What is Ulcerative Colitis

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Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers. This happens in the lining of the rectum and colon. Ulcers form where inflammation has killed the cells that usually line the colon, then bleed and produce pus. Ulcerative colitis is usually continuous from the rectum onwards, with the rectum almost universally being involved. There is rarely peri-anal disease, but cases have been reported. This ulcer causes diarrhoea, bleeding and mucus. With time the patient may become anaemic, protein and salt depleted.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms can vary from mild to severe. For some people the condition is a minor inconvenience, while for others it can seriously impact on their quality of life. Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis include severe and persistent pain in the abdomen, sores of the bowel, diarrhea/stool softening, bleeding from the intestine, weight loss, and perhaps fever. Due to blood loss, patients can suffer anemia.

Inflammation in Ulcerative Colitis Inflammation is a process that often occurs in order to fight off foreign invaders in the body including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. In response to such organisms, the body's immune system begins to produce a variety of cells and chemicals intended to stop the invasion.

In the case of Ulcerative colitis cells from the immune system are collected in the bowel wall, this leads to inflammation, injuring the bowel. This injury causes tissues of the affected part of the body, normally the colon and rectum to become swollen, red, warm, and painful especially its mucous membranes. The inflamed membranes develop patches of tiny ulcers, causing diarrhea that contains blood and mucus. Inflammation usually begins in the rectum and lower intestine and spreads upward to the entire colon.

Ulcerative colitis is largely a disease of nonsmokers and patients who have quit smoking. This illness is usually chronic, with repeated flare-ups and remissions.This means there are times when you feel well and times when you feel ill. Half of the people who have ulcerative colitis have only mild symptoms. A rapidly progressive initial attack results in serious complications in about 10% of people.

Ulcerative colitis is frequently associated with extraintestinal inflammatory manifestations. In the respiratory tract these usually take the form of chronic bronchitis, which occasionally develops into bronchiectasis Ulcerative Colitis Stats and Facts Ulcerative colitis is generally found in younger people, before they reach age 30. But the disease can occur in people in their 60s and later in life .About 80% are between the ages of 20 and 40 years in UK. Approximately 600,000 people in the United States are affected. Ulcerative colitis is

statistically 20% hereditary. It is more common in people of Jewish descent. 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 recently observed in developing nations .

Diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis with Blood Test Blood tests may be done to check for anemia, which could indicate bleeding in the colon or rectum. Following this, the patient generally undergoes an evaluation of the colon, using one of two tests -- a sigmoidoscopy or total colonoscopy.

Blood tests may also uncover a high white blood cell count, which is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body.

The best way to confirm a diagnosis and locate the area of infection is through a procedure called endoscopy. Blood disorders have been reported and some have been fatal. The most common and distinct symptom of this illness is when blood is found in the stool. colitis rarely affects the small intestine except for the lower section, the ileum.

Ulcerative colitis drugs and treatment Medical treatment with medications taken orally or rectally, is the first therapeutic option for people with ulcerative colitis However, about 25 to 40 percent of patients with ulcerative colitis will eventually require surgery.

Ulcerative colitis is usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs based on various preparations of the drug 5-ASA such as Pentasa, Asacol and Dipentum. They are usually in tablet form. These drugs reduce the inflammation in the colon and are usually continued long term since they have been shown to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

A typical example of a 5-ASA drug is Sulfasalazine (SASP). Its has been used for treating ulcerative colitis for decades. SASP is made up of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) linked to a sulfur molecule. Sulfasalazine is the most commonly used of these drugs. It can be used for as long as needed and can be given along with other drugs.

Another known anti-inflammatory drug is Corticosteroids .Just like most drugs it can cause you to gain weight and can bring on a case of acne, facial hair, hypertension, mood swings, night sweats, insomnia, and other problems. More serious side effects include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes,osteoporosis, bone fractures, cataracts and an increased susceptibility to infections.

Once the corticosteroids have done their job, your doctor may prescribe sulfasalazine or mesalamine to prevent flare-ups. Some patients have cured there illness by removing the colon, though crohn's colitis is likely to recur in the small bowel after the colon is removed.

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