Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammation is the body's natural way of clearing up damaged tissue. Ulcerative colitis is when the inner layers of the large intestine lining become inflamed.Ulcerative colitis causes swelling and scarring in the tissues of the colon. It may also be called colitis or proctitis.
Ulcers form in places where the inflammation has killed cells in the lining of the colon. The ulcers bleed and produce pus and mucus.
Inflammation due to ulcerative colitis usually occurs in the lower colon and the rectum, but it may affect the whole colon. Ulcerative colitis does not usually affect the small intestine.The main difference between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease is the location of the inflammation. Ulcerative colitis usually only affects the colon, whereas Crohn’s disease may affect the whole gastrointestinal tract.
Some people with ulcerative colitis go for long periods, even years, with no symptoms.However, the disease usually comes and goes throughout life.The inflammation causes the colon to be empty most of the time, triggering diarrhea and blood in the stool.