Related Experiment Videos
Protein-losing enteropathy associated with Clostridium difficile infection
A H Rybolt1, R G Bennett, B E Laughon
1Division of Geriatric Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mason F. Lord Chronic Hospital and Nursing Home, Baltimore, Maryland.
Lancet (London, England)
|June 17, 1989
Summary
Clostridium difficile infection can cause protein loss in the gut, even without diarrhea. This protein-losing enteropathy is more common in elderly patients and may indicate severe disease.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a condition characterized by excessive loss of serum proteins into the gastrointestinal tract.
- Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection is a common cause of infectious diarrhea, particularly in healthcare settings.
- Assessing protein loss in the gut can be challenging, especially in elderly or malnourished patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and significance of protein-losing enteropathy in patients with Clostridium difficile infection.
- To determine if serum protein loss correlates with the severity of C. difficile disease.
- To evaluate the utility of alpha-1-antitrypsin as a marker for PLE in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Serum alpha-1-antitrypsin levels were measured in stool samples using a commercially available radial immunodiffusion assay.
- The study included patients aged over 60 years with confirmed C. difficile infection, including those with pseudomembranous colitis and those with C. difficile diarrhea without pseudomembranes.
- A control group of healthy subjects was also included for comparison.
Main Results:
- Alpha-1-antitrypsin was detected in all patients with pseudomembranous colitis and in a significant proportion of patients with C. difficile diarrhea.
- Protein loss was also observed in some asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic nursing home patients positive for C. difficile but negative for its cytotoxin.
- No alpha-1-antitrypsin was found in healthy control subjects, indicating a specific association with C. difficile infection.
Conclusions:
- Serum protein loss into the gastrointestinal tract is a potential complication of Clostridium difficile infection.
- The presence and extent of protein-losing enteropathy appear to correlate with the severity of C. difficile disease.
- Protein-losing enteropathy should be considered in the diagnostic workup of C. difficile infections, especially in elderly and malnourished patients.