Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the large bowel which is not uncommon, affecting about 80 people per 100,000 of the population.
The cause is unknown although it has been thought to be one of the auto-immune diseases where the body becomes allergic to its own tissues, producing antibodies which attach to and start to destroy those tissues.
The symptoms are diarrhoea with the passage of blood and mucus. Mild cases occur with little effect on general health but, in severe cases, there may be great weight loss, severe illness and even death.
Associated with the bowel disorder there are sometimes seen various inflammatory conditions of the eyes and a type of arthritis similar to rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation of the lower joints of the spine may mimic the condition known as ankylosing spondylitis and lead to permanent stiffness of the spine.
The diagnosis can usually be confirmed by X-ray of the bowel and sigmoidoscopy, where an instrument is passed through the rectum and, under direct vision, the lower bowel can be inspected.
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