Ulcerative colitis symptoms
Colitis, also called ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes bleeding ulcers in the colon and rectum. Symptomatic flare-ups alternate with periods of symptom-free remission. In mild cases of colitis, patients may have normal bowel movements with a mucous discharge; more commonly, the disease also causes abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. When the disease is severe, violent and persistent bloody diarrhea is accompanied by fever, malaise, loss of appetite and weight, and anemia. Although colitis may strike at any age, it most often develops between the ages of 15 and 30, The cause remains unknown, although infection, the immune system, heredity, and diet have all been implicated.
