Typhlitis

Neutropenic enterocolitis
Classification and external resources
ICD-9-CM	540.0 540.9 541
DiseasesDB	31505
eMedicine	radio/869
MeSH	D020345
[]

Neutropenic enterocolitis, also known as typhlitis or typhlenteritis, and less commonly called caecitis or cecitis, is inflammation of the cecum (part of the large intestine) that may be associated with infection. It is particularly associated with neutropenia, a low level of neutrophil granulocytes (the most common form of white blood cells) in the blood.

Signs and symptoms of typhlitis may include diarrhea, a distended abdomen, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain or tenderness.

The condition is usually caused by Gram-positive enteric commensal bacteria of the gut (gut flora). Clostridium difficile is a species of Gram-positive bacteria that commonly causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal diseases when competing bacteria are wiped out by antibiotics, causing pseudomembranous colitis, whereas Clostridium septicum is responsible for most cases of neutropenic enterocolitis.

Typhlitis most commonly occurs in immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, patients with AIDS, kidney transplant patients, or the elderly.

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