Ulcerative Colitis Essay

1123 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Flashcards inflammatory bowel diseases

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are both in a category of diseases called Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. This is a classification of disease in which inflammation forms in a part of the digestive tract, known as the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract, of the patient. The immune system then treats this area of inflammation as a foreign pathogen and attacks it. The causes of both of these diseases are currently unknown to the medical world.
Dr. Burrill B. Crohn first described the condition known as Crohn’s Disease in 1932. Crohn discovered the disease with the help of fellow scientists Dr. Leon Ginzburg and Dr. Gordon D. Oppenheimer. It was for Dr. Burrill B. Crohn that the disease was so named.
There are quite a few differences between Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Both of which have symptoms ranging in severity, which vary widely from person to person. In Crohn’s Disease, these symptoms and complications can include abdominal pain and cramping. Others include frequent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, feeling of need to move bowels, and constipation.
On the other hand, Ulcerative Colitis has a similar, but slightly different set of common symptoms. The most prevalent of these symptoms is diarrhea. Other symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis include a bloody stool, abdominal pain, and a feeling of urgency. The most noticeable complication related to Ulcerative Colitis is a general discomfort and difficulty with bowel movements.
There are several forms of both of these diseases. The type of each disease relates to the location in digestive tract in which the inflammation is occurring. Whereas one person may experience discomfort originating from the area of the gastrointestinal tract that is near the rectum, anot...

... middle of paper ...

...tance, which creates contrast, and having a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, or a fluoroscopic X-ray.
In addition to an endoscopy, a biopsy may be recommended. During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed from an inflamed area. This piece of tissue is then examined in pathology in order to determine whether either disease is present or not.
Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease is tricky. There is currently no cure for Crohn’s Disease (and technically no legitimate cure for Ulcerative Colitis). Also, there is no sure-fire way of treating the disease, as there is no one medicine that works for everyone. Treatments for Crohn’s disease also differ from the treatments of Ulcerative Colitis.
The purpose of Ulcerative Colitis medications is to reduce inflammation in the colon, therefore giving the tissue a window to heal.

Show More
Related

  • Helicobacter Pylori Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    The helicobacter pylori bacterium also commonly known as H. pylori is a spiral shaped bacterium that is often found growing in the digestive tract. H. pylori bacteria are found in more than half of the world’s population. The bacteria normally attack the lining of the stomach and the small intestines. Although they are present in many people the H. pylori bacteria is usually harmless. The bacteria are adapted to live and survive in the acidic environment of the digestive tract. Furthermore, H. pylori reduces the acidity of the environment around it to survive and will penetrate the lining of the stomach and small intestines where the mucus lining protects it from the body’s immune cells. H. pylori sometimes can interfere with the body’s immune response to ensure their survival and this causes stomach problems (Flemin & Alcamo, 2007).

    Read More

  • Crohn's Disease Case Study

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    (What is....2016). The first documented case of Crohn’s disease suspected was King Alfred in 850 A.D. This disease is named after a Jewish man named Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn (1884-1983) who became interested in the condition as his father, also a Dr, suffered from a disorder of the bowel. He devoted his career to “regional enteritis” the disease that now bares his name. It is necessary to understand the disease to be able to provide care for people who are afflicted by it (de Campos and Kotze 2013). Especially since Crohn’s is a chronic disease or a lifelong affliction it’s important to understand etiology, it’s symptoms, treatments, and to maintain the disease and the psychological well being of the patient managed (Crohn’s...2015).

    Read More

  • Crohn's Disease

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    Researchers think that this immune system response may be triggered by bacteria or viruses, material in the intestinal contents, or a defective signal from the body’s own cells, called an autoimmune response. Inflammation results in pain, heat, redness, and swelling of the tissue. Chronic inflammation can harm the function of tissues and organs (U.S. News, 2009). Crohn’s disease also appears to affect certain ethnic groups more than others. American Jews of European descent are four to five times more likely to de... ...

    Read More

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis Essay

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).

