Symptoms Of Ulcerative Colitis - What To Look For

When the large intestine or colon becomes inflamed, it is known as ulcerative colitis. The colon is part of the excretory system where the waste material is stored before expulsion through the rectum and anus. The inner lining of the colon gets inflamed and ulcerated in patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. This often leads to symptoms which can include rectal bleeding, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Cohn's disease is a similar condition with inflammation of the intestines. Both these diseases together are referred to as IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and they affect anywhere from half to two million people in the US alone. They are found equally in men and women, and they manifest during the adolescence period or early adulthood. Sometimes, IBD also begins during childhood. It is not very clear as to what really causes ulcerative colitis. There is no evidence to suggest that the disease is contagious or is caused by an infection.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis

Diarrhea and rectal bleeding are the most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis. However, there are a number of other symptoms as well, depending on the extent to which the rectum and the colon are inflamed and the intensity of inflammation. Symptoms are typically mild when only the rectum and a small adjoining portion of the colon are inflamed.

Based on the extent and the location of inflammation, ulcerative colitis is classified into different types. When the inflammation is confined to the rectum alone, it is known as ulcerative proctitis. Intermittent mild bleeding of the rectum might be the only symptom for people suffering from ulcerative proctitis. When the rectal inflammation is more severe, patients may experience rectal pain and sometimes a sudden urgency to defecate.

When the sigmoid colon which is a short colon segment connected to the rectum is inflamed along with the rectum, the condition is known as Proctosigmoiditis. The symptoms of this condition are very similar to that of ulcerative proctitis. In some cases, patients might also experience cramps and bloody diarrhea.

When the rectum and the left colon which consists of the sigmoid colon and the descending colon are inflamed, it is known as left-sided colitis. Weight loss, abdominal cramps, left-sided abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea are the main symptoms of left-sided colitis.

When the right, transverse, and left colon along with the rectum are inflamed, the condition is called Pan colitis or universal colitis. The symptoms include those of left-sided colitis, as well as fever, night sweats and fatigue. Generally, pan colitis is more difficult to treat than colitis that is more restricted to one region.

A severe but rare form of pan colitis is Fulminate colitis where patients become very ill and suffer from dehydration, prolonged diarrhea with bleeding, severe abdominal pain and sometimes even shock.

Ulcerative colitis most often stays within the same region, but in some rare cases can also spread to other regions of the colon.