Enteritis

Enteritis

inflammation of the intestine, especially the small intestine, usually accompanied by diarrhoea.

Symptoms of enteritis

Symptoms of enteritis can start anywhere from a few hours to a few days after infection. Symptoms may include:

• diarrhea
• nausea and vomiting
• loss of appetite
• abdominal cramps and pain
• pain, bleeding, or mucus-like discharge from the rectum
• fever

Types of enteritis

There are several different types of enteritis:

Infectious enteritis

The most common type of bacterial enteritis is caused by food poisoning. You can get it after ingesting food or water that is contaminated with bacteria. The bacteria can enter the food supply in a number of ways, including:

• improper food handling
• poor hygiene
• during poultry and meat processing

The foods most often associated with food poisoning are:

• raw poultry and meat
• unpasteurized milk
• fresh produce

Some common bacteria that cause enteritis include:

• Salmonella
• Escherichia coli (E. coli)
• Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)
• Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni)
• Shigella
• Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica)
• Bacillus species

You can also get enteritis when you come into close contact with other people or animals that are infected. This is less common.

Radiation enteritis

This type of enteritis can occur after radiation therapy. Radiation works by killing rapidly dividing cells. This kills cancer cells, but also healthy cells. This includes mouth, stomach, and bowel cells.

Radiation enteritis develops when your normal, healthy intestinal cells are damaged by radiation and become inflamed. This condition usually goes away several weeks after you finish your treatment. However, symptoms can sometimes be chronic and last for months or years after you have finished your treatment. Researchers aren’t sure why this happens.

Enteritis can also be the result of:

• some medications, including ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve)
• illegal drugs, such as cocaine
• autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s disease