What is ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis (UC) belongs
to a group of conditions
known as inflammatory bowel
diseases (IBD).
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon (large intestine) that often occurs in teenagers and young adults, but also can occur in older individuals. The symptoms can include abdominal pain, bowel urgency, diarrhea, and blood in the stool. The inflammation begins in the rectum and extends up the colon in a continuous manner. While there is currently no known cure, there are many effective therapies to keep the inflammation under control.
When reading about inflammatory bowel diseases, you need to know that ulcerative colitis is not the same thing as Crohn’s disease, another type of IBD. The symptoms of these two illnesses are quite similar, but the areas affected in your body are different. Crohn’s disease may affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon—also called the large intestine. Crohn’s disease can also affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall, while ulcerative colitis only involves the innermost lining of the colon. Finally, in Crohn’s disease, the inflammation of the intestine can “skip”—leaving normal areas in between patches of diseased intestine. In ulcerative colitis, this does not occur. In only 10 percent of cases are there overlapping features of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, a condition called indeterminate colitis.
Will it ever go away?
No one knows exactly what causes ulcerative colitis. Also, no one can predict how the disease— once it is diagnosed—will affect a particular person. Some people go for years without having any symptoms, while others have more frequent flare-ups, or attacks, of their disease activity. However, one thing is certain: ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition.
Chronic conditions are ongoing situations. They can be controlled with treatment, but not cured. That means that the disease is a long-term condition. In fact, most medical illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, are successfully treated but not cured. Occasionally, people may develop severe complications that can be serious—such as colorectal cancer—but this occurs in a very small number of people afflicted with IBD. Studies show that people with IBDusually have the same life expectancy as people without IBD. It is important to remember that most people who have ulcerative colitis lead full, happy, and productive lives.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) belongs
to a group of conditions
known as inflammatory bowel
diseases (IBD).
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon (large intestine) that often occurs in teenagers and young adults, but also can occur in older individuals. The symptoms can include abdominal pain, bowel urgency, diarrhea, and blood in the stool. The inflammation begins in the rectum and extends up the colon in a continuous manner. While there is currently no known cure, there are many effective therapies to keep the inflammation under control.
When reading about inflammatory bowel diseases, you need to know that ulcerative colitis is not the same thing as Crohn’s disease, another type of IBD. The symptoms of these two illnesses are quite similar, but the areas affected in your body are different. Crohn’s disease may affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon—also called the large intestine. Crohn’s disease can also affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall, while ulcerative colitis only involves the innermost lining of the colon. Finally, in Crohn’s disease, the inflammation of the intestine can “skip”—leaving normal areas in between patches of diseased intestine. In ulcerative colitis, this does not occur. In only 10 percent of cases are there overlapping features of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, a condition called indeterminate colitis.
Will it ever go away?
No one knows exactly what causes ulcerative colitis. Also, no one can predict how the disease— once it is diagnosed—will affect a particular person. Some people go for years without having any symptoms, while others have more frequent flare-ups, or attacks, of their disease activity. However, one thing is certain: ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition.
Chronic conditions are ongoing situations. They can be controlled with treatment, but not cured. That means that the disease is a long-term condition. In fact, most medical illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, are successfully treated but not cured. Occasionally, people may develop severe complications that can be serious—such as colorectal cancer—but this occurs in a very small number of people afflicted with IBD. Studies show that people with IBDusually have the same life expectancy as people without IBD. It is important to remember that most people who have ulcerative colitis lead full, happy, and productive lives.
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