Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an acute or chronic inflammation of the membrane that lines the colon (the large intestine or large bowel). The inflammation occurs in the inner most layer of the colon and may result in the formation of sores (ulcers). Ulcerative colitis rarely affects the small intestine except for the lower most section, called the terminal ileum.
The inflammation makes the colon empty frequently
causing diarrhea. Ulcers
form in places where the inflammation has killed the cells lining the colon.
The ulcers bleed and produce pus and mucus.
Symptoms of
ulcerative colitis include abdominal pain, diarrhea,
rectal bleeding, a
recurrent urge to have a
bowel movement (tenesmus), lack of appetite,
fever, and
fatigue.
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody bowel movements are the hallmark of the
disease. The disease initially causes inflammation in the rectum and may
gradually spread to involve the whole colon. If just the rectum is involved, it
is referred to as
ulcerative proctitis.
Ulcerative colitis may be difficult to diagnose
because its symptoms may mimic other intestinal disorders such as
irritable
bowel syndrome.
Crohn's disease differs from ulcerative colitis in several ways: it causes inflammation deeper within the intestinal wall, it may occur anywhere in the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus, and is patchy in nature. While Crohn's disease most often occurs in the small intestine, there can be scattered lesions throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis affects only the colon and progresses proximally from the rectum in a continuous manner to potentially involve the rest of the colon.
There are an estimated 2 million people in the United States who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis is generally found in younger people and the diagnosis is often made in people between the ages of 15 and 30. Less frequently, the disease can also occur in people later in life, even past the age of 60. It affects both men and women equally, and there is a familial predisposition to its development. Those of Jewish heritage have a higher incidence of ulcerative colitis.
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Some people also may have a fever, may not feel hungry, and may lose weight. In severe cases, people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day.
The disease can also cause other problems, such as joint pain, eye problems, or liver disease.
In most people, the symptoms come and go. Some people go for months or years without symptoms (remission). Then they will have a flare-up. About 5 to 10 out of 100 people with ulcerative colitis have symptoms all the time.1
