopy. Her pancreatitis may have been a complication of the inflammatory bowel disease.

Case studies, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Pancreatitis

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