Colitis
What is colitis?
Colitis is a chronic digestive disease characterized by inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. While colitis is a condition, it is often caused by an underlying medical issue, including:
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Lack of blood flow (ischemic colitis)
- Past radiation to the large bowel (radiation colitis)
- Infection caused by a virus or a parasite
What are the symptoms of colitis?
Symptoms of colitis include:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn
- Mucus and/or blood in stools
- Constant urge to have a bowel movement (tenesmus)
- Dehydration
- Fever
- Rapid weight loss
How is colitis treated?
Dr. Meyerson will do a sigmoidoscopy to look in your anus with a flexible sigmoidoscope to determine if there is inflammation in the colon. Anti-inflammatory medication may be used to control Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, and antibiotics may be prescribed to cure infection.