About Colitis Disease

Colitis is a constant inflammation of the colon, or large intestine, which is seemingly brought about by an immune system malfunction. Also known in medical circles as ulcerative colitis, this disease can bring with it such symptoms as pain and bouts of diarrhea. The symptoms can become so severe that a person may be unable to go about their daily routine until they are brought under control. Colitis along with a condition called Crohn's disease is classified as an inflammatory bowel disease. It affects men and women at an equal rate and the disease is incurable but can be managed.

Types

• There are different types of colitis. In ulcerative proctitis the inflammation is seen only in the rectal area - the very end of the digestive tract. The inflammation does not extend up into the colon. Left-sided colitis affects the region of the colon that goes up through the left side of an individual's colon parts called the sigmoid and descending colon and is confined to the left side of the person. Pancolitis is a colitis that inflames the whole colon while fulminant colitis is a hardly seen form of the disease which also encompasses the entire large intestine but is much more extreme and intense than pancolitis.

Cause

• The reason someone has colitis is not understood fully but the link to genetics and the immune system is being researched. People with colitis will normally have close relatives that also suffer from the condition, with this trait making heredity a factor when trying to find out what causes colitis. The immune system in a person with colitis tries to fight off non-existent pathogens in the colon, causing inflammation and ulcers to form on a section of the inner lining of the intestine. Why this occurs is not known but stress, which was once thought to cause colitis, is now seen as only making the symptoms worse and not an actual precipitator of the disease.

Symptoms

• Signs and symptoms of colitis are varied from individual to individual and differ in severity depending on where the inflammation brought about by the ailment occurs. In ulcerative proctitis the symptoms include bleeding from the rectal region, pain in the rectum, and feeling as if the person needs to have a bowel movement. Left sided colitis can cause a patient to have blood-filled diarrhea, with cramping in the abdomen and pain not at all uncommon. Weight loss can also be present in ulcerative colitis as it can be in pancolitis. This form brings with it long periods of bloody diarrhea and such things as night sweating, tiredness, pain, and extreme cramping. These are the same symptoms as fulminant colitis but they are magnified so much that shock and dehydration can result. The colon can actually rupture or become so distended that it becomes a medical priority.

Colonoscopy to diagnose colitis

• Blood tests are often used to attempt to diagnose colitis since the presence of certain antibodies in the blood can indicate the disease is at work. To see a person's colon and examine it thoroughly to reach a definitive diagnosis a doctor will employ a colonoscopy. During this procedure a long thin tube with a special camera and lighting system is sent up into a person's colon. The colonoscope as it is called then sends pictures of the colon back to a special monitor where a physician can look to see if the telltale inflammation and ulcers of the intestinal lining are present. Doctors can even take a tissue sample to be examined later during a colonoscopy to affirm whether the person is suffering from colitis.

Colitis Treatments

• Colitis treatments attempt to lessen the inflammation of the bowel which in turn will help greatly in bringing the symptoms of the disease under control. To do this a physician will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs such as Mesalamine and Balsalazid. Medications known as corticosteroids can also achieve this effect. Cyclosporine is just one of many commonly used immune system suppressor that doctors like to try against colitis as it can prompt the immune system to stop attacking the healthy colon. Treatments that can lessen the symptoms of colitis include anti-diarrheal medication and pain relievers. Colitis can cause anemia in some people meaning iron supplements may be necessary. If all else fails then surgery to take out the colitis-infected section of colon is sometimes a viable option.