A 30-year-old woman presents with severe bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever for the past week. She has lost weight and has been feeling fatigued. What could be the potential diagnoses and next steps?
This patient's symptoms are suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease, possibly Ulcerative Colitis given the bloody diarrhea. Infections such as bacterial dysentery could also present similarly. The next steps would include a stool culture to rule out infection, and a colonoscopy with biopsy to help confirm the diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis.