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Colitis: Diseases
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Colitis is a type of inflammatory* bowel disease that affects mainly the large intestine and the rectum*. Different types of colitis may be chronic or acute and may have different causes, but they have many symptoms in common, including diarrhea that may be bloody. Many people ... feel abdominal pain and cramping.
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Colitis is a chronic disease, which means it is an ongoing condition that can be controlled with treatment, but not cured. It is ... relapsing – symptoms of the disease come and go. Some people may go for months or years without symptoms between flare-ups.
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Colitis refers to inflammation of the large intestine. Also this is used to refer to inflammation of the small intestine. Although the proper term would be ileitis when speaking of the ileum which is the end of the small intestine, colitis may be due to infections like Salmonella, diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
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If your pet has had symptoms of colitis for one month or more, a more complete search for the actual cause should be taken. The first step is to run a basic database. This should include blood chemistry, a white and red cell profile (a CBC), and at least one fecal test for parasites. Cats should have their viral status (feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus) confirmed. A test for pancreatic ability to produce digestive enzymes may ... be in order. (Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a disease of the small intestine that produces a diarrhea very heavy in fat, which can be confused with the mucous diarrhea of colitis.) A fecal smear or cytology test where the bacteria of the stool sample (as opposed to worm content) may be examined microscopically can help rule out pathogenic bacteria that can cause colitis (especially Clostridial organisms).
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Ulcerative colitis usually affects young adults ages 20-40 but can occur at any age. Most believe that there is a second peak incidence that occurs at ages 55-65. It affects men and women equally. It occurs throughout the world but is more prevalent in the US, UK, Northern Europe and Australia. In the United States, Jews appear to be more affected than non-Jews. However, the disease has been reported in all ethnic groups.
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Pseudomembranous colitis... called antibiotic-associated colitis, occurs as a complication of treatment with antibiotics. Antibiotics can alter the balance of bacteria normally found in the intestine, allowing types that cause disease to grow and displace others. In pseudomembranous colitis, a bacterium called Clostridium difficile overgrows and releases toxins that cause inflammation. The condition is marked by watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, a low fever and bloody stools. Treatment requires replacement of lost fluids and a different antibiotic to treat the Clostridium bacteria.
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