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Colitis (Non Ulcerative)

Condition Overview:

Colitis is a digestive disease characterized by inflammation of the colon.

Signs and symptoms of colitis include pain, tenderness in the abdomen, fever, swelling of the colon tissue, bleeding, erythema (redness) of the surface of the colon, rectal bleeding, and ulcerations of the colon. Tests that show these signs are plain X-rays of the colon, testing the stool for blood and pus, and colonoscopy. Additional tests include stool cultures and blood tests such as a complete blood count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and blood chemistry tests.There are several types of colitis, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, diversion colitis, ischemic colitis, infectious colitis, and atypical colitis.A well known subtype of infectious colitis is pseudomembranous colitis, resulting from infection by a toxigenic strain of Clostridium difficile. Parasitic infections can also cause colitis.Any colitis which has a rapid downhill clinical course is known as fulminant colitis.

In addition to the diarrhea, fever, and anemia seen in colitis, the patient has severe abdominal pain and a clinical picture similar to septicemia with shock is present. Approximatly half of those patients require surgery.Irritable bowel syndrome is separate disease which has been called spastic colitis. This name causes confusion since colitis is not a feature of irritable bowel syndrome.Autistic enterocolitis is a disputed medical entity but refers to a type of colitis found in patients with autism.