Definition
Toxic megacolon is an acute, life-threatening clinical picture, which can occur as a complication of other intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Chagas disease, and pseudomembranous colitis. Toxic megacolon is an enlargement of the colon accompanied by severe colitis. Those affected often come to the emergency room with acute, severe abdominal pain and fever and need intensive medical care. This complication rarely occurs. The diagnosis is confirmed by X-rays.
Causes for the development of a toxic megacolon
The causes of a toxic megacolon are in many cases chronic or infection-related, inflammatory diseases of the colon. One of the chronic diseases is ulcerative colitis. This is a chronic inflammation that spreads continuously through the intestine and usually breaks out between the ages of 20 and 40.
The disease manifests itself in bloody diarrhea and colicky abdominal pain, which occurs intermittently. Another chronic inflammation of the intestine is Crohn’s disease. This is very similar to ulcerative colitis, but usually affects isolated sections of the intestine and is therefore not continuous.
The entire gastrointestinal tract can be affected. The disease usually first occurs between the ages of 15 and 35. It is an autoimmune disease with familial clustering.
In addition to chronic inflammation, infectious diseases are also possible causes of a Toxic Megacolon. A relatively common infection that leads to inflammation in the colon is an infection with the pathogen Clostridium Difficile, which occurs in many people’s intestines but does not cause disease under normal conditions. The disease is often triggered by antibiotic therapy, since the normal bacteria in the intestine are attacked and Clostridium Difficile can multiply more strongly.
The bacteria produce a toxin that triggers the inflammation in the colon. A very rare cause in Europe is Chagas disease. This is an infectious disease which is transmitted by parasites and only occurs in Central and South America. Here too, a complication of the infection is an inflammation of the intestine. In addition to those mentioned here, there are several other causes of Toxic Megacolon.
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