Ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms

Symptoms range from mild to severe and include diarrhea and rectal bleeding that is sometimes accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. Patients with just proctitis (inflammation of the lining of the rectum) will typically have urgent, painful bowel movements, diarrhea (often frequent small bowel movements) and fecal incontinence (soiling). As the disease involves more of the colon, the diarrhea may get worse and fever and abdominal pain may develop. Patients may also experience non-gastrointestinal problems such as joint pain and swelling, back stiffness, mouth sores, eye pain or redness and skin rashes.

Ulcerative colitis may manifest many of the following symptoms:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Blood in stool
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Fatigue
• Reduced appetite
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Bleeding ulcers