Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms vary from being mild to very severe. They may come on suddenly or develop gradually. In some people the severity of the symptoms may vary with the season-worse in winter and less in summer. 

Three classic symptoms indicate the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease. These symptoms only occur during flare-ups, when the disease is active. However, radiological and laboratory tests continue to show signs of the disease even during times of clinical remission. The three classic symptoms of ulcerative colitis are :

1. Diarrhoea : Three or more watery stools per day is considered diarrhoea. In cases of ulcerative colitis, frequent watery stools are the norm. Many times, these stools are accompanied by thick blood ( not bright red smears of blood, which usually occur from a bleeding haemorrhoid). Mucus or pus also often passes with the stool. Occasionally, an individual with ulcerative colitis will have stool of more normal consistency that contains pus or mucus. 

2. Abdominal pain : Pain from ulcerative colitis is crampy in nature and felt on the left side of the abdomen. Pain and cramps subside immediately after a bowel movement. 

3. Fever : Some individuals with ulcerative colitis suffer a high fever, especially during the acute phase of a flare-up. Others have persistent low-grade fever. Sometimes, the fever recurs daily, especially in the evening or during sleep, causing night sweats. 

Other symptoms that can occur are fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite. 

Flare-up

Ulcerative colitis condition is characterized by periods of active disease, known as remission. Each individual's pattern of symptoms is different. Diarrhoea, pain and fever, along with fatigue, chills, and possibly vomiting, come and go. Flare-ups can occur seemingly out of the blue, after a viral illness such as a cold, or at times of extreme personal, business, or social stress. 

An individual with ulcerative colitis should not allow dramatic changes in bowel habits ( increase in frequency or water/bloody stools), fever, increase in pain, or nausea with or without vomiting, to go on more than a day. Severe flare-ups can cause nutritional deficiency or dehydration from diarrhoea, and can require hospitalization. Flare-ups caught early can often be treated more easily than those that go on for a long time before a doctor's intervention. The first step in dealing with a flare-up usually involves increase in the dose of medications that the patient is taking normally. 

Signs and Symptoms Not Related to the Colon

There are a number of signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis that can occur outside the colon. Sometimes these occur at the same time as the intestinal symptoms, but at other times they occur weeks or even months before any intestinal symptoms are felt. These are : 

1. Reddening and inflammation of the eye ( iritis) 
2. Joint pains, usually in the large joints of the knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, and shoulders, which sometimes migrate from one joint to another ( migrating arthralgia). 
3. Skin lesions including tender red nodules on the shins or calves ( erythema nodosum). 
4. Sores inside the mouth ( aphthous ulcers). 

The severity of the disease is assessed by determining symptoms such as the number of stools in a day, appetite and fever. The severity does not necessarily correspond to investigation results. An individual whose disease looks severe on investigations may lead a relatively normal life, while another person with relatively mild findings on investigations may find the disease debilitating. 

Introduction of Ulcerative Colitis
Causes and Types of Ulcerative Colitis
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis 
Diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis
Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis