Ulcerative colitis is a common inflammatory disease of the colon characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the large bowel and rectum. The condition impairs the ability of the large bowel to absorb water which results in diarrhea, the main symptom of the condition.
Ulcerative colitis is a relapsing and remitting condition, meaning symptoms can die down for long periods but then flare-up from time to time. These flare-ups can be sudden and severe. During a period of relapse, symptoms may include bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and a sudden urge to defecate. Other symptoms include wind, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and fatigue.
Currently, there is no cure for the condition apart from surgery. However, certain treatments such as corticosteroids or immunosuppressants may be used to ease symptoms by reducing inflammation. Surgery for severe ulcerative colitis that does not respond to treatment involves completely removing the large bowel and re-routing the small bowel so that waste can still be expelled. This procedure is called a colectomy.
In the UK, the incidence of ulcerative colitis is around 1 in 500 and the condition is equally common among males and females. Symptoms can develop at any age, but onset usually occurs between 15 and 30 years of age.
Scientists have discovered a crucial biomolecule that improves the repair of a person’s gut lining by encouraging stem cells to regenerate impaired tissues.
Research is employing mini-organs to model the digestive tract in the laboratory setting. These supposed organoids shed light on the inflammatory processes.
A protein-coding gene associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, will be the focus of new research in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.
A study has uncovered how variations in a non-protein coding 'dark matter' region of the genome could make patients susceptible to complex autoimmune diseases.
Foods like cookies, cheese, soda, and French fries are often present in the diets of U.S. adults suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have pinpointed a genetic variation responsible for driving the development of inflammatory bowel disease.
Biological engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a multi-tissue model that allows them to analyze the associations between the immune system and different organs, on a dedicated microfluidic platform embedded with human cells.
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