antibiotics/cuase

As far as I know -- in my completely inexpert knowledge -- antibiotics can cause people without UC to develop colitis... but that's not the same as the chronic disease of UC.

Can someone else weigh in and tell me if that's correct?

Some antibiotics can wreak havoc on UCers. I was thrown into a horrendous flare for months from IV antibiotics for an infection. But that would be a case where you already have the disease and the antibiotics cause it to come out of remission.

Doctors have told me that no one knows what causes UC. But, I would think that it's possible that someone who was going to develop UC eventually could be triggered into symptoms by frequent antibiotics. That's just a completely non-scientific intution. (How's that for a disclaimer.)

I know that you mentioned before that your daughter is hoping the disease will disappear as quickly as it came. You'll never find a doctor who will tell you that it can go away, although there are stories of people who have been in remission for many years. So perhaps some cautious optimism is the way to go?

I feel certain that antibiotics can trigger UC in people who are genetically predisposed. In addition to or because of bacterial changes the intestinal mucosa is damaged, leading to chronic inflammation. I say this due to the fact that I developed UC a few years after treatment with 3 different antibiotics for recurrent tonsillitis in my early twenties. But, as Julee70 writes, it does no good to torture yourself trying to figure out what went wrong to harm your daughter; it's best to focus on controlling her symptoms in the most effective and reasonable way. Keep telling yourself that there are worse ailments/afflictions to cope with than UC, things that blind or paralyze, etc. I know a guy who became ill with Crohn's Disease while in dental school; he got it under control, finished school & training, & went on to a successful professional career. He had ups & downs, including need for surgery at one point, but he overcame the obstacles. Life is a struggle for many people. That's just the way things are, not always what we want for ourselves or our loved ones. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission)

Absolutely, antibiotics can cause c-diff, and it is the most likely culprit in otherwise healthy individuals. When I was diagnosed with c-diff infection it was only because I insisted to my doc that he test for it. After the flex sig, he diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis (for the 1st time in my life). He was sure I did not have c-diff. He was wrong.

Once I got rid of the c-diff (I believe), I was then diagnosed with UC a year later. I'm unsure if my underlying but undiagnosed UC caused me to be a particular candidate for c-diff, or if the c-diff further insulted my intestinal tract and caused the UC to start to become symptomatic. In any case, I now have UC and take azathioprine daily to keep it under control.

I got c-diff from taking cipro for two days. Incredible bad luck, huh?

C-diff tests often report a false negative. You cannot get a false positive c-diff test.

I've had two other relatives (an aunt and my nephew) develop c-diff from antibiotics, one from Clindamycin and one from Augmentin.

What have they treated the c-diff with? Be diligent and make sure your daughter gets adequate treatment to get rid of it, which can be a challenge. She may come out of that with no further problems, as my aunt and nephew did (albeit having to take at least two courses of Flagyl and in my nephew's case, then Vancomycin).

Good luck to you and your daughter!

Mitz

I think it's both Expecting. Whatever has caused the immune system to go into "tilt" mode...reacting and reacting and reacting to chronic infections tires the response to be discriminating. I had chronic lung infections before my asthma became apparent/full-blown in my adult years...and it was during that time that my doc wasn't wanting me to use antibiotics..so fighting it off was a long process... It was a tough time....although it runs strongly in my family, I look back and see I already showed some symptoms during colds (My UC is both intrinsic/cough variant and extrinsic).

Antibiotics for many can normally cause increased activity in the bowel..and can definitely disrupt the protective bacteria hence causing destruction in the mucosal layer. If the immune response again is to the point of becoming indiscriminating and the person prone to autoimmune response..the bowel will start the process...but again, the predisposition has to be there. For some it might be a process that doesn't cause UC but can cause another autoimmune response which may eventually stop after an extended period of time...for others, UC (or CD) is the forever friend who brings others along for the perpetual party.

I do think that proper diagnosis is a huge factor....there are some who have Microscopic Colitis and don't know it because it's either in conjunction with UC or is mimicing it.

Whatever the reason....it sucks.

quincy