Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the large
intestine (colon).
The cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown.
Intermittent rectal bleeding, crampy abdominal pain
and diarrhea often are symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
The diagnosis of ulcerative colitis can be made with a barium
enema, but direct visualization (sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) is the most
accurate means of diagnosis.
Long-standing
ulcerative colitis is a risk factor for
colon cancer.
Treatment of ulcerative colitis may involve both
medications and surgery.
Ulcerative colitis also can cause inflammation in joints,
spine,
skin, eyes, and the liver and its bile ducts.
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the large intestine (colon). The colon is the part of
the digestive system where
water is removed from undigested material, and the remaining waste material is stored. The rectum is the end of
the colon adjacent to the anus. In patients with ulcerative colitis, ulcers and
inflammation of the inner lining of the colon lead to symptoms of
abdominal
pain, diarrhea, and
rectal
bleeding.
Ulcerative colitis is closely
related to another condition of inflammation of the intestines called Crohn's
disease. Together, they are frequently referred to
as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Ulcerative
colitis and Crohn's diseases are chronic conditions that can last
years to decades. They affect approximately 500,000 to 2 million people, in the
United States. Men and women are affected equally. They most commonly begin
during adolescence and early adulthood, but they also can begin during childhood
and later in life.
It is found worldwide, but is most common in the United States, England, and
northern Europe. It is especially common in people of Jewish descent. Ulcerative
colitis is rarely seen in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America, and is rare
in the black population. For unknown reasons, an increased frequency of this
condition has been observed recently in developing nations.
First degree relatives of people with ulcerative colitis have an increased
lifetime risk of developing the disease, but the overall risk remains small.
The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are abdominal pain and bloody
diarrhea. Patients also may experience
anemia
fatigue
weight loss
loss of appetite
rectal bleeding
loss of body fluids and nutrients
skin lesions
joint pain
growth failure (specifically in children)
About half of the people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have mild
symptoms. Others suffer frequent fevers, bloody diarrhea, nausea, and severe
abdominal cramps. Ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis,
inflammation of the eye, liver disease, and osteoporosis. It is not known why
these problems occur outside the colon. Scientists think these complications may
be the result of inflammation triggered by the immune system. Some of these
problems go away when the colitis is treated.
SOURCE: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Ulcerative
Colitis.
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
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying
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
Pink eye, also called conjunctivitis, is redness or irritation of the conjunctivae, the membranes on the inner part of the eyelids and the membranes covering
Inflammation of the inner lining of the colon is referred to as colitis. Symptoms of the inflammation of the colon lining include diarrhea, pain, and blood
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
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease,
primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can
affect other parts of the digestive
Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes chronic inflammation of the spine. The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is genetically
Psoriatic arthritis is a disease that causes skin and joint inflammation. Symptoms include painful, stiff, and swollen joints, tendinitis, and organ inflammation.
Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function
The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The intestinal complications of Crohn's disease and ulcerative
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, progressive disease of the bile ducts that channel bile from the liver into the intestines. There is
Ulcerative colitis diet can help you avoid the foods that aggravate this bowel condition. Self-management of ulcerative colitis using healthy lifestyle
Bowel or fecal incontinence refers to the loss of voluntary control of stool, or bowel movements. The condition can include partial incontinence, in which
I had been experiencing acute pain for several
days prior to entering the hospital, but I ignored the pain until
it had built up to where I was rolled up in bed with severe cramps
and couldn't "...
