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ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Men's Health, Uncategorized, Women's Health / By

ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long-termed inflammation and sores (ulcer) in your digestive tracts.

  • It affects the lining of the large intestine (the colon), rectum, or both
  • The condition normally begins in the rectum and spreads upward and can involve the entire colon.
  • The colon is a long tube-like organ in the abdomen that carries waste to be expelled from the body. The rectum is the end of the colon adjacent to the anus.
  • Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications such as thickening of the intestinal wall, severe dehydration, and colon perforation.
  • The longer an individual has the condition, the higher the risk of developing colon cancer
  • It affects male and female equally and affects people of all ages, it mostly affects people between the ages of 15 and 30 or among those over 60.
  • The condition is found worldwide, but it is common in the United States, Europe, and North America than other regions.
  • There are different types of ulcerative colitis classified according to its location.
  • Ulcerative proctitis refers to the inflammation that is confined to the rectum. In most patient, rectal bleeding is the only symptoms.
  • Proctosigmoiditis involves inflammation of the rectum and the sigmoid colon (lower end of the colon). Symptoms may include rectal bleeding, bloody diarrhea, and tenesmus. Some patient may develop abdominal cramp and pain.
  • Left-sided colitis involves inflammation that starts from the rectum and extends through the sigmoid and the descending colon. Symptoms may include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, left sided abdominal pain and an unintended weight loss.
  • Pancolitis or universal colitis refers to the inflammation that affects the entire colon. It causes severe bouts of diarrhea, abdominal cramp and pain, fatigue and significant weight loss.
  • Fulminant colitis is a rare but severe form of pancolitis and causes severe pain, profuse diarrhea, bleeding, fever and an inability to eat.

CAUSES

The cause of the condition is not known. Researchers understand that the immune system undergoes an abnormal activation in the intestines. The immune system is supposed to fight off and defend the body against harmful bacteria, fungi, and foreign invaders and is normally activated only when the body is exposed to these invaders. In ulcerative colitis, an abnormal immune response causes the immune system to attack cells in the body including the ones in the digestive tracts. The continued abnormal immune response causes inflammation and ulceration in the large intestine.

The susceptibility to the abnormal immune system may be genetically inherited. Therefore, it is said that hereditary plays a role. This is because the condition is more common in people who have a family member with the disease.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the inflammation and where it occurs.

  • Fever
  • Diarrhea, often with blood or pus
  • Rectal pain
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Rectal bleeding – passing a small amount of blood with stool
  • Urgency to defecate
  • Failure to grow especially in children

Ulcerative colitis may cause additional problems like joint pain, joint swelling, mouth sores, nausea and decreased appetite, and eye inflammation

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Different tests can help the doctor in making a diagnosis. The condition has symptoms similar to another bowel disease such as Chron’s disease, so the doctor will likely make a diagnosis after ruling out other possible causes.

The doctor may carry out the following test to help make a diagnosis:

  • Blood tests to look for sign of anemia
  • Stool test to examine the stool for blood, bacteria, and parasites.
  • Colonoscopy where a flexible tube with an attached camera is used to view and examine the entire colon. During this procedure, the doctor can take a small sample of tissue for further testing in the laboratory
  • Flexible sigmoidoscopy where a slender, flexible lighted tube is used to examine the rectum and the sigmoid.
  • CT scan of the abdomen may be performed if complications from ulcerative colitis are suspected.
  • An x-ray may be carried out if severe symptoms exist, this may be carried out to rule out conditions such as the perforated colon.

TREATMENT

Treatment may include medication or therapy. The type of drug used will depend on the severity of the condition.

Medications may include:

  • Anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids (prednisone and budesonide).
  • Immune system suppressors that suppress the immune system response that starts the process of inflammation. Immunosuppressant drugs may include Azathioprine (Azasan, Imura), Infliximab ( Remicade), adalimumab (Humira), cyclosporine ( Gengraf, Sandimmune), Vedolizumab (Entyvio).
  • Antibiotics may work for people with fever
  • Anti-diarrheals to help relieve severe diarrhea, loperamide ( Imodium) may be effective
  • Pain relievers for mild pain such as acetaminophen (Tylenol).
  • Iron supplements may be given if chronic intestinal bleeding is present.

Surgery can often eliminate the condition. This may involve removing the entire colon and rectum.

Another surgical option is called the ileo-anal pouch procedure. The large intestine is removed except for the rectal stump and anus, and an internal pouch is constructed from the end of the small intestine and this pouch is hooked back up internally to the rectal stump, allowing the patient to expel waste relatively normal.