Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis: Introduction
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, ongoing disease of the lower digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The hallmarks of ulcerative colitis are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea due to inflammation and the development of open sores (ulcers) in the large intestine (colon) and rectum.
Ulcerative colitis is one of several types of inflammatory bowel disease that include Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Like other inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis can seriously affect a person's ability to work, attend school, travel or complete other normal activities of daily living. Serious complications of the ulcerative colitis include massive bleeding, colon rupture, and the possible development of colon cancer. About 25%-40% of people with ulcerative colitis eventually have their colons removed because of these complications. Complications may also include the development of arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease, and osteoporosis. On the other hand, about half of people with ulcerative colitis experience only mild symptoms.
There may be a familial connection with ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases. About 20% of people with ulcerative colitis have a family member with the disease or with Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis can occur in any age group, but most often begins in people between 15 and 30 years of age. It occurs less often in people 50 and 70 years of age, but seems to affect men and women equally. Other people with a higher risk of developing the disease in include those of Jewish descent and Caucasians.
Symptoms of Ulcerative colitis
- Recurring attacks of symptoms varying in intensity and frequency
- Symptoms of severe attacks:
- more symptoms...»
See full list of 40
symptoms of Ulcerative colitis
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Ulcerative colitis:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- Digestive-Related Home Testing:
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Ulcerative colitis: Complications
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Disease Topics Related To Ulcerative colitis
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Ulcerative colitis:
Medical Textbooks Online about Ulcerative colitis
Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Diagnostic Tests for Ulcerative colitis
Read more about tests for Ulcerative colitis
Wrongly Diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis: Medical Mistakes
Ulcerative colitis: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
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Ulcerative colitis: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Ulcerative colitis
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed.
The best known,...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance.
The digestive system contains a variety of "good"...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria,
but can also...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning).
In fact, it's more...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
(it can, of course, also...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, ...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis: Research Doctors & Specialists
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Hospitals & Clinics: Ulcerative colitis
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Ulcerative colitis:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
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on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Ulcerative colitis: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Causes of Ulcerative colitis
See full list of 6
causes of Ulcerative colitis
More information about causes of Ulcerative colitis:
Treatments for Ulcerative colitis
See full list of 35
treatments for Ulcerative colitis
News Archives for Ulcerative colitis
Medical news articles related to Ulcerative colitis include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Ulcerative colitis
Medical research articles related to Ulcerative colitis include:
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
Videos for Ulcerative colitis
Not too long ago doctors thought stomach ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods. In 1982 researchers discovered a bacteria that changed our...
This program discusses medical issues affecting children diagnosed with Crohn's disease and ulcerative coltitis, types of inflammatory bowel...
Yogurt, probiotics and nutritional therapy can be a comfort to people living with inflammatory bowel disease. Listen to experts discuss this approach...
People with Crohn's and colitis can become malnourished because they can't absorb certain nutrients. Listen to experts discuss the complex...
See full list of 28 related videos
Patient Surveys for Ulcerative colitis
Prognosis for Ulcerative colitis
Prognosis for Ulcerative colitis:
Patients with ulcerative colitis usually have an intermittent course, with periods of disease inactivity alternating with "flares" of disease. Patients with proctitis or left-sided colitis usually have a more benign course: only 15% progress proximally with their disease, and up to 20% can have sustained remission in the absence of any therapy. Patients with more extensive disease are less likely to sustain remission, but the rate of remission is independent of the severity of disease.
More about prognosis of Ulcerative colitis
Reseach about Ulcerative colitis
Visit our research pages for current research about Ulcerative colitis treatments.
Clinical Trials for Ulcerative colitis
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Ulcerative colitis include:
See full list of 71
Clinical Trials for Ulcerative colitis
Statistics for Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis: Broader Related Topics
Types of Ulcerative colitis
Curable Types of Ulcerative colitis
Possibly curable types of Ulcerative colitis include:
Rare Types of Ulcerative colitis:
Rare types of Ulcerative colitis include:
- Celiac disease associated ulcerative colitis
- Dermatitis hepetiformis associated ulcerative colitis
- Systemic and discoid lupus associated ulcerative colitis
- Rheumatoid arthritis associated ulcerative colitis
- Ankylosing spondylitis associated ulcerative colitis
- more types...»
Stories from Users Related to Ulcerative colitis
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Article Excerpts about Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes
inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the top layers of the lining of
the large intestine. The inflammation usually occurs in the rectum and
lower part of the colon, but it may affect the entire colon. Ulcerative
colitis rarely affects the small intestine except for the lower section,
called the ileum. Ulcerative colitis may also be called colitis, ileitis,
or proctitis.
(Source: excerpt from Ulcerative Colitis: NIDDK)
Definitions of Ulcerative colitis:
Chronic, recurrent ulceration of the colon mucosa and submucosa.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
A serious chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine and rectum characterized by recurrent episodes of abdominal pain and fever and chills and profuse diarrhea
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Ophanet, a consortium of European partners,
currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000.
They list Ulcerative colitis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet
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