II. Definitions
- Chronic Inflammatory Diarrhea
- Bloody or purulent stool seen in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and infectious enteritis
III. Causes
- See Acute Inflammatory Diarrhea
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Invasive Infections
- Bacterial Infections
- Viral Infection (ulcerative)
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
- Parasitic Infection
- Giardiasis causes Chronic Fatty Diarrhea (Diarrhea due to Malabsorption)
- Amebiasis
- Strongyloides
- Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm infection)
- Ischemic Colitis (typically acute)
- Radiation Colitis
- Malignancy
- Colon Cancer
- Lymphoma
- Villous adenocarcinoma
IV. Labs
- Stool Leukocytes with gross blood and pus present
-
Fecal Calprotectin level
- Highly sensitive and specific for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
V. Diagnostics
- Colonoscopy with biopsy
VI. References
- Schiller in Feldman (2002) Sleisenger GI, p. 136
- Burgers (2020) Am Fam Physician 101(8): 472-80 [PubMed]