Ulcerative Colitis
We are a reference centre for the diagnosis and treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a autoimmune disease, and chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine which, together with the Crohn's diseaseis one of the so-called Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
Ulcerative colitis affects different parts of the large intestine, especially the colon, and has different characteristics depending on the area affected by the inflammation, although the most common are the aggression of the immune system against the mucosa of the colon, which results in a chronic intestinal inflammation (colitis) that gradually damages (ulcerates) the intestine. The disease has symptomatic flare-ups and periods of remission, but does not go away unless properly treated.
European Reference Centre for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme disease
Causes of Ulcerative Colitis
Autoimmune diseases are characterised by an strong genetic component among its causes. In the case of ulcerative colitis, up to 200 genes have been identified that may be linked to the disease.
On the other hand, there are some environmental factors that trigger the disease: altered intestinal bacteria and increased intestinal permeability that dysregulate intestinal immunity, causing an exaggerated immune response leading to gastrointestinal injury.
However we cannot claim that there is a single triggering cause. The body's autoimmune reaction is behind ulcerative colitis, but what causes this reaction? We can talk about risk factors that are conducive to the onset of the disease.
- In general, ulcerative colitis appears before the age of thirty. However, it cannot be ruled out that the disease may occur at any age throughout life.
- The disease is more common in Western Europe
- Family history of the disease
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis
The symptoms of ulcerative colitis can vary, depending on the severity of the inflammation and where it occurs, and may also be intermittent. Doctors often classify ulcerative colitis according to its location.
The symptoms you may have if you have ulcerative colitis are:
- Diarrhoea, often blood or pus.
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Rectal pain
- Rectal bleeding, with small amount of blood with stool
- Urgent defecation
- Inability to defecate in spite of urgency
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
The Biological medicine treatments are always based on the regulation of the immune system.If necessary, symptoms can be treated with anti-inflammatory enzymes and, if necessary, a regulatory t-lymphocyte vaccine can be injected. If necessary, a t-regulatory lymphocyte vaccine would be injected.
Increasingly, the regenerative medicine can contribute to the regeneration of the injured areas and return to the state of health prior to the disease. Techniques that produce tissue regeneration are beginning to be applied with increasing frequency.
At Biosalud we develop personalised treatment protocols.
