Mucus colitis

DIARRHEA Diarrhea may be an indication of a super-infection of the gastrointestinal tract or pseudomembranous colitis. The nurse inspects all stools and notifies the primary health care provider if diarrhea occurs because it may be necessary to stop the drug. If diarrhea does occur and there appears to be blood and mucus in the stool, it is important to save a sample of the stool and test for occult blood using a test such as Hemoccult. If the stool tests positive for blood, the nurse saves the sample for possible further laboratory analysis. 

The nurse inspects each bowel movement and immediately reports to the primary health care provider the occurrence of diarrhea or loose stools containing blood and mucus because it may be necessary to discontinue the drug use and institute treatment for diarrhea, a superinfection, or pseudomembranous colitis. 

Mucous colitis A condition of the mucous membrane of the colon characterized by pain, constipation, or diarrhea (sometimes alternating), and passage of mucus or mucous shreds. 

Fig. 1. Typical presentation of pseudomembranous colitis. At endoscopy (left), the mucosal surface of the colon appears hyper-emic and almost completely covered by a yellow-green exudate. The mucosa itself is somewhat eroded. Microscopically (right), the pseudomembrane is composed of inflammatory cells, necrotic epithelium, and mucus in which the overgrowth of microorganisms usually takes place. 

These agents can cause severe and possibly fatal colitis, characterized by severe persistent diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps, and possibly, the passage of blood and mucus. 

Severe diarrhea with abdominal pain, fever, and mucus or blood in stools may indicate antibiotic-associated colitis... 

It regulates mucus production, inflammation, fibrosis and tissue remodeling. IL-13 is a therapeutic target for a number of disease states including asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, cancer and others. Its signaling is mediated via IL-4 type 2 receptor. The receptor consists of IL-4Ra and IL-13Ral and IL-13Ra2 chains. 

Rhodes, J. M. (1997). Colonic mucus and ulcerative colitis. Ctit 40,807-808. 

Colitis in the rectosigmoid mucosa, with concomitant malabsorption, results in the characteristic sign of bacillary dysentery diarrhea tinged with blood and mucus. Shigellosis can be correctly diagnosed in most patients on the basis of fresh blood in the stool however, watery, mucoid diarrhea may be the only symptom of many Shigella infections. This disease differs from profuse watery diarrhea, as is commonly seen in choleraic diarrhea or in enterotoxigenic... 

The reported incidence of diarrhea associated with the administration of clindamycin ranges from 2 to 20%. A number of patients (variously reported as 0.01 to 10%) have developed pseudomembranous colitis caused by the toxin from the organism C. difficile. This colitis is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and mucus and blood in the stools. Proctoscopic examination reveals white-to-yellow... 

Mucous colitis— Abdominal cramps, along with the passage of large amounts of mucus with dry, hard stools characterize this disorder, which is thought to result from (1) food intolerances or other allergic conditions and/or (2) emotional disturbances. 

Ehehalt, R., Wagenblast, J., Erben, G., Lehmann, W.D., Hinz, U., Merle, U. and Stremmel, W., Phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylchohne in intestinal mucus of ulcerative colitis patients. A quantitative approach by nanoelectrospray-tandem mass spectrometry. Scand. J. Gastroenterol., 39, 737-742 (2004). 

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