Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that is related to the
bacterium that cause tetanus and botulism. The
C. difficile bacterium has two
forms, an active, infectious form that cannot survive in the environment for
prolonged periods, and a nonactive, "noninfectious" form, called a spore, that
can survive in the environment for prolonged periods. Although spores cannot
cause infection directly, when they are ingested they transform into the active,
infectious form.
C. difficile spores are found frequently in:
hospitals,
nursing homes,
extended
care facilities, and
nurseries for newborn infants.
They can be found on:
bedpans,
furniture,
toilet seats,
linens,
telephones,
stethoscopes,
fingernails,
rings (jewelry),
floors,
infants' rooms, and
diaper pails.
They even can be carried by
pets. Thus, these environments are a ready source for infection with C.
difficile.
What is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) colitis?
Antibiotic-associated (C. difficile) colitis is an infection of the colon caused
by C. difficile that occurs primarily among individuals who have been using
antibiotics. It is the most common infection acquired by patients while they are
in the hospital. More than three million C. difficile infections occur in
hospitals in the US each year. After a stay of only two days in a hospital, 10%
of patients will develop infection with C. difficile. C. difficile also may be
acquired outside of hospitals in the community. It is estimated that 20,000
infections with C. difficile occur in the community each year in the U.S.
Individuals with mild C. difficile colitis may have:
a low-grade fever,
mild diarrhea (5-10 watery stools a day),
mild abdominal cramps and tenderness.
Those with severe C. difficile colitis may have:
a high fever (temperature of 102 F to 104 F),
severe diarrhea (more than 10 watery stools a day) with blood, and
severe abdominal pain and tenderness.
Severe diarrhea also can lead to dehydration and disturbances in the
electrolytes (minerals) in the body. Rarely, severe colitis can lead to
life-threatening complications such as megacolon (markedly dilated colon),
peritonitis (inflammation of the lining of the abdominal), and perforation of
the colon.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an
Inflammation of the inner lining of the colon is referred to as colitis. Symptoms of the inflammation of the colon lining include diarrhea, pain, and blood
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease,
primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can
affect other parts of the digestive
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Ulcerative colitis is closely
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered
Stool color is generally brown. When stool color changes, often, an individual becomes concerned. The presence of the bilirubin in bile is generally responsible
Colonoscopy is a procedure that enables an examiner (usually a gastroenterologist) to evaluate the inside of the colon (large intestine or large bowel). The colonoscope is a four foot long, fle"...
