|
|
|
| |
Colitis
Colitis is an inflammation of the bowel,
which can be acute or chronic. Acute (short term) inflammation
usually resolves on its own without treatment. Such inflammation
is caused by specific infections, for example Shigella.
These therefore do not require any treatment with human
probiotics as they can be treated with specific antibiotics.
The treatment of chronic or long term colitis ie, colitis
which does go away on its own and requires treatment)
has been standardised throughout the world and usually
requires anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids,
5-ASA compounds, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, cyclosporine
and antibiotics (eg. metronidazole).
As most of the above medications are capable of acting
as anti-microbials and they therefore improve patients
symptoms but do not cure the problem. This suggests that
colitis may be a chronic infection and therefore could
result from an unidentified pathogen(s).
There are many theories regarding the cause of colitis.
It is generally thought to result from a passing infection
which causes a prolonged autoimmune response (an individual's
immune system starts reacting against his or her own tissues)
fed by patients own good flora. However, such a view goes
against all the passing colitis episodes which do not
become chronic as soon as the offending bug is gone.
Although HPIs have been successful in reversing colitis
this treatment is less successful in colitis when compared
with its success in C.difficile diarrhoea and pseudomembranous
colitis. It is unclear why but it is believed to be in
relation to the level of inflammation in the bowel which
could reduce the ability of the incoming bacteria to implant
themselves into the bowel.
It has been noticed however, that if patients undergo
a standard anti-inflammatory therapy until their bowel
wall is completely healed then they can achieve long term
reversal of colitis in more than 50% of patients to date.
This figure however, is still an unpredictable result.
If C.difficile is present in patients with colitis an
HPI can step down the severity of the condition quite
dramatically. Furthermore, the removal of associated parasites
can also reduce the severity of colitis. C.difficile is
usually impossible to remove by use of antibiotics in
patients with chronic colitis and situation leaves the
best and only option, HPI.
PTRC has had patients with additional infections of D.fragilis,
Blastocytis hominis and C.diffiicle etc and whose severity
of ulcerative colitis was dramatically improved simply
by removing the co-existing pathogens via HPI or with
anti-parasite treatment.
|
|
