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Ulcerative colitis
From WikEM
Contents
Background
- Inflammation tends to be progressively more severe from proximal to distal colon
- Rectum is almost always involved
- Peak incidence occurs in second and third decades of life
Clinical Features
- Abdominal cramps and diarrhea (often bloody)
Classification
- Mild
- <4 bowel movements per day
- No systemic symptoms
- Few extraintestinal manifestaions
- Occasional constipation and rectal bleeding
- Moderate
- Colitis extends to splenic flexure
- Severe
Differential Diagnosis
Colitis
- Infectious colitis
- Ischemic colitis
- Ulcerative colitis
- CMV colitis
- Crohn's colitis
- Toxic colitis (antineoplastic agents)
- Pseudomembranous colitis
- Fibrosing colonopathy (Cystic fibrosis)
Evaluation
Work-up
- CBC
- Chemistry
- Imaging
- Consider CT based on clinical features
Management
- Rule-out complications:
- Hemorrhage
- Toxic megacolon
- Develops in advanced disease when all the layers of the colon become involved
- Presentation
- Severely ill
- Abd distended, tender, peritonitis
- Fever, tachycardia
- Leukocytosis (may be masked if patient taking steroids)
- Perforation results in high mortality
- Abd x-ray: long, continuous segment of air-filled colon >6cm in diameter
- Perirectal fistula
- Perirectal abscess
- Obstruction (due to stricture)
- Carcinoma
- Steroids
- Parenteral vs PO depending on severity
- PO: 40mg x 2wks, then decrease by 5mg per week
- Parenteral vs PO depending on severity
Disposition
- Admit for severe complication or severe flare requiring IV steroids
