Markethealthbeauty.com – Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the colon and the end of the colon that is connected to the anus (rectum). This condition is often characterized by continuous diarrhea, accompanied by blood or pus in the stool.
Ulcerative colitis usually start from the formation of wounds in the rectum, and then spread upwards. The wounds in this colon cause the sufferer more frequent bowel movements and feces that come out accompanied by blood or pus.
Symptoms of Ulcerative colitis will disappear and arise throughout the life of the sufferer. However, proper treatment can help relieve symptoms and prevent the disease from relapse. Ulcerative colitis is one of the inflammatory diseases of the intestine, in addition to Crohn’s disease.
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis
Some of the symptoms that arise in ulcerative colitis include:
- Diarrhea accompanied by blood, mucus, or pus.
- Stomach pain or cramps.
- Often want to defecate, but the stool tends not to be out.
- Fatigue.
- Pain in the rectum.
- Weight loss.
- Fever.
- Severe attacks that marked by defecation more than 6 times a day, irregular heartbeat, as well as a rapid breath.
Causes of Ulcerative Colitis
The cause of ulcerative colitis is not necessarily known, but is suspected to be caused by an autoimmune response, which is an abnormal immune system. Consequently, the immune system attacks the cells of the digestive system itself.
Ulcerative Colitis Test
If you experience any of the above symptoms, you should see a primary doctor or family physician, who can check your condition by doing some tests.
After examining your symptoms, the doctor will perform a physical examination and test, which includes:
Blood test
The blood test will show whether there is any inflammation or infection that occurs in the body
Stool samples
Like blood tests, stool samples can indicate an infection through a white blood cell, the doctor will also check if there is blood on the stool, as this will indicate a problem with the intestines.
The intestinal binoculars (colonoscopy)
This is a test where the thin-lit equipment is inserted into the intestines to examine the inflammation or the presence of ulcers. During a colonoscopy, the doctor may take an example of your intestinal lining and examine it in the laboratory; It is called a biopsy.
It is important to be careful to examine the intestinal inflammation wound carefully as some other diseases may cause similar symptoms such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, diverculitis, or bowel cancer.
Once the results are obtained, the doctor will discuss the treatment options available, as the inflammation of the intestines affects the patient at varying levels, so that the planning of one’s treatment will differ from other patients. Nevertheless, all treatment planning will focus on achieving two objectives:
- Avoiding pain or attack
- Reduce or restore symptoms of the disease
Types of treatments available
Thus, treatment planning will depend on how often the symptoms arise and how severe the symptom is.
For mild symptoms, treatment may only consist of medications to fight diarrhea. However, if the symptoms are more severe, the doctor will prescribe several prescriptions, such as steroid medications, and special medications that suppress or reduce the immune response.
Research also suggests that the symptoms of inflammatory bowel sores may be caused by some foods, so patients are also encouraged to follow healthy eating patterns on a regular basis. However, before the right diet can be determined, it is important to try and figure out what kind of food is causing pain.
This will help you to be aware of the food you eat, and if you feel the symptoms, try to write down the food you just eat. In time, this will help you to recognize the type of food that is causing the attack, so you can avoid it.
In cases with very severe symptoms and the medication or diet does not help, you may need surgery where your colon will be removed. Colon removal will heal the inflammation of the bowel wounds forever, and will prevent bowel cancer.
However, the doctor will only recommend removal of bowel surgery for severe cases because it is a fairly high risk surgery. This will be done if the potential benefits are greater than the risk.
Unless surgery is done, inflammation of the intestines can interfere with one’s for years. Although it will be difficult to live with such conditions, the condition can be set so that one can have a normal lifestyle.