What is Colitis?
Colitis is inflammation of the lining of the large intestine (colon), which can be temporary or chronic and manifests with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, fever, and urgency to defecate. The causes are varied and include infections, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, poor blood flow, radiation, or the use of certain medications.
Common causes
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Infections: Bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections that can cause infectious colitis.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Chronic conditions such as Crohn's disease (which can affect any part of the digestive tract) and ulcerative colitis (which affects the colon and rectum).
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Ischemia: Lack of blood flow to the colon (ischemic colitis).
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Medications: Some treatments, such as certain anti-inflammatory or cancer medications.
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Other causes: Previous radiation to the colon, certain infections (such as Clostridium difficile which causes pseudomembranous colitis) or immunological problems.
Have you been told you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Nervous Colitis, or Nervous Colon?
Symptoms
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Abdominal pain and bloating
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Diarrhea
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Stools with blood or mucus
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Fever
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Shivers
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Urgency to have a bowel movement
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