Ulcerative Colitis

 
 

Overview

A condition involving the formation of ulcers and inflammation of the innermost layer of the colon and rectum of the digestive tract.

There are four types of ulcerative colitis classified based on the location of the body:

Ulcerative proctitis
Proctosigmoiditis
Left-sided colitis
Pancolitis

Common Symptoms

Fatigue, fever, nausea, weight loss, diarrhea, passing blood with stool, rectal pain, rectal bleeding, the urgency to defecate, and abdominal pain.

Symptoms of various forms of ulcerative colitis:

Ulcerative proctitis
Proctosigmoiditis
Left-sided colitis
Pancolitis

Coexisting Diseases and Conditions

Anemia, colorectal cancer, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, lichen planus, and autoimmune hepatitis.

Recent research shows that inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) may lead to the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Risk Factors and Prevalence

Ulcerative colitis is more likely to develop between the ages of 15 and 30 years old. Research has also indicated that family history of the disease is a risk factor. Ulcerative colitis is generally more common amongst Caucasians. Jewish populations, specifically Ashkenazi Jews, have a high prevalence of the disease. 

Sources

  1. Article Sources
    1. Childers, R. E., Eluri, S., Vazquez, C., Weise, R. M., Bayless, T. M., & Hutfless, S. (2014). Family history of inflammatory bowel disease among patients with ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Crohn’s & colitis, 8(11), 1480–1497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crohns.2014.05.008.

    2. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Ulcerative Colitis: Symptoms, Treatment, Living With It & Diagnosis. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10351-ulcerative-colitis

    3. Misra, R., Faiz, O., Munkholm, P., Burisch, J., & Arebi, N. (2018). Epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in racial and ethnic migrant groups. World journal of gastroenterology, 24(3), 424–437. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v24.i3.424.

    4. Schiff, E. R., Frampton, M., Semplici, F., Bloom, S. L., McCartney, S. A., Vega, R., Lovat, L. B., Wood, E., Hart, A. L., Crespi, D., Furman, M. A., Mann, S., Murray, C. D., Segal, A. W., & Levine, A. P. (2018). A New Look at Familial Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population. Digestive diseases and sciences, 63(11), 3049–3057. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-018-5219-9.

    5. Parakala, M. (n.d.). Fatigue, sleep, and IBD – A patient perspective. ImproveCareNow. Retrieved from https://www.improvecarenow.org/fatigue_sleep_and_ibd_a_patient_perspective