How to Know Colitis Symptoms

The symptoms of colitis can be extremely varied, depending on how much of the colon is involved in the inflammation process. In fact, because the symptoms are so widespread, colitis is categorized into a few different classes. It's also a disease whose symptoms are very similar to many other bowel diseases. In order to distinguish and diagnosis the different classes of colitis, it's a good idea to know some of the distinctly identifying symptoms.

Instructions

Know Colitis Symptoms

• 1

  Pay attention to rectal bleeding. This symptom, accompanied by a persistent feeling of needing to move your bowels but the inability to do so, can be a sign of ulcerative proctitis. This is as type of colitis in which the disease process is only in the rectum and causes only these symptoms.

• 2

  Check toilet tissue, stools and the toilet bowl for mucus-like substances. Often, with colitis, stools will be coated in mucus or pus, as well as being streaked with blood.

• 3

  Treat constipation as one of the less common symptoms of colitis. It's often associated with a loss of appetite and is dependent on what part of the colon is affected. Often patients with this symptom also experience severe, shooting pain in the rectum when attempting to evacuate their bowels.

• 4

  Regard weight-loss in combination with bloody diarrhea, significant abdominal cramping, night sweats and fatigue as a sign that ulcerative proctitis may have progressed. In the left-sided colitis, the left side of the colon and sigmoid are inflamed as well, while in pancolitis the inflammation has spread to the entire colon.

• 5

  Watch for fever, skin rashes, mouth sores and joint pain, which can indicate that an attack of ulcerative colitis is imminent. The inflammation caused by the disease can create other symptoms, which usually show up just before a full-blown flare-up.

• 6

  Ask your doctor to perform a blood test to check for anemia (low iron levels) if you are feeling overwhelming fatigue. Ongoing blood loss and inflammation can deplete the iron stores in your system. It's important to know whether this is the case so you can take supplements to boost your iron levels.