bloody diarrhea

[lsu1000]

(lovely title, I know)

Had a question that said a young boy(I think around 5) comes in with a history of bloody diarrhea. What is the cause?
Didn't give any other history info as to if he'd eaten anything or anything else. No vitals.

Had answers A-J, so its either just a 'most common' cause question, or just really easy and I'm not seeing it.

They had listed, Meckel's diver., shigella, rotavirus.......

I put Meckel's but only reasonably guessed.

Is there some obvious most common cause of bloody diarrhea in otherwise healthy children???

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[Jalopycat]

My guess is Shigella but who knows. Roll a dice!

 

[kalico]

My guess would be Meckel's. If he's really young, necrotizing enterocolitis.

 

[TheFlash]

Norwalk virus is the most common cause of diarrhea in children, but it's usually watery/green, not bloody like the question asks for. My guess might be 1) E. Coli, noted for causing pediatric bloody diarrhea without onset of fever, eventually leading to HUS and kidney failure, or 2) Meckel's, noted for causing painless bloody stool (not necessarily diarrhea). The best way to differentiate would be to take hematocrit levels, which would be more drastically dropped with Meckel's, and get a sense of pain in the boy's abdomen.

 

[dynx]

Norwalk virus is the most common cause of diarrhea in children, but it's usually watery/green, not bloody like the question asks for. My guess might be 1) E. Coli, noted for causing pediatric bloody diarrhea without onset of fever, eventually leading to HUS and kidney failure, or 2) Meckel's, noted for causing painless bloody stool (not necessarily diarrhea). The best way to differentiate would be to take hematocrit levels, which would be more drastically dropped with Meckel's, and get a sense of pain in the boy's abdomen.

Does the FRED software allow you to order labs and virtually palpate abdomens...I had no Idea. Good contribution.

 

[Doc Ivy]

Campylobacter.

C jejuni is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in this country, and often presents with bloody diarrhea. It's frequently found in chicken, but pt's don't always recall anything weird that they ate.

 

[betz]

Campylobacter.

C jejuni is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in this country, and often presents with bloody diarrhea. It's frequently found in chicken, but pt's don't always recall anything weird that they ate.

Yeah thats right. Its carried in wild and domestic animals, so kids get it from their kitties or puppies.