Understanding Colitis and its Symptoms

Colitis is a condition that causes inflammation of the colon or large intestine. The condition can affect your digestive health and cause a range of mild to even severe symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and blood in the stool. Although it is not a life-threatening condition, if left untreated if can lead to nutritional deficiencies, extreme weight loss, and increase your risk for colon cancer. Hence, it is important to seek timely medical help to prevent complications. There are different types of colitis such as:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

• Infectious colitis

• Allergic colitis

• Pseudomembranous colitis

• Ischemic colitis

• Radiation colitis

• Diversion colitis

While some types of colitis get cured with simple medication or antibiotics, others may require extensive treatment and care. In this article we will discuss about the symptoms of colitis in detail.

Symptoms Of Colitis

The symptoms of colitis may depend on the type and severity of the condition. Some common signs and symptoms include:

1. Abdominal pain and cramping

2. Bloating

3. Diarrhoea

4. Loss of appetite

5. Sudden weight loss

6. Blood or pus in the stool

1. Acute Cases may cause:

1. Fever

2. Nausea and fatigue

2. Chronic Cases may cause:

1. Fatigue

2. Anaemia

3. Dehydration

4. Mal-absorption

5. Malnutrition

6. Rectal pain

7. Bowel urgency

8. Inability to pass stool despite the urgency

Some people with ulcerative colitis may also experience inflammation in other body parts, such as skin, eyes, liver and joints.