What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the large intestine (colon), excluding the small intestine. It is categorized as one of the two types of inflammatory bowel diseases, the other being Crohn's disease.

• Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease

• Symptoms come and go and include belly cramps, a frequent urge to pass stool, and bloody diarrhea

• Doctors will look at your stool and use a viewing tube to look at your intestine

• Doctors use treatments to control inflammation in your intestine, ease symptoms, and replace lost fluids and nutrients

• Having ulcerative colitis for a long time increases your risk of getting colon cancer

Ulcerative colitis may start at any age but usually begins before age 30.

What causes ulcerative colitis?

The exact cause of ulcerative colitis remains unclear to doctors. It could potentially stem from an immune system malfunction, prompting excessive inflammation in the intestine. Additionally, there may be a genetic component, as ulcerative colitis tends to cluster in families and is more prevalent among individuals of Eastern European Jewish descent.

What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis come and go. A flare-up can be severe for a few days or weeks and then go away or at least get better for a while. For most people, symptoms continue to flare up on and off throughout their life.

Usually, a flare-up begins slowly. Symptoms include:

• A strong urge to pass stool

• Mild cramps in your lower belly

• Blood and mucus in your stool

A flare-up may be sudden and severe, causing:

• Violent diarrhea often with a lot of mucus and blood

• Heavy bleeding from your anus

• High fever

• Belly pain

Sometimes in a severe flare up, your large intestine swells up a lot and may develop a small hole (perforation). A perforation lets stool leak into your belly, which can cause a life-threatening infection (peritonitis).

If you've had ulcerative colitis for a long time, you can have:

• Skin rash

• Mouth sores

• Joint pain

• Red, sore eyes

• Problems with your liver and gallbladder

• Low blood count (anemia)

• Weight loss

• Increased risk of colon cancer

How do doctors treat ulcerative colitis?

There’s no cure for ulcerative colitis. Many treatments can help with symptoms.

Medicines may:

• Help stop diarrhea and belly pain

• Lessen inflammation in your intestine

• Change the way your immune system works

Other treatments include:

• Drinking enough fluids

• Taking iron, calcium, and vitamin D supplements

• Avoiding nuts and raw fruits and vegetables when you have a flare-up

• Trying a dairy-free diet to see if it eases symptoms

• Not taking certain medicines that can cause a flare-up such as painkillers called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

• Avoiding stress