What Is Ulcerative Colitis?

An inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which inflammation causes damage to the large intestine - the colon and rectum. It is a chronic disease without medical cure at the present time.

Types of Ulcerative Colitis

• Ulcerative Proctitis
• Proctosigmoiditis
• Left-sided Colitis
• Pan-ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms

• Diarrhea
• Blood in the stool
• Abdominal Cramping
• False alarms of the rectum
• Fever
• Weight loss
• Mouth sores
• Joint pain

Causes

• Ulcerative colitis is a complex disease with many interacting causes:
• Genetics – inherited genes that increase the risk of ulcerative colitis
• Environmental triggers - intestinal infections, diet, stress and use of certain medications
• Abnormal immune system – glitches in the body's immune system make it react too strongly to the environmental triggers

Making the Diagnosis

• Stool tests
• Blood tests
• Colonoscopy with biopsies