Cause: Although considerable progress has been made in IBD research, investigators don’t know what causes this disease. Studies show that the inflammation in IBD involves a complex interaction of factors: the genes the person has inherited, the immune system, and something in the environment. Foreign substances (antigens) in the environment can be the direct cause of the inflammation, or they may stimulate the body's defenses to produce an inflammation that still goes with no control. Researchers believe that once the IBD patient's immune system is "turned on," it doesn’t know how to properly "turn off" at the right time. As a result, inflammation damages the intestine and causes the symptoms of IBD. That is why the main goal of medical therapy is to help patients regulate their immune system better.
http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/
http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis/
Symptoms:
⟿bowel movements become looser and more urgent
☹persistent diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain and blood in the stool
☯stool is generally bloody
☈ ☈ crampy abdominal pain
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ulcerative-colitis/basics/definition/con-20043763
⟿bowel movements become looser and more urgent
☹persistent diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain and blood in the stool
☯stool is generally bloody
☈ ☈ crampy abdominal pain
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ulcerative-colitis/basics/definition/con-20043763
Inheritance: While ulcerative colitis tends to run in families, researchers haven’t been able to establish a clear pattern of inheritance. Studies show that up to 20 percent of people with ulcerative colitis will also have close relatives with the disease. The disease is more common among white people of European origin and among people of Jewish heritage.
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis
Incidence: Ulcerative colitis is most common in North America and Western Europe. In North America, ulcerative colitis affects about 40 to 240 out of 100,000 people.
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis
Treatment: Both medications and surgery have been used to treat ulcerative colitis. However, surgery is reserved for those with severe inflammation and life-threatening complications. There is no medication that can cure the disease, though.
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis
http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page6.htm#what_are_the_treatments_for_ulcerative_colitis