Hemorrhagic colitis is an illness associated with an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Hemorrhagic means bleeding and colitis refers to the fact that it is a digestive disease characterized by the inflammation of the colon (large intestine). Inflammation of the colon can lead to abdominal pain and other problems. The name quite accurately describes the most common symptom of an E. coli infection, bloody diarrhea.
The most serious complication of hemorrhagic colitis is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States. About 5% of the people who get hemorrhagic colitis develop hemolytic uremic syndrome. Most of the people who develop HUS are children under the age of 8, but adults can also develop HUS. Hemorrhagic colitis (bloody diarrhea brought on by an E. coli infection) can result in death to an elderly person even without the additional complication of HUS.
For more information please see see our pages on the symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli treatment.
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