print the page | email the page |
- What is ulcerative colitis?
- Symptoms of ulcerative colitis
- Causes of ulcerative colitis
- Prevention of ulcerative colitis
- Risk factors for ulcerative colitis
- Complications of ulcerative colitis
- When to see a doctor about ulcerative colitis
- Diagnosis of ulcerative colitis
- Conventional treatment of ulcerative colitis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of ulcerative colitis
- Living with ulcerative colitis
- Caring for someone with ulcerative colitis
Conventional treatment of ulcerative colitis
Mild to moderate ulcerative colitis
Treatment of mild ulcerative colitis (less than four stools per day with no other major gastrointestinal symptoms):
- Topical treatment - a variety of topical treatments can be used to treat symptoms, especially of they occur in the lower end of the colon:
- Enema - a corticosteroid enema is placed in the rectum as a retention enema to help reduce symptoms
- Suppository or foam - a corticosteroid suppository is placed in the rectum as a retention suppository to help reduce symptoms
- Medication - a number of different medications are prescribed depending on symptoms:
- Aminosalicylates - such as sulfasalazine, mesalazine, olsalazine are used to treat all forms ulcerative colitis
- Antibiotics - are used to treat ulcerative colitis if there is an infection or abscess of some sort in the bowel
- Glucocorticoids - such as prednisolone, hydrocortisone, budesonide are used to treat ulcerative colitis (and Crohn's disease) and because their anti-inflammatory properties act very quickly to reduce symptoms. Long-term, these types of drugs can cause a variety of side effects and should never be stopped abruptly as this can cause disruption to hormone levels and cause serious ill health (the dose needs to be tapered gradually to avoid this)
- Vitamin B12 and iron shots - these are given through shots or via a drip as the intestines may not absorb them properly and can cause anaemia through the lack of iron and/or vitamin B12 (a deficiency of either can cause anaemia
Advertisement
Moderate to severe ulcerative colitis
Treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (more than four stools per day with other major gastrointestinal symptoms):
- Immunosuppressants - such as cyclosporine, methotrexate and thiopurine agents are used to treat active ulcerative colitis (and Crohn's disease) and to maintain remission in people that have not responded to other drug therapy (glucocorticoids and antibiotics). Thiopurine agents are excellent at helping to heal fistulas. The only downside to these medications is that they can often take months to reach their full effects. The other disadvantage is that using these drugs long term may suppress the immune system too much and raise risk of infection, plus there is also a small risk of lymphoma (cancer of the lymph glands) when using these drugs long term
- Intravenous iron and vitamin B12 - these nutrient are given through a drip (or shots administered by the doctor) as the intestines may not be able to absorb them properly and this can cause anaemia through the lack of iron and/or vitamin B12 (a deficiency of either can cause anaemia)
- Electrolyte and fluid replacement - when ulcerative colitis is really severe, replacement fluids including the electrolyte minerals (chloride, sodium, potassium) are given via a drip (usually in hospital) to replace the fluids and electrolytes lost through diarrhoea (and vomiting)
- Total parenteral nutrition - if the ulcerative colitis is really severe and absorption of food is greatly impaired because of bowel obstruction, or due to inability to absorb nutrients at all because of the severity of the disease, then total parenteral nutrition must be given via drip in hospital, which allows the gastrointestinal tract to rest and heal. This provides all the nutritional requirements through the blood so that nothing goes through the bowel and this enables the inflammation and other symptoms of the bowel to be healed
Surgery
Surgery is recommended as a treatment for serious complications of this condition, such as:
- Abscesses and ulcerations of the colon
- Blockages (partial or full) of any part of the bowel
- Cancer of any part of the colon
- Fistulas
- Internal bleeding
- Perforation of the colon or peritoneum
- Strictures in any part of the bowel
Advertisement
Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
< 8: diagnosis 10: alternative treatment >