Many people in the world suffer from Colitis. the symptoms of colitis are troublesome. find out what are the symptoms of colitis and why do they occur. Colitis is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases.
Ulcerative colitis is one of the major types of colitis that occur in humans. another inflammatory bowel disease which has similar symptoms is Crohn’s disease. for diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, it needs to be differentiated from crohn’s disease. in ulcerative colitis, ulcers form on the inner wall of the colon. the wall becomes inflamed.
Due to inflammation and formation of ulcers, the digestion of food does not take place properly resulting in frequent diarrhoea. the stools in colitis are semi-solid or liquid in nature with blood and mucus in it. due to blood loss through anal route, there is decrease in haemoglobin content of blood resulting in anaemia. due to improper digestion and absorption of nutrients, there is considerable weight loss. Fatigue and weakness is also common.
Abdominal bloating and cramping abdominal pain is present. Along with pain, there is tenderness all over abdomen. Mild fever is also present due to inflammation. Nausea and loss of appetite are other symptoms of colitis. different types of colitis are classified depending on the cause of colitis. Microcytic, lymphocytic, collagenous colitis are types where the cause is not known. Ischaemic colitis occurs due to lack of blood supply to the affected colon. When it is caused due to chemicals or drugs, it is called as chemical colitis.
Colitis can also occur due to infection with bacteria called as shigella dysentriae. this type of colitis is also called as infectious colitis. Ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease has autoimmune pathology. It means that there is dysfunction in the immune system of the body which can lead to colitis. All these types have more or less the same symptoms. Treatment of colitis is based upon the cause of colitis. If there is infection, antibiotics are used for treatment. Immunosuppressant drugs are required in colitis with autoimmune cause.
In severe cases, where the symptoms are severe in intensity, surgical treatment becomes necessary. Here the part of the affected colon which shows ulcers and structural changes is removed and the cut ends are joined with each other.