    Read More

  • Parkinsons Disease: The Cause And Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    requiered to determine treatment. Lab tests or imaging is often requiered as well. It’s chronic,

    Read More

  • John Barnes Cholera Case Study

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hypothesis about signs and symptoms: Symptoms: cramping, diarrhea, and dehydration. These symptoms were thought to be due to the disease withdrawing fluid from the blood and irritating the stomach and

    Read More

  • Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Study

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sephton (2009) discusses an overview of severe ulcerative colitis, along with assessments, medical management, and nursing care. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation in the mucosal layer of the colon. Ulcerative colitis has characteristics of watery diarrhea with blood, mucus, or pus. Treatment usually depends on the extent and severity of the disease. Mild to moderate ulcerative colitis is treated with 5-aminosalicylic acid. Corticosteroids can be used for patients who relapse or do not respond well to the 5-aminosalicylic acid treatment. Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine are immunosuppressive drugs that are used when the disease becomes steroid dependent. For patients with severe ulcerative colitis, intravenous corticosteroids during a hospital stay are used.

    Read More

  • MRI: An Advancement in Technology

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s operated by a magnet there will be a lot of artifact because of the metal being inside the patient. There has also been a discovery of the contrast used in certain MRI exams can cause severe kidney damage. This is a rare effect and only happens to about five percent of patients that receive an MRI ("About mri scans," 2014).

    Read More

  • What Is Crohn 's Disease?

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is chrohns disease? about crohns disease, define crohns disease, whats crohns disease? As you can see, there are a few common mispellings of Crohn’s Disease. The definition of Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, especially the colon and ileum (the 3rd portion of the small intestine, between the jejunum and the cecum), associated with ulcers and fistulae (an abnormal or surgically made passage between a hollow or tubular organ and the body surface, or between two hollow or tubular organs). In layman terms, the definition of Crohn's Disease is best explained as The body's immune system tries to cure the digestive tract, but the digestive tract does not really need curing because it is not sick.

    Read More

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome Research Paper

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some IBS symptoms can be caused by an overgrowth of bacteria. Antibiotics can restore the natural balance of bacteria in your intestine. Some people have treated diarrhea with Xifaxan. However, scientists are still studying the effectiveness of the

    Read More

  • Understanding a Brain Aneurysm

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), similar to CT, uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body. A dye is often used during the procedure to make blood vessels appear clearer. Lastly, a cerebral angiogram may be done. This is an x-ray test, where a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel, usually in the groin or arm, and moved from the vessel into the brain. A dye is also injected.

    Read More

  • Crohns Disease

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crohn's disease is the generic name for regional enteritis, which is a type of Irritable Bowel Disease. The initial onset of this disease is between the ages of 15 to 30 years old with about 4 out of 1000 people being affected (CDC, 2014). The CDC (2014) also states that the United States has a “1.7 billon dollar” annual financial burden resulting from ”700,000 physician visits, 100,000 hospitalizations, and disability in 119,000 patients” yearly. There is presently no cure for Crohn's, although certain medications and treatments have been proven to take the disease into remission. Crohn’s disease is a realitivly new disease, without a cure, than can be controlled and let the patient live a normal life.

    Read More

  • Crohn's Disease Research Paper

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    Crohn’s disease is only diagnosed after ruling out other possible causes for signs and symptoms. There is no one test to diagnose this disease. There are many different ways to help diagnose Crohn’s; one of which is radiological testing, endoscopy with biopsies, anemia blood tests, fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, CT scan, MRI, or small bowel imaging. Treatment has three objectives, which are: relieve symptoms, control inflammation, and help with getting proper nutrition and can be treated with medication for intestinal inflammation, which is the first therapeutic option. Eventually some people living with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis may require surgery. Surgery will be considered if a person's quality of life has been severely impacted despite medical treatment or if side effects of the medication are significant. Surgeries include strictureplasty- widen the narrow area of the small intestine in a portion that is affected by the disease. Resection - procedure to remove part of the

    Read More

  • Autoimmune Disease Essay

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Inflammatory bowel disease is a life long disease, and it particularly targets the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach small intestine, large intestine (appendix, cecum, colon (ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid), and rectum), and anus. The gastrointestinal tract is very important to the human body; some of its functions include mechanical and chemical digestion of food, the movement of food and waste from mouth to anus, secretion of enzymes and mucus, and the absorption of nutrients. These are some reason why it’s so destructive when this part of the body becomes impaired or even damaged.

    Read More

  • The Digestive System of the Human Body

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.

    Read More

More about Ulcerative Colitis Essay

Open Document