5 Complications of Ulcerative Colitis and How to Avoid Them

Ulcerative colitis is a difficult and confusing disease. Read on to learn more about how to avoid complications that may occur as a result of ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract which can result in painful inflammation and sores all along the intestines. The symptoms of the disease can be difficult to manage, but generally consist of painful or difficulty making bowel movements, blood in the stool, and excessive diarrhea. The disease may sound like a problem of the gastrointestinal tract, but its origin is actually in the immune system.

Due to the fact that ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune disorder—a disease in which the immune system improperly identifies and attacks normal bodily agents—the symptoms can spread to other parts of the body and even overshadow the primary disease. Gastroenterologists can prescribe medications for the inflammation and sores, but without properly identifying the disease for what it is, physicians can misdiagnose and mistreat other symptoms.

Ulcerative colitis has no cure at the present moment, but management of the disease is leading to better outcomes as researchers understand more and more about the disease. Maintaining proper nutrition and avoiding excess stress can help the body keep the symptoms of the disease at bay, drastically reducing the risk of experiencing a complication. As with any disease, catching new symptoms early and intervening immediately will help improve the overall outcome.

Commonly occurring complications

The most common extra-intestinal symptom that arises from ulcerative colitis is arthritis, or inflammation of the joints. Approximately one in every four individuals diagnosed with the parent disease will develop some form of pain or inflammation in their joints.

Skin disorders can also occur. The ulcers and sores that develop inside the gastrointestinal tract can occasional migrate or be found in other places in the body, typically the skin.

Dry eyes or tenderness in the eyes are other common minor symptoms that can occur when symptoms of the underlying disease are acting up or becoming more severe.

In addition to the inflammation, steroid use can put extra stress on the bones or cause unnatural weight gains that fail to give the bone structure time to adjust to the increased weight load.

Liver problems can also occur. The liver filters blood that passes in and out of the digestive tract, and it is typical for individuals with ulcerative colitis to experience a complication called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in which the liver has a hard time breaking down fats.

The symptoms that occur outside the GI tract as a result of ulcerative colitis are called extra-intestinal complications. It is unclear exactly why symptoms arise outside of the GI tract despite the disease being focused entirely upon the immune system. Recent research indicates that the problem is progressive, causing the immune system to lose the ability to distinguish between intestinal bacteria and other bacteria that exists naturally in the body. Regardless, it is important to be able to distinguish extra-intestinal complications that arise as a result of ulcerative colitis, and to learn how to combat and avoid their symptoms.