What is Ulcerative Colitis?

In ulcerative colitis, the inner lining of the large intestine or bowel (colon) and the rectum become inflamed, irritated and swollen. The colon becomes ulcerated, causing bleeding. Ulcerative colitis can affect the entire colon, but it is usually in the rectum and the lower part of the colon. Swelling from ulcerative colitis can make the colon empty often, which causes diarrhea.

People of all age groups can get ulcerative colitis, but it usually begins between the ages of 15 and 30 and it affects males and females equally.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis Show

There is no known cause for ulcerative colitis, but one theory is that the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or bacteria and causes swelling in the intestine. This reaction cannot stop and causes ongoing intestinal swelling.

As with Crohn’s disease, immune system issues commonly occur alongside ulcerative colitis, although it’s not yet known if they are a side effect or a cause of the disease.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis Show

The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are stomach pain and bloody diarrhea (loose bowel movements). Other symptoms that can occur include:

Rectal bleeding (blood in bowel movements)
Fatigue (tiredness)
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Skin problems
Joint pain

Diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis Show

Ulcerative colitis is diagnosed by a complete medical history and physical examination along with medical tests. These tests are done to make sure the disease is ulcerative colitis and not something else that causes diarrhea.

Blood tests check for anemia (low red blood cell count) and can show if there is an increased number of white blood cells, which may mean an infection or inflammation is somewhere in the body.
Stool cultures tell if there is an infection by a parasite, virus or bacteria. Stool can also be tested for blood that is not seen on the stool.
Sigmoidoscopy allows the doctor to see swelling in the rectum and lower colon lining by using a flexible tube with a light and camera lens at the end.
Colonoscopy is a test that uses a long, flexible tube with a light and camera lens at the end, allowing the doctor to examine the lining of the entire colon.
Biopsy is a tissue sample taken for examination and testing in a laboratory. For ulcerative colitis, the tissue sample is taken from the lining of the large bowel during a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
Upper gastrointestinal / GI series examines the stomach and small intestine. Barium is swallowed and followed with an X-ray of the intestine.
CT (Computed Tomography) scan is a CAT scan, which uses X-ray to take pictures of the inside of the body so the doctors can look at the entire bowel for thickening or inflammation.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) takes pictures of the entire body but does not use radiation. This scan also allows the doctors to look at the entire bowel for thickening or swelling.

Treating Ulcerative Colitis Show

Treatment for ulcerative colitis is different from one child to another. What helps one patient may not help another.

Read about treatment options.