Ulcerative Colitis: Chronically Ill Intestine

Anyone who suffers from ulcerative colitis is usually accompanied by a permanently ill intestine for the rest of their lives.

Ulcerative colitis is chronic, which means that the symptoms can last for a very long time, possibly a lifetime. The lining of the intestine becomes inflamed and ulcers form.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis

Why some people develop ulcerative colitis has not yet been fully researched.

Several causes are suspected of causing the disease.

These include diet, psychosomatic causes, infections and autoimmune reactions. A combination of these causes may cause ulcerative colitis, or a single cause may be enough to cause the disease to break out.

The disease with the somewhat complicated name is inflammation of the lining of the colon.

Men and women are equally affected by it. The disease usually appears between the ages of 25 and 35, but it can also affect younger or older people.

The inflammation begins in the rectum and then progresses towards the small intestine. The inflammation ends its “wandering” at the transition between the small intestine and the large intestine.

The symptoms usually appear in episodes, between which those affected can often be completely symptom-free for long periods of time. Ulcerative colitis is often confused with Crohn’s disease. A doctor can, however, differentiate precisely based on the symptoms.

Everyone concerned feels the symptoms caused by ulcerative colitis differently.

The fact is: most of those affected see the disease as a burden in their everyday life, especially during relapses. The following symptoms are possible:

Pain in the lower abdomen

The abdominal pain usually occurs in the left half of the lower abdomen and can be felt like a colic.

Urge to defecate

Those affected often have the feeling that they have to go to the toilet to empty their bowels.

The amount of stool itself does not increase, so that bowel movements do not always occur when using the toilet.

Bloody slimy diarrhea

The very agonizing diarrhea occurs regardless of diet and can torment those affected even at night.

The stool is usually very painful and quite slimy with clear traces of blood. Depending on the severity of the attack, five to more than eight such diarrhea can occur per day.

Racing heart

In severe attacks, palpitations can also be added to the symptoms. It is believed that this is due to the electrolyte loss.

Therefore, in the event of severe attacks, the blood values ​​for important electrolytes should be checked regularly.

Anemia

The frequent bleeding during severe attacks can lead to anemia, which then exacerbates the physical weakness caused by pain and diarrhea.

fever

The more violent the flare-up, the greater the likelihood that the inflammation will also trigger a fever. The levels of inflammation in the blood are also increased.

Physical weakness

Pain, diarrhea, weight loss and often a fever lead to physical weakness. The more pronounced the inflammatory flare-up, the greater the effects.

What treatment options are there?

There are different therapeutic approaches depending on the severity of the attack.

It is possible that a therapy works in one patient that has no effect on the other.

Mainly, the doctor will then prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs. In addition, the following can help:

• Anti-inflammatory diet
• Avoidance of animal products
• No smoking
• Abstaining from alcohol
• Stress Management Therapies
• Avoidance of irritating foods (acids, carbon dioxide, hot spices, tannins, …)
• Enemas
• Parental nutrition (infusion)
• Electrolyte preparations
• Blood transfusions

• Worm therapy with whipworms
• Antibiotics

A very last resort is the surgical removal of the colon.

However, this should only be considered if all other attempts at therapy are unsuccessful.

It is generally strongly recommended that you also seek psychosomatic help independently of any drug therapy and also visit self-help groups.

An operation should be the last resort if patients can credibly assure that they have really tried every conservative form of therapy for so long that no prospect of success can be determined.

A successful therapy is often a combination of changes in diet, psyche and medication.

Complications and Risks

Statistically, ulcerative colitis patients also have a higher risk of developing cancer. Especially colon and rectal cancer.

Since the immune system is weakened, especially during acute flare-ups of ulcerative colitis, patients have a higher risk of infection.

The vaccination status should therefore always be kept up-to-date and a doctor should be advised whether, for example, an annual flu vaccination makes sense.