Symptoms

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis may include:

• Diarrhea or rectal urgency. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day. The urge to go to the bathroom may wake you up at night.
• Rectal bleeding. The disease usually causes bloody diarrhea and mucus. You also may have rectal pain and an urgent need to empty your bowels.
• Belly pain, often described as cramping. Your belly may be sore when touched.
• Constipation. This symptom may develop depending on what part of the colon is affected. Constipation is much less common than diarrhea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop.
• Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
• Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people get anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or intestinal inflammation.

Other conditions with symptoms similar to ulcerative colitis include Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colon cancer.