Colitis Symptoms and Diagnosis
Main Symptoms
Depending on the cause of your colitis, you may have some
of the more common symptoms:
- Frequent loose bowel movements with or without blood
- Urgency to have a bowel movement and bowel incontinence
- Lower abdominal discomfort or cramps
- Fever, lethargy, and loss of appetite
- Weight loss with continuing diarrhea
Possible complications
If you develop chronic inflammatory bowel disease, you may also
have complications, possibly because your immune system triggers
inflammation in other parts of your body, such as these:
- Eye problems or pain
- Joint problems
- Neck or lower back pain
- Skin rashes
- Liver and kidney problems
Diagnosis of Colitis
Colitis is usually initially diagnosed from the following
- Diarrhea that has lasted for more than a week - and has
no obvious dietary cause
- Abdominal pain
- Pain just before passing stools - and a sense of urgency
- Unexpected weight loss
- Blood or mucous in the stools
The diagnosis is usually confirmed by a colonoscopy
- a small camera being passed up the anus. This both confirms
the diagnosis - and determines the extent of the disease. |
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