People who are infected with the
E. coli strain O157:H7 and have bloody diarrhea
sometimes are suspected of having other problems, such as:
- Infectious diarrhea (gastroenteritis) caused by
other bacteria, viruses, or one-celled microorganisms called
protozoa.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's
disease and ulcerative colitis). These long-lasting (chronic) diseases cause
bloody diarrhea.
- Inflammation of the colon caused by sudden
blockage of blood vessels (ischemic colitis), which is more common in people
age 65 and older.
- A bleeding stomach ulcer.
- An inflamed
appendix (appendicitis).
- Intussusception, a disorder in children in which one
part of the intestine folds into itself. The main early symptom is severe
abdominal pain.
Diagnosis can be further complicated because diarrhea caused by
E. coli O157:H7 is not always bloody. In addition, a
doctor may not consider E. coli O157:H7 as the cause of
symptoms because bacterial infections are usually accompanied by a fever; a
person infected with E. coli O157:H7 usually does not
have a fever or has only a mild fever.
