About ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects the colon.

The inner lining of the colon (the mucosa) becomes inflamed and develops small ulcers, that produce pus and mucous. The combination of inflammation and ulceration can cause abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea with bloody stool.

Ulcerative colitis tends to affect a continuous area beginning in the rectum and spreading up a variable length of the colon.

As with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis is the result of an abnormal response by your body’s immune system. Healthy people are protected from infection by the cells and proteins in their immune system.  However, in people with IBD the immune system malfunctions by mistaking bacteria and other microbes for foreign invaders leading to chronic inflammation and ulceration in the lining of the large intestine.

The main symptoms of ulcerative colitis are:

• bowel movements become looser, bloody and more urgent
• persistent diarrhoea accompanied by abdominal pain and blood in the stool
• crampy abdominal pain
• loss of appetite
• low energy and fatigue

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis normally follow a cycle of flare-up and remission, with periods of remission sometimes lasting for months or even years.

Cure Crohn’s Colitis are investing in vital research to improve ulcerative colitis patients’ lives and to ultimately find a cure. You can help us achieve this!