Ulcerative Colitis in Children – All the Facts You Need to Know

Ulcerative colitis is a kind of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and can lead to chronic inflammation in the colon. Ulcerative colitis can result in constant diarrhea, bleeding, and swelling. Statistic shows about 40,000 children in the United States live with ulcerative colitis. Tough the only treatment of ulcerative colitis in children is surgery to remove the entire colon, there are still many ways that your doctor can use to help manage the condition.

1Symptoms

Not only does ulcerative colitis affect adults, but it also occurs in children. Children having ulcerative colitis will experience many inflammatory symptoms, from moderate to severe. Sometimes symptoms may get relived for a while, but a chance to have more severe flare-ups later is possible, including:

  • Anemia
  • Nausea
  • Bloody diarrhea or mucus in diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Stomach pain
  • Malnutrition
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Nausea

In some cases, a kid’s ulcerative colitis may become so severe that it leads to other complication, including:

  • Brittle bones
  • Eye inflammation
  • Joint pain
  • Kidney stones
  • Liver disorders
  • Rashes
  • Skin lesions

It can be difficult to diagnose ulcerative colitis when patients suffer from these symptoms mentioned above. Because these symptoms may seem like they’re caused by a different underlying condition. In addition, it’s pretty hard for children to explain their symptoms. Teenagers may feel uncomfortable talking about their symptoms.

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