Case Study: A 34-Year-Old Female with Diarrhea and Abdominal Pain

Objective Data

Case Study Mrs. Z is a 34-year-old female who come in with a complaint of diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain.  Onset of the symptom was about 4 days ago.  She reports thinking she is running a fever but has not taken her temperature.  She concerned that she is starting to feel weak.  When asked how about the characteristics and the number of bowel movements a day, she reports increased number of BMs over the last few months.  In the last few days she reports averaging about 10 small volume watery stools with varying amounts of blood daily. She denies recent travel and reportedly has not been on any antibiotics in the past few weeks.  In reviewing her record, you notice that her health history is positive for history of ulcerative colitis.  She has not been on any medications for this over the last few years as she had not been symptomatic. Mrs. Z is on an oral contraceptive.  She takes slippery elm capsules and has for the last several years.  She reports that she has been taking 2 to 3 doses of Benefiber prebiotic fiber for the last couple days. Objective data: BP 116/70 sitting, 100/66 standing; P 92; Temp 100.1 Abdomen – active bowel sounds all 4 quadrants, mild tenderness with palpation Otherwise her exam is unremarkable for pertinent positives or negatives. Labs – WBC 14,000; Hgb 11.9; Hct 35.7; Sodium 133; Potassium 3.3 What pharmacologic therapy would you prescribe for Mrs. Z? How will you evaluate the effectiveness of this therapy? What patient education would you provide for Mrs. Z relative to the pharmacologic agent you prescribed? Are there any pharmacogenetic considerations related to what you prescribed for the patient? Are there any alternative therapies or over-the-counter agents that might be of value to Mrs. Z? What, if any, lifestyle changes would you recommend?