Ulcerative colitis

Summary

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an autoimmune related disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon. It is one of a group of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease. UC can happen at any age, but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. It tends to run in families. The most common symptoms are pain in the abdomen and blood or pus in diarrhea. Other symptoms may include, anemia, severe tiredness, weight loss, loss of appetite, bleeding from the rectum, sores on the skin, joint pain, and growth failure in children. About half of people with UC have mild symptoms. Doctors use blood tests, stool tests, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, and imaging tests to diagnose UC. Several types of drugs can help control it. Some people have long periods of remission, when they are free of symptoms. In severe cases, doctors must remove the colon.

From the Autoimmune Association.

Symptoms

Ulcerative colitis symptoms can vary, depending on the severity of inflammation and where it occurs. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea, often with blood or pus

• Rectal bleeding — passing small amount of blood with stool

• Abdominal pain and cramping

• Rectal pain

• Urgency to defecate

• Inability to defecate despite urgency

• Weight loss

• Fatigue

• Fever

• In children, failure to grow

Most people with ulcerative colitis have mild to moderate symptoms. The course of ulcerative colitis may vary, with some people having long periods when it goes away. This is called remission.

From the Autoimmune Association.

Diagnostic Criteria

Under Investigation

Study Classification Criteria

Under Investigation

Diagnostic Tests

Under Investigation

Organized Autoimmunity

(Alternative Autoimmune Disease Classification: FIEM, MIEM or BIEM, or FEM, MEM or BEM)

1. sex predominance (is an autoimmune disease primarily found in genetic Females, Males, or equally in Both?)

   1. Under Investigation

2. Inherited and acquired gene variations that cause increased susceptibility

   1. Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Associations

      1. Under Investigation

   2. Other Gene Variations (mutations)

      1. Under Investigation

3. Gene Triggering Environmental Exposures

   1. Infections

      1. COVID-19 (Chang et. al, 2023, found a significantly higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease following COVID-19 infection in a study of 3,814,479 participants)

   2. Toxins

      1. Under Investigation

   3. Stress

      1. Needs to be assessed for each patient

4. Multiple interactive and destructive immune system pathologies

   1. Under Investigation

Tissue-Type or Cell-Type Attacked

Under Investigation

Treatment(s)

Under Investigation

Managing Specialist(s)

Under Investigation

Research Authors

Under Investigation

Research Institutions

Under Investigation

Average Time from Symptom Onset to Diagnosis

Under Investigation

Last Updated

September 05, 2023

References

Chang R, Yen-Ting Chen T, Wang SI, Hung YM, Chen HY, Wei CJ. Risk of autoimmune diseases in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Feb;56:101783. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101783. Epub 2023 Jan 10. PMID: 36643619; PMCID: PMC9830133.

Ulcerative colitis. Autoimmune Association. (2022, September 16). Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://autoimmune.org/disease-information/ulcerative-colitis-uc/