What is Colitis?
What is ulcerative colitis and how is it different from other types of colitis?
Colitis is a general term referring to inflammation of the colon. It is derived from col = colon, and itis = inflammation. There are several types of colitis, such as infectious, ulcerative, and microscopic. While all involve inflammation of the colon, they each have a different underlying cause. By analogy, you can liken this to arthritis (arth = joint and itis = inflammation) which is an umbrella term describing inflammation of the joints. Similar to colitis, there are many different forms of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, you can think of colitis as an all-encompassing word that describes any type of inflammation of the colon.
UC is a specific form of colitis in which the body’s immune system becomes overactive and does not respond to normal signals to turn off inflammatory responses. The continued cascade of immune factors released in the body primarily targets the colon resulting in inflammation of that particular organ. It is for this reason you may hear people describe UC as an autoimmune disorder, or as the immune system attacking the colon. The cornerstone of UC treatment is medication which suppresses the overactive immune system, dampening it to a normal level of regulation.
UC is differentiated from other types of colitis such as infectious and microscopic colitis based upon patient history, laboratory tests, colonoscopy results, and pathology studies. Prior to making a diagnosis of UC, your doctor may perform blood tests, stool examinations, and endoscopies with tissue biopsies to help him or her sort out what type of colitis you have. It is important to distinguish the various types of colitis from one another as their treatments and prognoses are very different.