Case history
Case history
A 72-year-old white man presents with a 5-day history of abdominal pain, nausea, severe diarrhea, fever, and malaise. He was started on amoxicillin for community-acquired pneumonia 2 weeks prior with resolution of his pulmonary symptoms. Exam reveals a fever of 101°F (38.3°C) and mild abdominal distension with minimal tenderness. Laboratory tests reveal a peripheral WBC of 12,000/mm³ and stool guaiac that is mildly positive for occult blood.
Other presentations
Symptoms can range from isolated mild diarrhea to copious watery diarrhea with severe abdominal pain and high peripheral white blood cell count (WBC). Life-threatening colitis can develop, especially in older people. A sudden rise in WBC in a patient with diarrhea and a history of recent antibiotic use may be an indicator of impending fulminant colitis.[3]
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