What Causes Enteritis?
Enteritis refers to swelling and irritation of the small intestine. This part of the intestine connects the colon or large intestine to the stomach and is split into three sections, called the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Enteritis may occur in any or all of the sections and is most frequently caused by bacterial or viral illness. Presence of long-term enteritis that is not infectious is called chronic enteritis, and may result from conditions affecting the intestinal tract like Crohn’s or celiac disease. Enteritis is initially suspected when a person experiences discomfort in the abdomen, diarrhea, and bloating of the abdomen due to excess accumulation of gas. Occasionally, bowel movements are black signifying internal bleeding. This fourth symptom, called hematochezia, may be misdiagnosed if one is taking medications like Pepto Bismol® which naturally dyes the stools black for several days. Surprisingly, enteritis is not associated with nausea or vomiting. When these symptoms are pre
Society issues for Enteritis Hospitalization statistics for Enteritis: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Enteritis: • 1.06% (134,983) of hospital episodes were for noninfective enteritis and colitis in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03) • 84% of hospital consultations for noninfective enteritis and colitis required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03) • 44% of hospital episodes for noninfective enteritis and colitis were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03) • 56% of hospital episodes for noninfective enteritis and colitis were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03) • 54% of hospital admissions for noninfective enteritis and colitis required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode
