Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Sep 16, 2019; 11(9): 486-490
Published online Sep 16, 2019. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v11.i9.486
Chemical colitis caused by hydrogen peroxide vaginal douche: A case report
Ahmed Baiomi, Harish Patel, Hafsa Abbas, Vamshidhar Vootla, Jasbir Makker
Ahmed Baiomi, Harish Patel, Hafsa Abbas, Jasbir Makker, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Bronx Care Health System, 1650 Selwyn Ave, Bronx, NY 10457, United States
Vamshidhar Vootla, Western Maryland Health System, 12500 Willowbrook Rd, Cumberland, MD 21502, United States
Author contributions: Baiomi A wrote the initial manuscript; Patel H and Abbas H reviewed the images and manuscript; Vootla V critically reviewed the scientific content of the manuscript and also performed English language editing; Makker J critically reviewed and modified the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ahmed Baiomi, MD, Gastroenterology Fellow, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Bronx Care Health System, 1650 Selwyn Ave, Bronx, NY 10457, United States. ahmed251281@yahoo.com
Telephone: +1-718-9601234 Fax: +1-718-9602055
Received: June 1, 2019
Peer-review started: June 4, 2019
First decision: August 2, 2019
Revised: August 9, 2019
Accepted: August 27, 2019
Article in press: August 27, 2019
Published online: September 16, 2019
Processing time: 103 Days and 1.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most common household disinfectants worldwide. Hydrogen peroxide has been documented as a rare cause of chemical colitis.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a case of 31 years old lady who presented to our hospital with rectal bleeding and abdominal pain after using hydrogen peroxide vaginal douche as an enema. She underwent colonoscopy which showed findings suggestive of chemical colitis and was managed conservatively. Hydrogen peroxide can induce chemical injury in the colon. Clinical presentation and endoscopic findings of chemical colitis are nonspecific. History taking is an important tool in identifying the underlying etiology. Review of literature showed few case reports, mostly were managed with oral antibiotics and conservative approach.

CONCLUSION

Chemical colitis is usually managed conservatively. Complications including perforation, stricture and peritonitis may happen and need aggressive treatment accordingly.

Keywords: Chemical colitis; Hydrogen peroxide; Colitis; Vaginal douche; Colonoscopy; Case report

Core tip: Chemical colitis is a rare entity. Depending on the extent of injury, it may lead to serious complications like perforation, stricture and peritonitis. We here present a case of chemical colitis caused by use of hydrogen peroxide vaginal douche as an enema. Patient’s clinical condition improved with supportive care.