Ulcerative colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease of the colon, with urgency, bleeding and pain.
About this condition
Ulcerative colitis is inflammatory bowel disease affecting the lining of the colon and rectum in a continuous pattern. It causes bloody diarrhoea, urgency, cramping pain, tiredness and weight loss, and the unpredictability of urgency can be as restricting as the physical symptoms themselves.
Care is led by gastroenterology, using aminosalicylates, steroids for flares and immunosuppressive or biologic medicines to maintain remission, with colectomy an option in severe disease. Regular monitoring is important. As with Crohn's, symptoms and fatigue can persist between flares and are worth addressing separately.
Treatments people usually try first
These are the treatments commonly offered in the UK for this condition. A specialist doctor will want to know which of them you have tried, and what happened.
- Aminosalicylates such as mesalazine, oral or rectal
- Corticosteroids for active flares
- Immunosuppressants such as azathioprine
- Biologic or small molecule medicines under specialist care
- Colectomy in severe or refractory disease
- Dietitian input and iron replacement where needed
Could medical cannabis be appropriate?
People with this condition sometimes ask whether medical cannabis could be appropriate for them. That is a question for a specialist doctor, who will look at your diagnosis, your history and everything you have already tried before saying anything either way.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed prescription only medicine in the UK. It is considered only where a diagnosed condition has not responded adequately to conventional treatment, and it is never a first step. We cannot tell you in advance what might be prescribed, and UK law does not allow us to describe or advertise any medicine on this website.
What we can do is assess you properly and be honest with you. If a specialist doctor does not think this route is right for you, they will say so, and they will explain why.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Questions about ulcerative colitis
Gastrointestinal and palliative
Other conditions in this category
YOUR NEXT STEP
Find out where you stand, free.
The eligibility check takes 30 seconds and carries no commitment. All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Check your eligibility