Colitis Symptoms Treatment

Colitis Symptoms

Ulcerative colitis symptoms vary by individual and can range in intensity from mild to severe. Symptoms usually come and go, and you may have long periods of time without a flare-up. When flare-ups occur, they can last days, months, or even years. Most people have flare-ups and remissions as a natural course of the disease.

Although you most likely won't have all the symptoms listed below, the most common ulcerative colitis symptoms are:

  • Diarrhea. Diarrhea is the most common symptom of ulcerative colitis, often causing the sufferer to make as many as 20 trips to the bathroom per day.
  • Bloody stools. You may notice that you have bloody diarrhea. Stools may also contain pus and mucus. Bleeding may also be covert -- meaning your physician would be able to detect the presence of blood in your stools.
  • Abdominal cramps. Flare-ups of ulcerative colitis can result in painful abdominal cramps, which may indicate that there is severe intestinal inflammation.
  • Nausea and vomiting. Along with diarrhea, you may experience nausea and vomiting during a colitis episode.
  • Loss of appetite and fatigue. It is not uncommon for people who have ulcerative colitis to experience weight loss, with corresponding weakness and fatigue.
  • Fever. During inflammation flare-ups, you may spike a fever.
  • Constipation. Some colitis patients have alternating constipation and diarrhea.
  • Dehydration and malnutrition. In moderate or severe cases of ulcerative colitis, which includes excessive diarrhea, you may experience malnutrition and dehydration from the loss of water and rapid, frequent waste removal.

In addition to the common ulcerative colitis symptoms, you may experience other symptoms that may seem unrelated to your colitis, but are. These include:

  • Skin problems. People with ulcerative colitis may develop skin lesions and rashes such as pyoderma gangrenosum and erythema nodosum. Painful red nodules may appear on the arms or on the lower front portion of your legs.
  • Joint swelling. Inflammation of the joints, stiffness, arthritis, and osteoporosis can be other non-intestinal symptoms of the disease.
  • Eye inflammation. About 10 percent of patients with ulcerative colitis experience eye inflammation conditions like conjunctivitis, iritis, and episcleritis. You may also be sensitive to light, experience blurred vision, or have eye redness.
  • Liver disease. Hepatitis, cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and fatty liver have been associated with ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease the affects the digestive tract from the rectum to the large intestine. Approximately 50 percent of the people who have the condition, have mild symptoms that can be controlled dietary and lifestyle changes. Eliminating stress, limiting dairy products, taking probiotics, avoiding gassy foods, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and drinking more fluids are all things you can do to reduce flare-ups.

Moderate to severe flare-ups may require medications, hospitalization, or surgery to treat the condition.