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February 10, 2012

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  • Related Diseases & Conditions

    • Abdominal Pain
      • Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
    • Rectal Bleeding
      • Rectal bleeding (hematochezia) refers to the passage of bright red blood from the anus. Rectal bleeding may be moderate to severe and most bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. Common causes include anal fissures, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and more.
    • Crohn's Disease
      • Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease, primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can affect other parts of the digestive system as well. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss are common symptoms.
    • Diarrhea
      • Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
    • Dehydration
      • Dehydration is the excessive loss of body water. There are a number of causes of dehydration including heat exposure, prolonged vigorous exercise, and some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The best way to treat dehydration is to prevent it from occurring.
    • Colon Cancer
      • Colon cancer is a malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer.
    • Clostridium Difficile Colitis (Antibiotic-Associated Colitis, C. difficile colitis)
      • Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium, and is one of the most common causes of infection of the colon. C. difficile spores are found frequently in hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, and nurseries for newborn infants. They can be found on bedpans, furniture, toilet seats, linens, telephones, stethoscopes, fingernails, rings, floors, infants' rooms, and diaper pails. They even can be carried by pets. Antibiotic-associated (C. difficile) colitis is an infection of the colon caused by C. difficile that occurs primarily among individuals who have been using antibiotics. Treatment for C. difficile colitis hydration, replenishment of electrolyte deficiencies, discontinuing the antibiotic that caused the colitis, and using antibiotics to eradicate the C. difficile bacterium.
    • Ulcerative Colitis
      • Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Ulcerative colitis is closely related to Crohn's disease, and together they are referred to as inflammatory bowel disease. Treatment depends upon the type of ulcerative colitis diagnosed.
    • Stool Color & Texture Changes (Black, Red, Maroon, Green, Yellow, Gray, Tarry, Sticky)
      • Stool color is generally brown. When stool color changes, often, an individual becomes concerned. The presence of the bilirubin in bile is generally responsible for stool color. Bilirubin concentration can vary bile color from light yellow to almost black in color. Changes in bilirubin can cause stool to turn green, gray, or clay-like in color. Intestinal bleeding may turn stool black, tarry, red, maroon, or smelly stool. Medication and food may also affect stool color.
    • Colon Polyps
      • A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
    • Salmonella
      • Salmonella bacteria are known to cause salmonellosis, typhoid fever, and paratyphoid fever in humans. Salmonella infection is usually caused by ingesting large amounts of the bacteria in contaminated food or water.
    • E. Coli (0157:H7)
      • There are many types of E. Coli (Escherichia coli ). Pathogenic E. coli can cause urinary tract and bladder infections, or lead to sepsis. E coli O157:H7 (EHEC) causes bloody diarrhea and colitis. Complications of E. coli infection include hemorrhagic diarrhea, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. E coli O157:H7 commonly is due to eating raw or undercooked hamburger or raw milk or dairy products.
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Intestinal Problems of IBD)
      • The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The intestinal complications of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis differ because of the characteristically dissimilar behaviors of the intestinal inflammation in these two diseases.
    • Food Poisoning
      • Food poisoning is common, but can also be life threatening. The most common form of food poisoning is caused by bacteria and include symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
    • Microscopic Colitis (Lymphocytic Colitis and Collagenous Colitis)
      • Microscopic colitis (lymphocytic colitis and collagenous colitis) is a disease of inflammation of the colon. Microscopic colitis is only visible when the colon's lining is examined under a microscope. The cause of microscopic colitis is not known. Symptoms of microscopic colitis are chronic watery diarrhea and abdominal pain or cramps. Microscopic colitis is diagnosed through biopsies of several areas of the colon. There is no standardized treatment for microscopic colitis; however, eliminating NSAIDs, and treatment medications such as Imodium, Lomotil, Petpo-Bismol, Entocort EC, and mesalamine (Asacol) have been helpful in some individuals.
    • Shigella
      • Shigellosis is a disease caused by the Shigella bacteria. Bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever are common symptoms. Mild infections usually resolve on their own. Antibiotics are used to treat more severe cases.
    • Travelers' Diarrhea
      • Travelers' diarrhea is generally contracted by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Food is the primary source of travelers' diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic E. coli is the cause of up to 70% of all cases of travelers' diarrhea. There are five unique classes of E. coli that causes gastroenteritis. Other bacteria responsible for travelers' diarrhea include Campylobacter, jejuni, shigella, and salmonella. Viruses such as rotavirus and Norwalk virus (norovirus) and giardia lamblia a parasite may cause travelers' diarrhea. Prevention is careful eating and drinking of water.
    • Vascular Disease
      • Vascular disease includes any condition that affects your circulatory system. Vascular disease ranges from diseases of your arteries, veins and lymph vessels to blood disorders that affect circulation.
    • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
      • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus that is spread from person to person via spit, semen, vaginal secretions, urine, blood, sexual contact, breastfeeding, blood transfusions, organ transplants, and breast milk. Symptoms of CMV include fatigue, swollen glands, fever, and sore throat. You can take precautions to prevent CMV such as washing hands frequently and thoroughly, using condoms, if you work in day care centers wash hands thoroughly after contact with body secretions, and avoiding oral contact with objects covered in saliva. Individuals with HIV infection are at most risk of contracting CMV.
    • Travel Medicine
      • Travelers should prepare for their trip by visiting their physician to get the proper vaccinations and obtain the necessary medication if they have a medical condition or chronic disease. Diseases that travelers may pick up from contaminated water or food, insect or animal bites, or from other people include malaria, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio, and cholera.
    • Colon Cancer Prevention
      • Colo-rectal cancer is both curable and preventable if it is detected early and completely removed before the cancerous cells metastasize to other parts of the body. Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy (along with digital rectal examination and stool occult blood testing) are both effective at preventing colo-rectal cancers and detecting early colo-rectal cancers.
    • Enterovirulent E. Coli (EEC)
      • Enterovirulent Escherichia coli (E. coli) are strains of related bacteria that have a strong propensity to cause gastrointestinal tract infections. Examples of strains include: EHEC (enterohemorrhagic E. coli), ETEC (enterotoxigenic E. coli), EPEC (enteropathogenic E. coli), EIEC (enteroinvasive E. coli), EAEC (enteroadherent E. coli), and EAggEC (enteroaggregative E. coli). Symptoms may vary depending on the strain the individual contracts. Infection is spread generally through contaminated food or drink.
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Colitis

What Is Bowel Diversion Surgery?

Bowel diversion surgery allows stool to safely leave the body when (because of disease or injury) the large intestine is removed or needs time to heal. Bowel is a general term for any part of the small or large intestine.

Some bowel diversion surgeries (those called ostomy surgery)divert the bowel to an opening in the abdomen where a stoma is created. A surgeon forms a stoma by rolling the bowel's end back on itself, like a shirt cuff, and stitching it to the abdominal wall. An ostomy pouch is attached to the stoma and worn outside the body to collect stool.

Other bowel diversion surgeries reconfigure the intestines after damaged portions are removed. For example, after removing the colon, a surgeon can create a colon like pouch out of the last part of the small intestine, avoiding the need for an ostomy pouch.

Cancer, trauma, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), bowel obstruction, and diverticulitis are all possi...

Read the Bowel Diversion Surgery: Ileostomy, Colostomy, Ileoanal Reservoir, and Continent Ileostomy article »




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