Ulcerative Colitis

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease of the large intestine, in which the lining of the colon becomes inflamed and develops tiny open sores, or ulcers. This condition is the result of your immune system’s overactive response. Ulcerative colitis is a disease in which there is chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. The inflammation can cause the lining tissue to break down, forming ulcerations that can bleed. Inflammation can involve the entire colon or only parts of it. Almost always, ulcerative colitis requires treatment.

What are the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis symptoms can vary, depending on the severity of inflammation and where it occurs. Signs and symptoms may include:

Diarrhea, often with blood or pus
Abdominal pain and cramping
Rectal pain
Rectal bleeding — passing small amount of blood with stool
Urgency to defecate
Inability to defecate despite urgency
Weight loss
Fatigue
Fever
In children, failure to grow

What causes Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative Colitis may be the result of an overactive immune system. However, it’s unclear why some immune systems respond by attacking the large intestines and not others.Factors that may play a role in who develops UC include:

Genes You may inherit a gene from a parent that increases your chance.
Other immune disorders you have one type of immune disorder, your chance for developing a second is higher.
Environmental factors Bacteria, viruses, and antigens may trigger your immune system.

How do we Diagnose Ulcerative Colitis?

One of the simplest ways to diagnose ulcerative colitis is by a colonoscopy where an endoscope is passed through the anus into the colon and multiple biopsies are taken from the colon and a study of these bits of colonic mucosa usually confirms the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.

How is Ulcerative Colitis treated?

A large number of patients with ulcerative colitis respond very well to medical treatment. The medicines are either given in the form of tablets or in some cases they are given in the form of enemas, a liquid medicine given through the anus.

Patients who do not respond to these medicines or patients who become dependent on these medicines meaning when they take the medicine they are all great but when they stop the medicine the disease comes back or patients who have developed cancer because of ulcerative colitis. These are the groups of patients who may need a surgical treatment.

What is the surgical treatment offered to Ulcerative colitis patients?

during surgery for patients of ulcerative colitis total proctocolectomy with Ileal pouch anal anastomosis is done. this surgery is done in 2 or 3 stages. rarely it may also be done in a single stage. this is a major surgery which involves removal of the total diseased colon and rectum, making a pouch of tthe terminal ileum and anastomosing it to the anal canal. this surgery is done laparoscopically too.