Disseminated intravascular coagulation: An unexpected signpost to ulcerative colitis: A case report

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with varied clinical presentations. We report a case of a 25-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, initially treated as infectious colitis. The patient's condition rapidly deteriorated, developing pancytopenia and coagulation abnormalities consistent with DIC. Subsequent colonoscopy and biopsies confirmed severe UC. This case is unique as DIC was an early manifestation of an undiagnosed UC. It highlights the importance of considering inflammatory bowel disease in the differential diagnosis of acute bloody diarrhea, even in patients without prior gastrointestinal history. It also underscores the rare occurrence of DIC as an early feature of UC, emphasizing the need for vigilant monitoring of coagulation parameters in severe colitis cases.