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ulcerative colitis
a recurrent acute and chronic disorder characterized by extensive inflammatory ulceration in the mucous membranes and submucosa
of the colon; the cause is unknown. There are attacks of bloody, mucoid diarrhea, often brought on by physical or emotional stress; an episode can last from a few days to several months and may be followed
by a period of remission. There may also be symptoms elsewhere in the body, such as in the joints (causing arthritis, sacroiliitis, or ankylosing spondylitis), as well as the liver, skin, or eyes. Hypercoagulability of the blood may also occur. Ulcerative colitis shares many of the same characteristics with Crohn disease, and the two are often included in the broader diagnostic entity called inflammatory bowel disease.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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