Micrograph of pseudomembranous colitis, a cause of toxic megacolon. H&E stain.
Specialty
Gastroenterology
Symptoms
Swelling of the belly, Pain in the belly, Fever, Rapid heart rate, Shock, Diarrhea.[1]
Complications
Septic shock, perforation of the colon
Risk factors
Chronic bowel disease
Prognosis
Fatal without treatment
Toxic megacolon is an acute form of colonic distension.[2] It is characterized by a very dilated colon (megacolon), accompanied by abdominal distension (bloating), and sometimes fever, abdominal pain, or shock.
Toxic megacolon is usually a complication of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and, more rarely, Crohn's disease, and of some infections of the colon, including Clostridium difficile infections, which have led to pseudomembranous colitis. Other forms of megacolon exist and can be congenital (present since birth, such as Hirschsprung's disease). It can also be caused by Entamoeba histolytica and Shigella. It may also be caused by the use of loperamide.
^"Toxic Megacolon". Johns Hopkins Medicine. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Toxic megacolon" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
Toxicmegacolon is an acute form of colonic distension. It is characterized by a very dilated colon (megacolon), accompanied by abdominal distension (bloating)...
in toxicmegacolon, fever, low blood potassium, tachycardia and may lead to shock. Stercoral ulcers are sometimes observed in chronic megacolon, which...
mucosal layer, causing impaired colonic motility and leading to toxicmegacolon. Toxicmegacolon represents a medical emergency, one often treated surgically...
sleepiness, vomiting, and a dry mouth. It may increase the risk of toxicmegacolon. Loperamide's safety in pregnancy is unclear, but no evidence of harm...
abdominal X-ray. It is a type of megacolon, sometimes referred to as "acute megacolon," to distinguish it from toxicmegacolon. The condition carries the name...
watery, diarrhea. Complications may include pseudomembranous colitis, toxicmegacolon, perforation of the colon, and sepsis. Clostridioides difficile infection...
causes peptic ulcer disease.[citation needed] Complications include toxicmegacolon, dehydration and sepsis. Such complications generally occur in young...
Quah, J.; Eu, C. E. Ernest; Wang, L. M. (January 1, 2020). "Amoebic toxicmegacolon with poly-helminthic coinfection: Case presentation and review of intestinal...
deformed. It may occur in chronic obstruction of stool transit, as in megacolon and chronic constipation. Some diseases, such as Chagas disease, Hirschsprung's...
tube. Refractory ulcerative colitis. Patients with toxicmegacolon (colonic dilation > 6 cm and toxic appearing) who do not respond to steroid therapy within...
prolamin genes, protein amino acid sequences, and the immunoreactivities of toxic prolamins are different in different oat varieties. Also, oats are frequently...
requiring treatment, chemoradiotherapy can increase acute treatment-related toxicity, and has not been shown to improve survival rates compared to radiotherapy...
which results in the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme converting alcohol to toxic acetaldehyde more quickly than other gene variants common outside East Asia...
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