7 Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis to Watch Out For

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that affects many people. It is considered to be an inflammatory disease and it tends to cause inflammation in the digestive tract of an individual. This disease can commonly be found in the large intestine. This is within the inner most lining in the intestine. When a person is diagnosed with this disease, they are considered to be at a higher risk for getting colon cancer at some point in their life. Most will claim that there is no cure for this disease currently. This can be chronic, and it can last for a lifetime, but there are ways to treat it and live with it.



How Ulcerative Colitis Is Diagnosed

There are some quality treatments that are available to treat this disease. It does require a medical diagnosis and tests from a lab, or some imaging will be required in order to accurately diagnose this disease. This is not considered to be a common disease because less than 200,000 cases are seen in the United States per year. It is important to be aware of the symptoms in order to get a valid diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.

Warning Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis can have an impact on your general health while reducing your quality of life. Each case is going to differ from the next and the symptoms tend to vary from one case to the next. There are some commonly seen symptoms and warning signs that are associated with ulcerative colitis. The first step is to get a valid diagnosis and to be fully aware of the symptoms and the ways they are affecting your health. It depends on the severity of the inflammation along with the location. The severity of the symptoms can be very mild, or they can be very severe. The following are symptoms that are associated with ulcerative colitis:

  1. Low energy and fatigue

  2. An urgency to defecate

  3. Pain in the abdominal area with cramping

  4. Loss of weight

  5. Fever

  6. Children may experience a failure to grow

  7. Diarrhea (pus and blood may be noticed)

There may be other symptoms that are associated with the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Many people will keep a symptom journal as they are getting evaluated for a valid diagnosis. It is common for people to experience changes in their bowel habits and the changes do not respond to common medications. The symptoms and changes will be a clear sign that professional medical attention is necessary. The hope for treatment is remission as the outcome.

 

Treatments For Ulcerative Colitis

If you have been diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis, you will be pleased to know that is can be treated with surgery and medicine in many cases. Various medications have been used to relieve the symptoms of this disease. There are FDA approved prescribed drugs that are worth checking into for treatment options. Various medications will stop a flare. Medications are intended to turn down the immune system and fight the inflammation. A physician will provide useful information about side effects and a prescription will be needed for many of the current drugs used to treat this disease. There are some herbal remedies currently being used as a medical treatment to foster a remission in terms of the symptoms. Sometimes the needed nutrients do not get absorbed and added supplements are given to promote better health.