Ulcerative Colitis is a long-term disease that occurs when the end of the large intestine gets affected due to inflammation. It affects the inner lining of the large intestine.

It does not occur suddenly; it affects your bowel over time and your condition gets worst. It can be debilitating for you or sometimes it will lead you to life-threatening problems. It has a well-known cure and it can only be treated with prevention. You always have to check and be aware of what you are eating over time. This disease is becoming very common which is not a good sign. Always eat healthy and full nutritious food and clean your vitals.

What are the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis?

There are many symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis and they vary from one person to another depending on the current condition of a person. Some of the most common and known symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis are as given below:

  • In case of severe and constant condition of diarrhea, you can suspect that whether you have Ulcerative Colitis or not.
  • You might feel severe abdominal pain and cramps over time.
  • If you see that there is pus or blood in your stool then the situation is very alarming for you.
  • If there is pain and bleeding in your rectum then you should immediately consult your health advisor about Ulcerative Colitis
  • If you feel an urgency to defecate then you should be aware that if you are suffering from the disease or not.
  • Sometimes, you feel an urgency to defecate but couldn’t do so.
  • Due to a lack of diet and proper digestion, you gradually become weak and ultimately lose weight.
  • You remain fatigued all day.
  • You will have constant fever every now and then due to weakness.
  • If Ulcerative Colitis occurs in children, then they may face difficulty in their growth.

The severity of symptoms depends on how much your rectum is inflamed. It can be very impactful on your everyday life. For some people, symptoms may be mild but they have to take full care of themselves before it gets worst. The symptoms can go away or even you might not have them for months or years.

There can be some additional symptoms like joint pain, swelling in your joints, nausea, soreness of your mouth, inflammation in your eyes, and skin conditions.

Major Causes of Ulcerative Colitis

Doctors are not sure yet what exactly causes Ulcerative Colitis but researchers have concluded some key factors that are given below:

  • It is thought to be an autoimmune dysfunction caused by a genetic abnormality. In this, the body’s defense system is corrupted and works against itself, and damage the healthy tissue of the rectum and bowel.
  • There is a theory that your immune system mistakenly attacks the harmless bacteria and the tissue of the colon gets affected by this attack.
  • It mostly runs in the family that is why if one of your close relatives has it then there are high chances of developing it in your body. You should be aware of this phenomenon and take care of yourself.
  • Other environmental conditions like space where you live in polluted or you use polluted water and junk food then there may be a chance that you will diagnose with Ulcerative Colitis.

 

Risk Factors of Ulcerative Colitis

There are many factors that can risk your life with Ulcerative Colitis we will learn here few of them as below:

  • Age is a major factor that can happen to any one of you. Researchers have concluded that the age between 16 to 28 is more vulnerable than any other. At some point, people of age above 55 are more likely to be seen with Ulcerative Colitis.
  • Ethnicity plays an important role in the development of many diseases. If you are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent then the chances are high for you to develop Ulcerative Colitis.
  • There is a high chance that if it runs in your family then you are at risk of developing it at any point of your age so you should be aware of the risk.
  • It is not necessary that any type of food may trigger it but don’t take any chance and have a healthy diet to eliminate the risk of having Ulcerative Colitis.

Complications of Ulcerative Colitis

Some of the possible complications of Ulcerative Colitis are given below:

  • There may be severe bleeding in your rectum and it can be very painful for you to handle.
  • There is a slight chance that you got a perforated colon due to Ulcerative Colitis but it is very rare.
  • You may experience severe dehydration problems.
  • Osteoporosis[i] may occur to you in this disease.
  • Inflammation of multiple body parts like eyes, joints, or skin can be experienced.
  • There is a slight chance that colon cancer may develop in your body if it will not be diagnosed on time.

Diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis

It is very important for you to properly diagnose Ulcerative Colitis because you have to make sure if there is any other gut-related disease. There are multiple procedures that can be applied to diagnose the disease but we will discuss a few of them as below:

  • A blood test is a primary procedure that will determine the internal condition of your body. Anemia and inflammation can be diagnosed with it.
  • The study of your stool samples can be effective to determine if you have the disease or not.
  • A flexible sigmoidoscopy[ii] can tell your doctor the internal condition of the lower part of your colon. This procedure can be painful for you but it is very effective to determine the exact cause of the disease.
  • X-Ray of your abdomen can be effective to diagnose Ulcerative Colitis. Doctors can determine whether the condition is out of hands or not and other complications like perforated colon can be seen through it.
  • CT Scan can be taken if the doctors see any complications in your case. It will eradicate the suspicions of the doctors.

 

[i] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4443-osteoporosis

 

[ii] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gastroenterology_hepatology/clinical_services/basic_endoscopy/flexible_sigmoidoscopy.html