Quite often, after visiting a gastroenterologist for progressive symptoms of an intestinal disorder, the patient, after the performed studies, learns that he develops ulcerative colitis. People of any age group, both men and women, can get it, but patients aged 20-40 and 60-70 years are most often affected by this inflammatory pathology.
The manifestations of this disease in adults are mostly similar to the emerging disorders in the digestive organs, so there are cases, especially during the ripening of vegetables and fruits, when the patient is not rushing to see a doctor, arguing that everything will pass by itself. Such an attitude towards the emerging symptoms can be very dangerous due to the fact that ulcerative colitis, if ignore the appropriate treatment, leads to the development of very serious complications.
The severity of the symptoms of colon ulcer colitis, which is of an immune nature, depends on the form of the disease. NNC can develop both in acute, occurring quite rarely, and in chronic forms. All the symptoms of ulcerative colitis of the intestine are divided into local( local) and general. Local manifestations of this disease are usually expressed in the following:
- A chair with bloody discharge, mostly mixed with mucus, and sometimes with pus. Blood in the feces appears because they are in contact with ulcers that form on the walls of the intestine. For the most part, the blood covers them like a shell and has a bright red color. This is the hallmark of this pathology, since in most other diseases of the digestive tract it acquires a black color;
- Characterized by nonspecific ulcerative colitis and a symptom such as diarrhea, although constipation may sometimes occur( in the case where the inflammatory process is limited to the level of the rectum).With the accompanying illness of diarrhea, the number of urge to defecate increases to 15-30 per day;
- Painful, not intense in intensity, sensations in the lower abdomen are also a sign of the disease. By nature, they are expressed in not very pronounced colic, in which a muscle spasm is possible. In the event that the pain begins to increase, the lesion of the large intestine moves to deeper levels.
Also common in adult patients are general physiological symptoms of ulcerative colitis, the occurrence of which involves an urgent call to a specialist and appropriate treatment. They are expressed in general weakness and significant weight loss, which appear due to the fact that diarrhea contributes to the fact that the body begins to lose a lot of proteins.
Also a common symptom of ulcerative colitis in severe forms of the disease is an increase in temperature to 38 degrees. And in the joints and muscles, there is a lot of pain.
What are the symptoms of nonspecific ulcerative colitis in the first place? What should the patient pay attention to? An urgent visit to a specialist is necessary when the following symptoms appear:
- Frequent defecation in the form of a mushy stool or strong diarrhea with an admixture of mucus, blood, and sometimes pus;
- Soreness in the abdomen( more often in the left half) and bloating;
- Febrile state with a rise in temperature from 37 to 39 degrees. It depends on the severity of the disease;
- Decrease or total lack of appetite and weight loss;
- General weakness, pain in the joints.
But it should be borne in mind that with the initial stage of colon ulcer colitis, some of these symptoms may or may not be present, or expressed minimally.
Extraintestinal manifestations of nonspecific ulcerative colitis
But this inflammatory pathology may contain not only specific signs, characteristic diseases of the digestive system. Such symptoms of NNC, which are extra-intestinal, arise from the fact that the work of the immune system has failed, and she has ceased to distinguish between "alien" and "her".Despite the fact that the autoimmune process is usually directed to the intestine itself, other organ systems may often suffer.
The most common joint damage occurs. It is expressed with ulcerative colitis by arthritis. Symptoms of this inflammation of small joints are manifested by their swelling, severe reddening and soreness. The patient has stiffness in the movements, although the mobility of the joints is almost not disturbed. When remission comes, all these symptoms disappear without consequences.
Skin pathology is also a specific extraintestinal sign of this disease. They occur in a rather small number of patients and are expressed in the fact that on the skin of the extensor parts of the joints tumor-like formations are formed, which have the appearance of subcutaneous tubercles. The skin above them becomes crimson. But as soon as the inflammatory process subsides, the color of the skin over the tubercles returns to normal.
In addition to ulcerative colitis, there may be extraintestinal specific symptoms characteristic of eye or oral diseases.
Symptoms and treatment of ulcerative colitis
When symptoms appear in NJA, urgent hospitalization and appropriate appropriate treatment are necessary. Its purpose for ulcerative colitis is to significantly reduce the inflammatory process in the intestines, which causes symptoms of the disease.
The main methods of treatment that are used in the treatment of this disease will be the following:
- Reception of antibiotics and antispasmodics, as well as symptomatic means;
- Basic therapy;
- Diet.
Treatment of ulcerative colitis in adults should be comprehensive. It always includes a special diet along with the intake of medications, as well as exercise therapy. In addition, to facilitate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, as well as more successful treatment, some psychological methods are used.