colitis

views updated

colitis (kŏ-ly-tis) n. inflammation of the colon. The usual symptoms are diarrhoea, sometimes with blood and mucus, and lower abdominal pain. ischaemic c. colitis caused by partial or temporary cessation of blood supply to the colon. mucous c. see irritable bowel syndrome. pseudomembranous c. colitis associated with severe diarrhoea caused by overgrowth of the normal population of Clostridium difficile, which is a complication of therapy with some antibiotics and can be life-threatening. ulcerative c. (UC, idiopathic proctocolitis) colitis of varying severity in which the rectum (see proctitis) as well as a varying amount of the colon become inflamed and ulcerated; its cause is unknown.

More From encyclopedia.com