What is ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a bowel disease. In this disease ignites the colon. Usually, the inflammation begins in the rectum (just above the anus), and then expanding to the rest of the large intestine. The colon is sometimes quite inflamed. Can ulcers in the lining of the intestine.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic. The inflammations come back regularly.
The disease may have serious consequences. In a very severe inflammation danger to life.
Ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune disease.
The disease is relatively common in people with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of rheumatism. Sometimes the disease in combination with a chronic eye inflammation (uveitis).
Ulcerative colitis is much like any other disease in which the intestines are inflamed: Crohn's disease. What are the differences?
Ulcerative colitis:
- The sores are usually superficial.
- The sores are only in the colon.
- The sores are sometimes so deep that the intestinal lining becomes corrupted on the outside.
- The sores may be in the entire digestive tract.
What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis ?
The symptoms of ulcerative colitis and the severity of the symptoms vary from person.
The most common symptoms are:
- Lengthy and often recurrent diarrhea.
- Constipation.
- Mucus and blood in the stool.
- Painful cramps stool.
- Anemia.
- Emaciation.
- High fever.
- Nausea.
- Do not feel like eating.
- Cramps after meals.
- Eye inflammation (uveitis).
- Painful, inflamed joints (especially knees, elbows, ankles and wrists).
- Abnormalities of the pelvis.
- Ankylosing spondylitis.
- Blisters or sores (ulcers) in the mouth.
- Inflammation of the bile ducts.
Complications of ulcerative colitis
A dreaded complication of ulcerative colitis is toxic megacolon. About to get any of the fifty people with colitis this. Toxic megacolon occurs when the ulcers in the intestine are so intense that the stool is no longer pushed by the intestine. Parts of the intestine, as it were paralyzed. By flatulence and stool swells in the intestine.
Evidence of a toxic megacolon are:
- High fever.
- Abdominal distension.
- Abdominal pain.
- Blood in the stool.
- Palpitations.
- Drowsiness.
The danger with toxic megacolon is that the intestine swells so strong that it tears (perforation). The stools then runs into the abdominal cavity and causes peritonitis. Peritonitis is life threatening.
The prevention of toxic megacolon is therefore very important. Doctors keep a person with a violent colitisaanval therefore extra closely.
If you have a toxic megacolon? Then the surgeon must remove the entire colon. This will prevent a perforation.
People suffering for years from severe ulcerative colitis have a higher risk of colon cancer. Therefore it is wise to regularly (every two years) to have a colonoscopy to do.
How does the doctor determine ulcerative colitis?
To determine whether you have ulcerative colitis, the doctor will first ask about your symptoms. Then follows an investigation. The doctor will assess whether you have a healthy weight. Then they examine your abdomen, anus, eyes, skin and joints.
The doctor also let your blood. So they can see if you are anemic, have another deficiency or inflammation. Then the doctor examines your stool.
After these studies clearly that you have an abnormality in the gut? Then follow more studies. For example:
- Colonoscopy.
- X-ray examination of the large intestine.
- Ultrasonography of the abdomen. The doctor can see the echo of your intestinal wall was thickened. It also shows a possible inflammation outside of the intestine.
- CT-scan.
Treatment for ulcerative colitis
Medications for ulcerative colitis
In ulcerative colitis you will receive medication. These drugs inhibit the inflammation that are already there off. They also prevent new infections. What medications you receive depends on the severity of your symptoms and the location of the inflammation. Also, you may get medicine for diarrhea and anemia. There are no medications that can cure ulcerative colitis.
The main drugs are:
- Mild anti-inflammatories. Examples are 5-ASA preparations (Salazopyrine, Dipentum, Pentasa, Asacol and Salofalk).
- Powerful anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids). Examples include prednisone and budesonide.
- Immune suppressing medications (immunosuppressants). Examples include Imuran and Ledertrexate.
- TNF blockers. This is a special group of immunosuppressant drugs. They inhibit the fabric TNF. TNF is a major cause of the inflammation. The doctor gives only TNF-blockers and other medications do not help.
Sometimes, surgery is needed. The surgeon has the inflamed part of the large intestine road. Then, it attaches the two ends of the bowel to each other. You may get a temporary stoma, so that your bowel can recover.
Do you really bothered by inflammation? Then the doctor will probably take away the entire colon. This is a major operation. You will have a stoma.
Sometimes it is possible to travel through the small intestine to the anus. The last piece of the small intestine, the surgeon creates a reservoir (pouch). This reservoir acts as rectum. The stools will go via the anus. A stoma is not necessary.
After removing the colon, you are forever cured of ulcerative colitis.
Pregnancy and ulcerative colitis
Women with ulcerative colitis may have just children. They will be less fertile as the ignition is on. It may also affect the menses treatment with corticosteroids (prednisone). This makes it harder to get pregnant. If the disease is 'quiet', most women are fertile plain.
You can expect the best with a pregnancy until the ignition is quiet. The chance that the symptoms worse than small.
Most drugs can be used safely during pregnancy. If you wish to become pregnant or are pregnant, talk with your doctor what medicines you can take.
Women with ulcerative colitis can give birth normally.
A stoma or pouch is almost never a reason not to have children.
Men with ulcerative colitis who use the drug Salazopyrine, sometimes temporarily less fertile or infertile. If you stop taking this medication, you're two months back to normal fertile.
Regimen at the Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
What can you do with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis?
- Give up smoking.
- Eat healthy. If you have little appetite, eat smaller meals more frequently.
- Drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters per day, with severe diarrhea more.
- Take enough rest.
- Try to avoid tension and stress. Stress has a negative effect on your illness. Learn to deal with stress. Yoga and relaxation exercises can help.
- Try to exercise regularly. That's good for your body and for your gut.