Ulcerative Colitis

Prevention

There is no way to prevent ulcerative colitis. However, some people are able to decrease the frequency of symptoms by avoiding certain foods, such as spicy foods or milk products. If you have ulcerative colitis, you can decrease the toll the condition takes on your body by eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet. By storing up vitamins and nutrients, even between episodes with symptoms, you can decrease complications from malnutrition, such as weight loss or a low blood count.

It's important to know that ulcerative colitis increases your risk of colon cancer. People with extensive inflammation in the whole colon have the highest risk. When the entire colon is involved, the risk of cancer can be as much as 32 times normal. About 5 percent of people with ulcerative colitis will develop cancer in the colon. Because of the higher cancer risk, it is important to have your colon checked frequently for early signs of cancer. If you have had ulcerative colitis affecting the entire colon for eight years or more, or if you have had just the bottom half of the colon affected for 15 years, you should start being screened regularly for cancer. One good strategy is to have a colonoscopy every one to two years.

Poor nutrition or the effect of colitis medicines can lead to osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones and can cause bones to break.. Osteoporosis can be prevented with specific medicines, as well as adequate exercise, calcium and vitamin D. If you have ulcerative colitis, you should discuss this issue with your doctor.

Treatment

Medications Medications are very effective for improving the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Most of the medications that are used work by preventing inflammation in the intestine.

The medicines that commonly are tried first are a group of anti-inflammatory medicines called aminosalicylates. These medicines are chemically related to aspirin, and they suppress inflammation in the gut and in joints. They are given either by mouth or directly into the rectum, as a suppository (a waxy capsule that is inserted into the rectum) or an enema (liquid that is squeezed from a bag or bottle into the rectum). Some medicines in this group include sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), mesalamine (Asacol, Pentasa, Rowasa) and olsalazine (Dipentum). These medicines clear up symptoms in most people, but you may need to receive treatment for three to six weeks before you are free of symptoms.