Colitis: Fast Facts

Reviewed By:
David Friedel, M.D., AGA

• Inflammatory bowel disease is chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.
  
  
• In people with inflammatory bowel disease, tissue lining the mouth, stomach, esophagus, intestines or anus can become red, swollen and bleed.
  
  
• Inflammatory bowel disease is called colitis when it occurs in the large intestine.
  
  
• Men and women appear to be at equal risk of developing colitis.
  
  
• The cause of colitis is unknown. It appears to involve an overactive immune system that continues to attack healthy tissue after first being stimulated to fight a harmful substance.
  
  
• Abdominal pain, cramping and bloody diarrhea are common symptoms of colitis.
  
  
• The two primary types of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
  
  
• Crohn's disease can occur anywhere along the digestive tract and can irritate all layers of tissue in the wall lining.
  
  
• Ulcerative colitis occurs only in the large intestine, usually starting in the rectum, and affects only the inner intestinal lining.
  
  
• Once it appears, colitis is a lifelong disease.
  
  
• Colitis occurs primarily in the United States and Europe and among young people more often than in the elderly.
  
  
• White people are at greater risk for colitis than people of other races, and people with Jewish ethnic backgrounds have a higher risk than non-Jews.
  
  
• Colitis also appears to run in families.
  
  
• An initial physical examination may include a medical history, blood tests and stool tests.
  
  
• Colitis is most common diagnosed with a barium x-ray or colonoscopy.
  
  
• A barium x-ray involves ingesting a chalky liquid that helps organs show up clearly on x-rays.
  
  
• A colonoscopy involves inserting a small, flexible tube through the anus and into the colon.
  
  
• Biopsies and color images can be taken during a colonoscopy.
  
  
• Complications of colitis include anemia, intestinal blockage or abscesses and an increased risk of colon cancer.
  
  
• Medications such as aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressives can help treat the symptoms of colitis and keep the disease in remission.
  
  
• Hospitalization may be required to treat colitis patients who are severely malnourished, dehydrated or have experienced massive blood loss.
  
  
• Surgery may be necessary to treat cancer, when intestinal obstructions or perforations exist, or when medicines fail to work.