Ulcerative Colitis: Symptoms

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Symptoms

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis may include:

• Diarrhea or rectal urgency. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day. The urge to go to the bathroom may wake you up at night.
• Rectal bleeding. Ulcerative colitis usually causes bloody diarrhea and mucus. You also may have rectal pain and an urgent need to empty your bowels.
• Abdominal pain, often described as cramping. Your abdomen may be sore when touched.
• Constipation. This symptom may develop depending on what part of the colon is affected. Constipation is much less common than diarrhea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop.
• Weight loss. Ongoing (chronic) symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
• Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people develop anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or intestinal inflammation.

You also may have symptoms and complications outside the digestive tract, such as joint pain, eye problems, skin rash, or liver disease. But some of these problems are generally more common in Crohn's disease, the other major inflammatory bowel disease.

Other conditions with symptoms similar to ulcerative colitis include Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colon cancer.

Last updated:	November 03, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Arvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC