Clindamycin-associated colitis

Abstract

Four cases of clindamycin-associated colitis have recently been observed at Kansas University Medical Center. There have been a few reports in the literature of colitis associated with this antibiotic, and our 4 cases are similar to those noted previously. All had the onset of diarrhea 7-14 days following the initiation of clindamycin therapy; the diarrhea persisted for weeks after the drug was discontinued. Mucosal changes ranged from focal ulceration to pseudomembrane formation. Diarrhea in a patient on clindamycin should alert the physician to the possibility of antibiotic induced colitis, a condition with significant morbidity and occasional mortality.