The signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis vary depending on the severity of inflammation, and where it is located. The most common symptoms include abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, ranging from mild to severe. They may come on either very suddenly or more gradually.
Other common symptoms include:
- Frequent, even continuous diarrhea
- Rectal bleeding
- Bloody stool
- Urgent need to defecate
- Abdominal cramps and pain
- Weight loss
- Anemia
- Joint aches
- Fever
- Dehydration
People with ulcerative colitis are at increased risk for malnutrition. The condition is also associated with other health problems, including arthritis, eye infections, liver disease, skin rashes, blood clots, or gallstones. Although western medical doctors cannot figure out why such problems occur outside the colon, if we take a look at this disease from a Chinese medical perspective, cross-functional aspects of different organs will make sense.