A 33-year-old member asked:
What are/is ulcerative colitis?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. Robert Uyedaanswered
General Surgery 46 years experience
Inflammatory : Condition of unknown cause that causes cramps, diarrhea sometimes bloody, and GI absorption problems. Treatment requires anti-inflammatory drugs and sometimes even surgery. Complicated issue that is impossible to discuss in limited space here.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Jason Boardmananswered
General Surgery 26 years experience
Ulcerative Colitis: UC is a autoimmune type disease in which there is an inflammatory response against the patients own cells of the colon. Common symptoms include pain, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and can lead to colon cancer. The disease requires treatment with medication and can also end up needing to be treated with surgery.
1.9k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
Similar questions
A 46-year-old member asked:
How do "colitis" and "ulcerative colitis" differ?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Mark Hoepfneranswered
Surgery 40 years experience
Colitis: There are many forms and types of colitis, some will resolve on their own. Infectious (bacterial), pseudomembranous, ischemic, crohn's, etc. Ulcerative colitis is a specific form of chronic colitis of uncertain cause, diagnosed often by biopsy at colonoscopy. It can be a long term condition needing specific medications to treat & serial colonoscopy to watch the degree of colitis or for dysplasia.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
How can you die for ulcerative colitis?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. Addagada Raoanswered
General Surgery 57 years experience
NO If you take care : Ulcerative colitis most of the time could be controlled , with aim of prolonged remission, possible to prevent most of complications , need to be followed by a professional team ( doctors ) negligence , or delay in seeing professional help could be lethal , as complications like toxic megacolon , perforation , malignancy etc are part of this treacherous disease
5.1k viewsReviewed Jun 22, 2020
A 47-year-old member asked:
What are tests for ulcerative colitis?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

Dr. Michael Fisheranswered
Dermatology 33 years experience
Ulcerative colitis: Ulcerative colitis can be relatively easy to diagnose because it normally affects only the colon and rectum and usually causes an obvious change in daily bowel habits, such as frequent stools containing blood or mucus. Your doctor will conduct a medical history and physical exam before doing other tests.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
What's the difference between "colitis" and "ulcerative colitis"?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Barry Rosenanswered
General Surgery 35 years experience
Colon inflammation: "colitis" is defined as inflammation of the colon, which can be subcategorized as infectious (c. Diff, etc), inflammatory (crohn's dz, ulcerative colitis), or ischemic (poor blood supply). Colitis will typically cause (bloody) diarrhea and abdominal pain. Each of these types of colitis have characteristic laboratory, radiographic, and endoscopic differences to help reach the correct diagnosis.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
What is done for ulcerative colitis?
2 doctor answers • 7 doctors weighed in

Dr. Tracy Berganswered
General Surgery 33 years experience
Management/surgery: Ulcerative colitis can be managed medically. It is a lot of work focusing on normalizing bowel movements (2 soft daily), avoiding irritants (they vary but gluten, bile acids, lactose, fat are prominent), immunmodulation (using immune suppression and vaccinations against viruses and tuberculosis). Surgery is your back up, when all else fails a surgeon can remove the bad body part, your colon.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jun 14, 2019
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