Q. What do you mean by Ulcerative Colitis?

Let us understand clearly about ulcerative colitis by reading the following case.

Varun, a 48-year-old male, had a very successful career in a computer company. His company was his life. He put in long hours when he was working on an important contract and seldom even took a Sunday off. He was delighted when a deal came together, and he celebrated his success at his favourite Chinese restaurant. When he worked 10-12 hours at a stretch, he just ordered his favourite Chinese food, which frequently gave him bouts of diarrhoea. But the latest episode was really bad. He felt nauseated and had cramps for 2 nights and developed a fever. On the second night, he noticed blood in the stools and he resolved to call the doctor. What do you think he might be suffering from? Well, this is the case of Ulcerative Colitis. What is it? Let us find out.

Ulcerative Colitis is a diffuse inflammatory and ulcerative disease of unknown etiology involving the mucosa and sub-mucosa of the large intestine. It occurs at any age but predominates in young adults. Onset is insidious in the majority of cases.