Also called: Also called: Colitis, Distal colitis, Pancolitis, Ulcerative proctitis
Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon. It is one of a group of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcers form where inflammation has killed the cells that usually line the colon.
Ulcerative colitis can happen at any age, but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. It tends to run in families. The most common symptoms are pain in the abdomen and bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include anemia, severe tiredness, weight loss, loss of appetite, bleeding from the rectum, sores on the skin and joint pain. Children with the disease may have growth problems.
About half of people with ulcerative colitis have mild symptoms. Several types of drugs can help control ulcerative colitis. Some people have long periods of remission, when they are free of symptoms. In severe cases, doctors must remove the colon.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Ulcerative Colitis
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colitis/
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Ulcerative Colitis
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ulcerativecolitis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ulcerativecolitisspanish/htm/index.htm
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/digestive/disorders/252.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/digestive/disorders/252.printerview.html
- Ulcerative Colitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Vitamin D Deficiency Makes Bowel Disease Worse(10/07/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70133.html
- Stomach 'Bug' May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Woes(10/03/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70014.html
- Scientists ID 2 New Genes for Bowel Disease in Kids(09/05/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68980.html
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/crp/test.html
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Colonoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/
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Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Flexible Sigmoidoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/
- How IBD Is Diagnosed(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/diagnose
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Lower GI Series (Barium Enema)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lowergi/
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Ileostomy, Colostomy and Ileoanal Reservoir Surgery(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ileostomy/index.htm
- Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/surgery/surgeryuc
- Treatment Options in IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/treatment/?LMI=4.1
- Diet and Nutrition(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/diet?LMI=4.2
- Intimate Relationship of Sex and Inflammatory Bowel Disease(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.ccfa.org/frameviewer/?url=/media/pdf/ibdsexuality.pdf
- Maintenance Therapy in IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/treatment/maintenance
- About Ulcerative Colitis and Proctitis(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/ucp
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Proctitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/proctitis/
- Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antibiotic-associated-diarrhea/DS00454/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Bleeding in the Digestive Tract(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bleeding/
- Intestinal Complications of IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.ccfa.org/frameviewer/?url=/media/pdf/FactSheets/intestinalcomps.pdf
- Possible Complications of IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/complications/
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Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarysclerosingcholangitis/
- Traveling with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/living/travel
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What People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Need to Know about Osteoporosis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/inflammatory_bowel.asp
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Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Ulcerative Colitis(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ulcerativecolitis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ulcerativecolitisspanish/htm/index.htm
- Atlas of the Body: The Digestive System(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ7C4T46JC&sub_cat=511
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Colitis%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis, Ulcerative(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Colitis,+Ulcerative%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Inflammatory+Bowel+Diseases%22
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Research Shows Promise of Pineapple Extract for Inflammatory Bowel Disease(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/070108.htm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Oral, colonic-release low-molecular-weight heparin: an initial open study of Parnaparin-MMX... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18700898&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Activation-induced cytidine deaminase links between inflammation and the development of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18691581&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Infectious gastroenteritis and risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18640117&tool=MedlinePlus
- Ulcerative Colitis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=colitis,ulcerative[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a CCFA Physician Member(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/physician/?LMI=4.6
- GI Physician Locator(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/phylocator.asp
- American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons - http://www.fascrs.org/
- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America - http://www.ccfa.org/
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National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Social Security: Applying for Benefits(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/living/disability/
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/stomach/IBD.html
- Treating Children and Adolescents(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/treatment/kidsmeds
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/digestive/ibd.html
- Teen Guide: Dealing with Crohn’s & Colitis(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - Large PDF file - http://www.ccfa.org/frameviewer/?url=/media/pdf/teensfinal.pdf
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/ibd.htm
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/preguntas/ibd.htm
- Pregnancy and IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.ccfa.org/media/pdf/FactSheets/pregnancy.pdf
- Crohn's Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/crohnsdisease.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Ulcerative Colitis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Ulcerative Colitis - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/ulcerativecolitis.html