Introduction to Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that creates long-lasting inflammation and ulcers (sores) in your digestive system. Specifically it only affects your innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Those organs are apart of your gastrointestinal tract or GI tract for short. The functions of those organs is to remove water from undigested material, and store the remaining waste and to defecate the remaining waste stored in the colon.
Ulcerative Colitis can affect you just in the rectum (Ulcerative Procitis). The rectum and small part of the colon (Proctosigmoiditis). The rectum and just the left side of the colon (Left-sided Colitis)and the entire colon and rectum (Pancolitis). As well there is a rare type of Ulcerative Colitis in which it affects the entire colon and rectum, but is very severe and the patient will become extremely ill with dehydration, cramps, bloody diarrhea, and even shock.
Inflammation means, "Being set on fire." In Ulcerative Colitis this occurs when a tissue is damaged or destroyed. In Ulcerative Colitis your colon and rectum, depending on the type of Ulcerative Colitis that you have, will create pain, heat, redness, and swelling. The damage done from Ulcerative Colitis affects the innermost lining of your colon and the surface becomes raw, bleeds easily, and looks a lot like scraped skin.Thus, leading to destruction of the colon tissues and permanent scarring on your rectum and colon.
The cause to Ulcerative Colitis is unknown, but there are a few ideas and factors that contribute to receiving Ulcerative Colitis. Diet and stress may aggravate the disease, but the possible causes could be heredity, and possibly an immune system malfunction. An abnormal immune response may cause your immune system to attack the cells in your digestive tract instead of fixing the abnormality. As well it may be caused from malnutrition of the inner lining of your colon when it doesn't receive its chain of fatty acids. A few risk factors for Ulcerative Colitis is age, race or ethnicity, and family history.
Ulcerative Colitis affects everyone differently.
The symptoms for Ulcerative Colitis do not occur suddenly, but develop over time. In some cases the symptoms can be mild, moderate, and even severe attacks of pain, bloody diarrhea, urgency to defecate, fevers, rectal pain, in children, failure to grow, and fatigue. These symptoms arise because the inflammation in your colon creates pain, and bleeds easily. Thus, cramps, bloody diarrhea, urgency to defecate, and rectal pain arise because of the surface of your colon and rectum is raw and damaged which creates the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis. As well, during the attacks of Ulcerative Colitis your colon loses its function to store remaining wastes. Thus, leading to diarrhea and the urgency to defecate. In infants Ulcerative Colitis is rare. But in children Ulcerative Colitis is more aggressive and is possible. In children they have more intestinal complications, but fewer non-intestinal problems than adults. They have symptoms such as failure to grow because the Ulcerative Colitis takes away their nutrients to grow.
Ulcerative Colitis is diagnosed according to how much your large intestine and/or rectum is affected. As well Ulcerative Colitis can lead to life-threatening complications if not treated.
Ulcerative Colitis can affect you just in the rectum (Ulcerative Procitis). The rectum and small part of the colon (Proctosigmoiditis). The rectum and just the left side of the colon (Left-sided Colitis)and the entire colon and rectum (Pancolitis). As well there is a rare type of Ulcerative Colitis in which it affects the entire colon and rectum, but is very severe and the patient will become extremely ill with dehydration, cramps, bloody diarrhea, and even shock.
Inflammation means, "Being set on fire." In Ulcerative Colitis this occurs when a tissue is damaged or destroyed. In Ulcerative Colitis your colon and rectum, depending on the type of Ulcerative Colitis that you have, will create pain, heat, redness, and swelling. The damage done from Ulcerative Colitis affects the innermost lining of your colon and the surface becomes raw, bleeds easily, and looks a lot like scraped skin.Thus, leading to destruction of the colon tissues and permanent scarring on your rectum and colon.
The cause to Ulcerative Colitis is unknown, but there are a few ideas and factors that contribute to receiving Ulcerative Colitis. Diet and stress may aggravate the disease, but the possible causes could be heredity, and possibly an immune system malfunction. An abnormal immune response may cause your immune system to attack the cells in your digestive tract instead of fixing the abnormality. As well it may be caused from malnutrition of the inner lining of your colon when it doesn't receive its chain of fatty acids. A few risk factors for Ulcerative Colitis is age, race or ethnicity, and family history.
Ulcerative Colitis affects everyone differently.
The symptoms for Ulcerative Colitis do not occur suddenly, but develop over time. In some cases the symptoms can be mild, moderate, and even severe attacks of pain, bloody diarrhea, urgency to defecate, fevers, rectal pain, in children, failure to grow, and fatigue. These symptoms arise because the inflammation in your colon creates pain, and bleeds easily. Thus, cramps, bloody diarrhea, urgency to defecate, and rectal pain arise because of the surface of your colon and rectum is raw and damaged which creates the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis. As well, during the attacks of Ulcerative Colitis your colon loses its function to store remaining wastes. Thus, leading to diarrhea and the urgency to defecate. In infants Ulcerative Colitis is rare. But in children Ulcerative Colitis is more aggressive and is possible. In children they have more intestinal complications, but fewer non-intestinal problems than adults. They have symptoms such as failure to grow because the Ulcerative Colitis takes away their nutrients to grow.
Ulcerative Colitis is diagnosed according to how much your large intestine and/or rectum is affected. As well Ulcerative Colitis can lead to life-threatening complications if not treated.