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
- 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) - 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(American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons) - http://www.fascrs.org/patients/conditions/ulcerative_colitis/
- Ulcerative Colitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/crp/test.html
- How IBD Is Diagnosed(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/diagnose
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Lower Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract X-Ray (Radiography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=lowergi
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=lowergi
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MedlinePlus: Colonoscopy(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colonoscopy.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/colonoscopy.html
- 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
- Sulfasalazine and the 5-Aminosalicylates(UpToDate) - http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=digestiv/9504
- Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/surgery/surgeryuc
- 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
- Proctitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/proctitis/
- Anal Abscess/Fistula(American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons) - http://www.fascrs.org/patients/conditions/anal_abscess_fistula/
- Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antibiotic-associated-diarrhea/DS00454/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Bleeding in the Digestive Tract(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bleeding/
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Measles Vaccine - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/archive/ibd_and_measles.htm
- Intestinal Complications of IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.ccfa.org/frameviewer/?url=/media/pdf/FactSheets/intestinalcomps.pdf
- JAMA Patient Page: Clostridium Difficile Colitis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/301/9/988.pdf
- Possible Complications of IBD(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/complications/
- 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
- 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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Ulcerative Colitis(Patient Education Institute) - 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/medlib/article/ZZZ7C4T46JC
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Colitis%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis, Ulcerative(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Colitis,+Ulcerative%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Inflammatory+Bowel+Diseases%22
- New Developments in Basic IBD Research(Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - http://www.ccfa.org/about/news/trendsinbasicresearch
- 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
- Article: Interposition of a gastric pouch between ileum and anus after... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19375617&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The genetics of chronic inflammatory diseases. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19297396&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Appendicitis, mesenteric lymphadenitis, and subsequent risk of ulcerative colitis: cohort... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19273506&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
- Digestive Diseases Dictionary(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/dictionary/
- 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/
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/
- 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/inflammatory-bowel-disease.cfm
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