Ulcerative Colitis Essay

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Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are both in a category of diseases called Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. This is a classification of disease in which inflammation forms in a part of the digestive tract, known as the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract, of the patient. The immune system then treats this area of inflammation as a foreign pathogen and attacks it. The causes of both of these diseases are currently unknown to the medical world.
Dr. Burrill B. Crohn first described the condition known as Crohn’s Disease in 1932. Crohn discovered the disease with the help of fellow scientists Dr. Leon Ginzburg and Dr. Gordon D. Oppenheimer. It was for Dr. Burrill B. Crohn that the disease was so named.
There are quite a few differences between Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Both of which have symptoms ranging in severity, which vary widely from person to person. In Crohn’s Disease, these symptoms and complications can include abdominal pain and cramping. Others include frequent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, feeling of need to move bowels, and constipation.
On the other hand, Ulcerative Colitis has a similar, but slightly different set of common symptoms. The most prevalent of these symptoms is diarrhea. Other symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis include a bloody stool, abdominal pain, and a feeling of urgency. The most noticeable complication related to Ulcerative Colitis is a general discomfort and difficulty with bowel movements.
There are several forms of both of these diseases. The type of each disease relates to the location in digestive tract in which the inflammation is occurring. Whereas one person may experience discomfort originating from the area of the gastrointestinal tract that is near the rectum, anot...

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...tance, which creates contrast, and having a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, or a fluoroscopic X-ray.
In addition to an endoscopy, a biopsy may be recommended. During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed from an inflamed area. This piece of tissue is then examined in pathology in order to determine whether either disease is present or not.
Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease is tricky. There is currently no cure for Crohn’s Disease (and technically no legitimate cure for Ulcerative Colitis). Also, there is no sure-fire way of treating the disease, as there is no one medicine that works for everyone. Treatments for Crohn’s disease also differ from the treatments of Ulcerative Colitis.
The purpose of Ulcerative Colitis medications is to reduce inflammation in the colon, therefore giving the tissue a window to heal.

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