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Clostridium Difficile Colitis Center - Yakima, WA

Yakima Gastroenterologist Doctors for Clostridium Difficile Colitis

Type of Physician: Gastroenterologist

What is a Gastroenterologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated.

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Common Name: GI Doctor

Gastroenterologist Doctors in Yakima *

Yakima Gastroenterology
Thomas Attaway
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Timothy E Brown
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Lance J Ferrin
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Gilbert Ong
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Gonzalo Pandolfi
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Amarnath v Ramakrishnan
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Yakima Gastroenterology
Robert M Williams
3909 Creekside Loop
Yakima, WA 98902
(509) 248-6616

Tri Cities Digestive Health
Somprak Boonpongmanee
780 Swift Blvd
STE 280
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 946-9747

Hoyeol Yang MD
Hoyeol Yang
98 Columbia Point Dr
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 946-3636

Suresh Phillip MD
Suresh Philip
7525 W Deschutes Pl
STE 1A
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 737-8766

Columbia River Gastroenterology
Peter Donald Maher
602 N Colorado St
STE D
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 735-8600

Tri Cities Endoscopy Center
Sittilerk Trikalsaransukh
7114 W Hood Pl
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 734-4885

Tri Cities Endoscopy Center
Verapan Vongthavaravat
7114 W Hood Pl
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 734-4885

John M Roach MD
John M Roach
811 S Auburn St
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 586-9187

Yakima, Washington

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Clostridium Difficile Colitis (Antibiotic-Associated Colitis, C. difficile colitis)

What is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)?

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 t...

Recommended Reading Related to Clostridium Difficile Colitis (Antibiotic-Associated Colitis, C. difficile colitis)

Stool Color & Texture Changes (Black, Red, Maroon, Green, Yellow, Gray, Tarry, Sticky) »

What color is normal stool?

Stool (feces) is most commonly brown in color, and many people become curious or concerned when the color of their stool changes. Most stool-to-stool changes in color have little meaning; however, some changes, particularly if the changes are consistent from stool-to-stool and not present in only one stool, can be important.

What causes normal stool color?

The color of stool is normally due to the presence of bile, specifically, the bilirubin in bile. Bilirubin is formed from hemoglobin after hemoglobin is released from red blood cells during their destruction, a part of the normal process of replacing the red blood cells in blood. The released hemoglobin is modified chemically and removed from the blood by the liver. In the liver the chemically changed hemoglobin (called bilirubin) is attached to other chemicals and secreted from the cells of the liver into bile. Depending on the conc...

Emergency Contact for Yakima

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Yakima Hospitals *

Yakima Regional Medical & Cardiac Center
110 S 9th Ave
Yakima, WA 98902
(509)575-5000

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital
2811 Tieton Dr
Yakima, WA 98902
(509)575-8000

Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
603 S Chestnut St
Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509)962-9841

Toppenish Community Hospital
502 W 4th Ave
Toppenish, WA 98948
(509)865-3105

Sunnyside Community Hospital
1016 Tacoma Ave
Sunnyside, WA 98944
(509)837-1500

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