10 Facts You Need To Know About Ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis, also known as flare-ups, depend on the location and the severity of the inflammation. Symptoms include rectal bleeding and stools with blood, abdominal pain and discomfort, diarrhea with mucus or blood, reduced appetite, nausea, an urgency to defecate, constipation, rectal pain, and tenesmus which is the inability to move bowels despite urgency. There are symptoms that are outside the digestive system such as frequent fevers, skin sores and rash, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, and joint pain. Some factors that can trigger the symptoms of UC are taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen, aspirin, and ibuprofen; use of antibiotics; missing doses or wrong doses of medication; smoking; eating foods that can aggravate the digestive tract; and stress.