Ulcerative colitis

Definition

Risk Factors

    • Genetics

    • Diet

    • Recent smoking cessation

      • hydrogen cyanide from cigarette smoke reacting with hydrogen sulfide to produce the nontoxic isothiocyanate?

Differential diagnosis

Epidemiology

    • 35–100 / 100,000 in the United States

    • peak incidence 15 to 25

    • bimodal distribution in age of onset, with a second peak in incidence occurring in the 6th decade of life

    • Higher incidences are seen in northern locations

Aetiology

    • Autoimmune??

Clinical features

    • Often mucus-like faeces/diarrhoea with blood

Pathophysiology

Investigations

Management

a) conservative

b) medical

    • Aminosalicylates

    • Corticosteroids

    • Immunosuppressive drugs

    • Biological treatment

c) surgical

Prognosis