What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?
The first symptom is a progressive loosening of the feces. The patient may have a crampy abdominal pain with a severe urge to have a bowel movement. Diarrhea may begin slowly or suddenly. Symptoms vary according to how much of the colon is affected and how inflamed it is. The most common symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloody diarrhea with mucus
The following symptoms are also possible:
- Fatigue
- Loss of weight
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
- Elevated temperature
- Dehydration
- Tenesmus (wanting to empty the bowels constantly)
Many patients with ulcerative colitis may have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all for long periods. Unfortunately, without treatment symptoms eventually return. Below are the signs and symptoms that may accompany ulcerative colitis, depending on how it is classified:
Proctitis - inflammation is just within the rectum
Signs and symptoms include:
- Rectal bleeding (for some patients this is the only symptom)
- Rectal pain
- Feeling of urgency or an inability to move the bowels even though there is an urge to do so.
Proctitis is usually the mildest form of ulcerative colitis.
Left-sided colitis - inflammation includes the rectum, up the left side through the sigmoid and descending colon.
Signs and symptoms include:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping on left side
- Weight loss
Pancolitis- the whole colon is affected.
Signs and symptoms include:
- Bloody diarrhea (some bouts may be severe)
- Abdominal cramps
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
- Considerable weight loss
Fulminant colitis - a rare form of colitis that can be fatal. The whole colon is affected.
Signs and symptoms include:
- Severe pain
- Severe diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and shock
Fulminant colitis patients are at risk of colon rupture and toxic megacolon
What is ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a condition which involves inflammation and ulceration of the lining of the large intestine, medically called as colon. (Colitis= inflammation of colon).
The inflammation usually occurs in the rectum and the lower part of the colon, but it may also affect the entire colon. The colon is a vital part of the digestive system where waste material is stored. Due to the inflammation in the inner lining of the colon, it causes the colon to empty more often and leads to symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding. Depending upon which portion of intestine is most affected by UC, it is put under various types as follows.
Inflammation of
- Entire colon -Pancolitis (pan =entire, colitis=inflammation of colon)
- Rectum- Proctitis
- Sigmoid colon (S shaped portion of colon located just above the rectum) - Sigmoiditis
- Beyond sigmoid colon- Left-sided colitis
- Entire colon is affected; rare form - Fulminant colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease and is notorious for its waxing and waning nature.
Usually the patients of ulcerative colitis have alternating periods of relative health where the patient is symptom-free or experiences very mild symptoms (remissions) alternating with periods of active disease (relapse or flare).
Fortunately, as treatment has improved, the proportion of people with continued symptoms appears to have diminished significantly.
Ulcerative colitis is frequently referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and affects approximately 500,000 to 2 million people in the United States alone. The disease affects men and women equally and appears to run in the family. It commonly begins between ages 15 and 30, or less commonly between 50 and 70.