Pouchitis
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Pouchitis | |
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Specialty | General surgery, Gastroenterology |
Diagnostic method | Pouchoscopy |
Pouchitis is an umbrella term for inflammation of the
A variety of mechanisms can be the cause of pouchitis including inflammatory factors such as a disbiosis sparked inflammation or Crohn's disease of the pouch, surgical causes including surgical join leaks and pelvic sepsis, or infectious from Clostridium difficile (C Diff) or Cytomegalovirus (CMV). It is possible to have more than one factor causing pouch inflammation at the same time.[4]
The incidence of a first episode of pouchitis at 1, 5 and 10 years post-operatively is 15%, 33% and 45% respectively.[3][5]
Patients with pouchitis typically present with bloody diarrhea, urgency in passing stools, or discomfort while passing stools. The loss of blood and/or dehydration resulting from the frequent stools will frequently result in nausea. Extreme cramping and pain can occur with pouchitis.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of pouchitis include increased stool frequency, urgency, incontinence, nocturnal seepage, abdominal cramping, pelvic discomfort, and arthralgia.[6]
Symptom severity does not always correlate with severity of endoscopically or histologically evaluated pouch inflammation.[6] Additionally, these symptoms are not necessarily specific for pouchitis, as they may arise from other inflammatory or functional pouch disorders such as Crohn's disease of the pouch, cuffitis, pouch sinus, or irritable pouch syndrome.[6] The most reliable tool for diagnosis is endoscopy combined with histologic features (derived from tissue biopsies obtained during endoscopy).[6]
Diagnosis
Classification
Once a diagnosis of pouchitis is made, the condition is further classified. The activity of pouchitis is stratified as:[citation needed]
- Remission (no active pouchitis)
- Mild to moderately active (increased stool frequency, urgency, infrequent incontinence)
- Severely active (hospitalised for dehydration, frequent incontinence)
The duration of pouchitis is defined as acute (less than or equal to four weeks) or chronic (four weeks or more) and the pattern classified as infrequent (1–2 acute episodes), relapsing (three or fewer episodes) or continuous. Finally, the response to medical treatment as labelled as treatment responsive or treatment refractory, with the medication for either case being specified.[citation needed]
Treatment
First line treatment is usually with
Other therapies which have been shown to be effective include probiotics for pouchitis,[10] the application of which usually begins as soon as any antibiotic course is completed so as to re-populate the pouch with beneficial bacteria.
Research
A pilot study on the effect of reducing dietary FODMAP intake on bowel function in people without a colon indicates there might be a relation between pouchitis and FODMAP diets.[11]
References
- PMID 27554912.
- ^ "Pouchitis". Mayo Clinic.
- ^ PMID 12761722.
- PMID 27554912.
- PMID 8801203.
- ^ PMID 22131896.
- S2CID 21890655.
- S2CID 11150570.
- ^ "Pouchitis Treatment". Mayo Clinic.
- PMID 32531291.
- S2CID 17465506.
- ^ "Atlantic Healthcare Announces Results from Phase 3 Trial of Alicaforsen Enema for Orphan-Designated Pouchitis". Biospace. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.