Colitis - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease are two known Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) that cause inflammation of the bowels.



Both are chronic in nature with the tendency to return to relative health and alternatively reverse to the disease. Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon. Ulcers form where inflammation has killed the cells that usually line the colon, then bleed and produce pus. Inflammation in the colon also causes the colon to empty frequently, causing diarrhea. It may prove difficult to diagnose colitis, as the symptoms are very similar to Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease varies from colitis as it causes inflammation deeper within the intestinal wall and can occur in other parts of the digestive system including the small intestine, mouth, esophagus, and stomach.

It affects all age groups from very young children to the elderly but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30, and less frequently between 50 and 70 years of age.



It affects men and women equally and may also be hereditary.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis:

The symptoms of chronic ulcerative colitis usually begin in the lower part of the bowels and progress upwards. The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are cramping abdominal pain, bloody mucus in stools or diarrhea. The following are other indications that colitis is affecting your bowel:

• Loss of blood and fluid from the bowels results in: Weakness, fever, nausea, vomiting, and anemia
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Rectal bleeding
• Loss of body fluids and nutrients
• Joint pain
• Impaired Growth
• Constipation
• Persistent Diarrhea

Ulcerative colitis in its severe form may also lead to nutritional problems. The improper assimilation of food due to inflammatory conditions may cause related deficiency disorders. This may gradually result in nervous irritability, exhaustion and depression. Ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease, and osteoporosis.



It is not known why these problems occur beyond the colon. In very severe cases one may even develop suicidal tendencies.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis:

The main causes that contribute to this disorder include:

Abnormal Immune System:

• The body’s immune system is believed to react abnormally to the bacteria in the digestive tract thus causing colitis

Chronic constipation:

• Constipation lead to an accumulation of the hard faecal matter in the bowels.

Excessive use of purgatives:

• The use of purgatives increase irritation of the bowels

Poor Digestion:

• Colitis may be caused by poor digestion, especially of cereals and carbohydrates, which causes irritation of the bowels.
• Colitis could also result from an allergic sensitivity to certain foods, especially milk, wheat and eggs.

Intake of Antibiotics:

• The intake of antibiotics may upset the bacterial flora in the intestines and interfere with the process of digestion.

Stress:

• Severe stress may also produce ulcerative colitis. Severe stress and hormonal changes may cause depletion of body protein.
• High stress levels also deplete the body of pantothenic acid.
• Experiments on animals have shown that one can develop ulcerative colitis when they are deficient in pantothenic acid

Hereditary:

• It has been reported that 20 percent of people with ulcerative colitis have a family member or relative with ulcerative colitis

Diet for Colitis:

Diet plays an important part in the treatment of colitis. Here is a simple and easy to follow diet plan to help ease the effects of colitis:

Fruit Juice Diet:

• A fresh fruit juice fast for five days or so in most cases of colitis is a good initiative. The juices may be diluted with filtered and boiled water.
• Papaya juice and raw cabbage or carrot is especially beneficial. Citrus juices are best avoided.
• The bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water enema.
  
  
  Well-balanced Small Meal:

Adopt a diet of small comprising of meals at shorter intervals for the next 10 days, you may include in this diet:

• Cooked or steamed vegetables, rice, coarsely broken wheat and well ripened fruits like banana and papaya, yogurt and homemade cottage cheese must comprise the main foods of consumption while on this diet regime.
• Progressively add sprouted seeds and grains, whole meal bread and raw vegetables to this diet after about 10 days.
• Tender coconut water is highly beneficial as it is soothing to the soft mucosa of the colon.
• Cooked apples also aid the healing of ulcerative conditions because of its ample concentration of iron and phosphorus.
  
  

Well-balanced Wholesome Meal:

The following menu may serve as the guideline and should be adopted for at least three months:

• Breakfast must comprise of ripe bananas or papaya and milk. Buttermilk may be included if milk is not as much a choice of a drink.
• Mid-morning have a juice such as carrot or raw cabbage juice.
• Lunch must essentially comprise of steamed or lightly cooked vegetables, rice, butter and buttermilk.
• Mid-afternoon one can resort to coconut water or fruit juice.
• Dinner must comprise of salad of raw vegetables sprouts like alfalfa and beans, homemade cottage cheese and nuts. Instead of raw vegetables cooked ones like carrot, beetroot, tomatoes, lettuce, and cabbage may be considered.
  
  
  
  
• Before retiring one can have a glass of milk or a baked apple
  
  
  
  Avoid certain foods:

To reap maximum benefits of the diet plan keep the following food items at bay:

• Avoid foods with white sugar, white bread and other white flour products.
• Consumption of highly seasoned foods
• Consumption of highly seasoned foods
• Strictly avoid beverages such as: strong tea, coffee and alcohol
• Foods cooked in aluminum pans must also be avoided

Other Supplementary Measures:

• One should have a bowel movement at the same time each day and spend 10 to 15 minutes in the endeavor.
• Drinking two glasses of water first thing in the morning will stimulate a normal bowel movement. An enema may be used if no bowel movement occurs.
• Buttermilk enema twice a week is also soothing and helps in re-installing a healthy bacterial flora in the colon.
• Complete bed rest and plenty of liquids are very important.
• One needs to eliminate all causes of stress and adjust to the disorder with patience