Diagnosis for Ulcerative Colitis
Doctors ask many questions when looking for signs and symptoms to diagnosis Ulcerative Colitis. The reason to this is because Ulcerative Colitis is very similar to other diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn's Disease. If the doctor cannot determine the type of colitis some patients will be with indeterminate colitis. Thus, the process for diagnosing can be a long one.
Doctors look for symptoms such as abnormal pain, blood in stool, ongoing diarrhea that doesn't stop even when taking medications, unexplained fevers that last more than 2 days, and diarrhea that wakes you from your sleep. As well the doctor may ask you the number of trips you take a day to the bathroom. As a guide, 2 to 5 trips in 24 hours indicates a mild attack, 5 to 10 trips indicates a moderate attack, and 10, 20, or even 30 trips indicates a severe attack of Ulcerative Colitis. These attacks may also occur every few weeks or every few years. A doctor may also look for signs such as blood in stool, weight loss, fatigue, and fevers to properly diagnose Ulcerative Colitis.
Ulcerative Colitis can begin at any age, but mostly between the ages of 15 and 30. There is also some cases of people being diagnosed at the ages of 45 and 60. As well, most people who are diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis are usually diagnosed before the age of 30. If you are diagnosed at a young age you are more likely to have severe symptoms.
There are many techniques and technologies that doctors use when diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis. Including, physical exams, blood tests, stool samples, endoscope, biopsy, air-contrast barium enema, colonoscopy, x-rays, CT scans, flexible sigmoidscopy, chromoendoscopy, computed tomography (CT) enterography and magnetic resonance (MR) enterography.
These techniques and technologies work very efficiently when diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis because the doctor can see inside the colon and determine the type of Ulcerative Colitis you have. The doctor diagnoses the type of Ulcerative Colitis that you have by how much your colon is affected. The types of Ulcerative Colitis that you can have is 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 sometimes shock.
Doctors look for symptoms such as abnormal pain, blood in stool, ongoing diarrhea that doesn't stop even when taking medications, unexplained fevers that last more than 2 days, and diarrhea that wakes you from your sleep. As well the doctor may ask you the number of trips you take a day to the bathroom. As a guide, 2 to 5 trips in 24 hours indicates a mild attack, 5 to 10 trips indicates a moderate attack, and 10, 20, or even 30 trips indicates a severe attack of Ulcerative Colitis. These attacks may also occur every few weeks or every few years. A doctor may also look for signs such as blood in stool, weight loss, fatigue, and fevers to properly diagnose Ulcerative Colitis.
Ulcerative Colitis can begin at any age, but mostly between the ages of 15 and 30. There is also some cases of people being diagnosed at the ages of 45 and 60. As well, most people who are diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis are usually diagnosed before the age of 30. If you are diagnosed at a young age you are more likely to have severe symptoms.
There are many techniques and technologies that doctors use when diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis. Including, physical exams, blood tests, stool samples, endoscope, biopsy, air-contrast barium enema, colonoscopy, x-rays, CT scans, flexible sigmoidscopy, chromoendoscopy, computed tomography (CT) enterography and magnetic resonance (MR) enterography.
These techniques and technologies work very efficiently when diagnosing Ulcerative Colitis because the doctor can see inside the colon and determine the type of Ulcerative Colitis you have. The doctor diagnoses the type of Ulcerative Colitis that you have by how much your colon is affected. The types of Ulcerative Colitis that you can have is 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 sometimes shock.