Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms

Recognising Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms

Ulcerative colitis is one of the inflammatory bowel conditions which need to be treated immediately to avoid severe complications. Many people are unaware that they have the condition already; this is because the ulcerative colitis symptoms appear similar to other bowel conditions which can be temporarily treated through self care. If people visit their physicians immediately and if the ulcerative colitis symptoms are attended without delay, the prognosis of this kind of disease would be good.

What are the Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis?

The following are the most common symptoms for ulcerative colitis:

• abdominal pain
• bloody diarrhea
• fatigue
• weight loss
• loss of appetite
• rectal bleeding
• loss of body fluids and nutrients
• anemia caused by severe bleeding

Endoscopic image of ulcerative colitis affecting the left side of the colon.

Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms - Underlying Causes

Before knowing what the ulcerative colitis symptoms are, you need to know its underlying causes first. This will help you understand why such symptoms frequently and repeatedly manifest in a person. There can only be two causes of ulcerative colitis symptoms – it can either be inherited or self produced. This means that through unknown mechanisms inside our body, the symptoms begin to develop which causes ulceration in the lining of our large intestinal walls. If severe scathing is experienced by the intestines, it will lead to bleeding and other abdominal problems. It is best to see your doctor once you experience the ulcerative colitis symptoms.

Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms - Diagnostic Tests

A doctor may suspect a patient has ulcerative colitis if the patient has the symptoms described above. Examination of the stool may reveal the presence of blood and pus. Pus consists largely of white blood cells. The presence of white blood cells suggests an infection somewhere in the body.

The ulcerative colitis symptoms can be diagnosed through several ways. The doctor can perform an invasive viewing of your large intestines to determine what the problems are. The usual method used to confirm a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis is colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is a procedure that involves inserting a long, thin tube into a patient's rectum. The tube is then pushed upward into the colon. The tube may have a light, a camera, and a small knife attached at the end. The light and camera allow the doctor to examine the walls of the large intestine. The knife makes it possible to remove a small sample of tissue, which can then be studied under a microscope. The appearance of white blood cells in the tissue may confirm the presence of ulcerative colitis. 

 From time to time, the medical team will obtain blood samples from you to know if the bleeding problem continually occurs inside your abdomen. At times, an ultrasound or endoscopic examination would be helpful in the diagnosis of your symptoms.

Ulcerative Colitis Symptoms - Specific Treatment

What are the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and how are they treated? Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease can be treated symptomatically. Typically, doctors would prescribe medications which prevent the inflammation of your intestinal walls. Such drugs would include corticosteroids which can greatly lessen the ulceration in your stomach. Additionally, doctors can give anti-ulcer drugs to prevent accumulation of too much acid in your stomach. If severe symptoms occur such as bleeding, the doctor may require a blood transfusion. Oral medications will be replaced with parenteral or intravenous medications for faster effects.

The best way to prevent the ulcerative colitis symptoms from occurring is to practice a healthy lifestyle. It would also be helpful to have regular general checkups from your doctors in order to detect problems in good time.