Guide To Managing Radiation Enteritis

Course Of Antibiotics

Treatment for radiation enteritis patients may include one or more courses of antibiotics to help control bacteria overgrowth in their small intestine. Healthy individuals will not usually experience a bacterial overgrowth of the bacteria that naturally occurs in the gut because a thick layer of protective mucus acts as a barrier in the digestive tract. Radiation therapy causes damage to this protective mucosal barrier in the intestinal wall, leaving it vulnerable to bacterial invasion. This compromise in the intestinal wall allows for naturally occurring gut bacteria to reach deeper tissues. Once this bacteria reaches tissues underneath the layer of mucus, they begin to grow out of control. This overgrowth results in bloating, stomach pain, constipation, nausea, weight loss, malnutrition, and diarrhea. Prescription antibiotics are generally used to treat this bacterial overgrowth. Antibiotics are potent medications that target and kill off the colony of problematic bacteria. Nutritional supplements are also often needed with the antibiotics to replenish any nutrients lost as a result of the bacterial overgrowth.

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