Some patients have genetic mutations that cause problems with the way the immune system functions. These problems, called primary immunodeficiency disorders, can lead to patients suffering from recurring infections. One such disorder, chronic granulomatous disease, can cause patients to get colitis.
Physiology
Chronic granulomatous disease affects the white blood cells, according to the National Institutes of Health. It leads to problems with a process called phagocytic cell microbicidal function. Through this process, white blood cells ingest and kill some bacteria with toxic molecules called reactive oxygen species. As a result of this impairment, patients are prone to developing certain bacterial diseases.
Bacterial Strains
The Merck Manual explains that the kind of bacteria that cause infections in people with chronic granulomatous disease have a specific protein called catalase. White blood cells need to be able to produce reactive oxygen species to kill bacteria that have catalase; thus, these kind of bacteria are especially able to infect people with chronic granulomatous disease. Bacteria with catalase that can cause colitis include E. coli and Staph aureus.
Symptoms
A 2001 article in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood titled "Colitis in Chronic Granulomatous Disease," noted that patients who develop colitis as a result of chronic granulomatous disease typically have severe bloody diarrhea, which can result in anemia. Patients may also have a distended abdomen, anal skin tags, nausea and vomiting.
Diagnosis
Archives of Disease in Childhood also notes that physicians were unable to culture any pathogenic bacteria from the patients' stool samples, making their condition difficult to diagnose. This article concluded that patients with chronic granulomatous disease with bloody diarrhea need colonoscopies to diagnose the cause of their symptoms.
Treatment
The Merck Manual says that patients with chronic granulomatous disease often receive antibiotics to help ward off bacterial infections.
