Colitis

Inflammation of the colon causing diarrhoea, usually with blood and mucus. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain and fever. Colitis may be due to infection by various types of microorganism, such as camphlobacter and shigella bacteria, viruses, or amoebae. A form of colitis may be provoked by antibiotic drugs destroying bacteria that normally live in the intestine and allowing, a bacteria that causes irritation, to proliferate. Colitis is a feature of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Investigations into colitis may include examining a faecal sample, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, biopsy of inflamed areas or ulcers, and a barium enema (see barium X-ray examinations). If the cause is an infection, antibiotics may be needed. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are treated with corticosteroid and immunosuppressant drugs, and a special diet.