Ulcerative colitis is a severe, chronic (long-term), inflammation of the lining of the colon (large bowel), and in particular the rectum, the last 20-25 cm of the colon. This is in contrast to the other major inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, which can affect any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus.
Ulcerative colitis causes bouts of diarrhoea that may contain mucus and blood. Other symptoms include abdominal pain, fever and tiredness. Although it is possible to have one single attack, sufferers tend to have flare-ups, with most people having few or no symptoms between attacks.
The disease can develop at any age, but most commonly affects adults between the age of 15 and 40. Around 1 in 100 people in the UK have ulcerative colitis, the numbers divided equally between men and women.
In this section, you'll find a guide to the causes and symptoms of ulcerative colitis, along with information on the methods of its diagnosis and treatment.
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