Ulcerative colitis is a long-term inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. Its primary symptoms are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood. No single cause is known; genetics, environmental factors and an overactive immune response are all implicated, and the condition is generally regarded as idiopathic and, in part, autoimmune. Diagnosis is typically by colonoscopy with tissue biopsies. Treatment aims to induce remission with medications and then maintain it with ongoing therapy to prevent relapse. English physician Samuel Wilks first used the term ulcerative colitis in 1859 in a case report on a woman who died after months of diarrhea and fever, distinguishing the condition, on autopsy, from infectious dysentery.
Facts
Condition ClassInflammatory bowel disease (chronic) 1 Causative AgentNo single cause identified; genetics, environmental factors and an overactive immune system are implicated (idiopathic). 1 First DescribedEnglish physician Samuel Wilks first used the term ulcerative colitis in 1859, describing the autopsy findings of a woman who died after months of diarrhea and fever, distinguishing idiopathic colitis from infectious dysentery. Cross-Tradition Connections
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Ulcerative Colitis
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum.
1. Wikipedia: Ulcerative Colitis
WikipediaCauses sectionQuote, Causes section
No direct causes for UC are known, but factors such as genetics, environment, and an overactive immune system play a role.
1. Wikipedia: Ulcerative Colitis
WikipediaManagement sectionQuote, Management section
The goal is to induce remission initially with medications, followed by the administration of maintenance medications to prevent a relapse.
2. Hektoen International: Sir Samuel Wilks (1824-1911)
Hektoen International (A Journal of Medical Humanities)Article bodyQuote, Article body
Under the name of ulcerative colitis he described in 1859 the inflammation of the distal part of the ileum and the colon found at the autopsy of Isabella Banks
2. Hektoen International: Sir Samuel Wilks (1824-1911)
Hektoen International (A Journal of Medical Humanities)Discovered By: Samuel Wilks, Wilks biography, 1859 caseView the Source Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
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