Colitis

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Medical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

• What is colitis?
• What are the causes (types) of colitis?
• Infectious colitis
• Ischemic colitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Microscopic colitis
• What are the symptoms of colitis?
• When should I contact my doctor about colitis?
• How is colitis diagnosed?
• How is colitis treated?
• What is the prognosis for a patient with colitis?
• Colitis At A Glance
• Patient Discussions: Colitis - Describe Your Experience

What is colitis?

Colitis is inflammation of the inner lining of the colon and is associated with diarrhea, pain, and blood in the stool. There are numerous reasons for the colon to become inflamed including:

• infection,
  
  
• loss of blood supply to the colon,
  
  
• inflammatory bowel disease, and
  
  
• invasion of the colon wall with collagen or lymphocytic white blood cells.

Anatomy of the colon

The colon is a hollow, muscular tube that receives products of digestion from the small intestine and ultimately eliminates them from the body through the anus. The colon is located in the abdomen and has numerous sections that are named based on their location. Colitis can affect different sections of the colon.

• The colon begins in the right lower abdomen with the cecum (located just above the appendix) into which the products of digestion empty from the small intestine.
  
  
• The ascending portion of the colon then ascends from the lower to the upper right side of the abdomen.
  
  
• It traverses the abdomen as the transverse portion of the colon from the right upper to left upper abdomen before descending from the upper to the lower left side of the abdomen.
  
  
• The last portions of the colon are the sigmoid colon low in the abdomen and finally the anus.

The colon also has several layers. The mucosa (inner layer or lining) comes into contact with the products of digestion and fluid and actively removes water and electrolytes to help solidify the feces. A layer of smooth muscle (a special type of muscle) surrounds the inner layer and is responsible for squeezing and mixing the undigested food and transporting it through the length of the colon to the anus.

What are the causes (types) of colitis

All types of colitis are associated with inflammation of the colon, though some types may be more severe and potentially dangerous than others. When a patient complains of pain and diarrhea with or without bloody stool, it is important to diagnose the type of colitis since treatments are different for the different types of colitis.

Colitis - Describe Your Experience

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Please describe your experience with Colitis.

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