Chronic colitis: Causes and treatment

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Dong Xuan Ha - Gastroenterologist - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.
Chronic colitis is not a rare disease in our country, it is very difficult to treat definitively and often recurs, making patients not only suffer from digestive and eating problems but also constantly worry about cancer. Colon.

1. Learn what is chronic colitis?

1.1. What is chronic colitis?

Chronic colitis is a long-term inflammation of the colon leading to chronic, that is, the inflammation of the colon is already at a severe level, causing localized or diffuse damage to the colon mucosa.
Mild chronic colitis can cause the lining of the colon to be vulnerable to bleeding, and in severe cases, ulcers, congestion, and even abscesses will appear.
In our country, chronic colitis is a common gastrointestinal disease, it is estimated that up to 20% of the population has chronic colitis, this rate is increasing rapidly.

1.2. What causes chronic colitis?

Chronic colitis is divided into 2 groups of diseases according to causes, including:
Chronic colitis has causes:
Tuberculosis, Crohn's, bleeding colitis,... Due to parasitic infection, infection , poisoning, fungal infections cause acute colitis but progressed without definitive treatment. Chronic colitis of unknown etiology:
Chronic colitis of unknown etiology is common in patients with chronic nonspecific colitis.
Accordingly, the groups of common causes in patients with chronic colitis are thought to affect the disease, including:
Parasitic infections: Hairworms, pinworms, roundworms,... Infection with pathogenic bacteria intestinal tract: Salmonella, Shigella,... Unbalanced diet, eating a lot of foods that cause irritation, damage to the stomach, colon mucosa. Prolonged constipation. 1.3. Signs of chronic colitis Unlike acute colitis, which can be easily cured, does not affect life and activities much, chronic colitis has many characteristic signs:
Pulling abdominal pain long

Patients often have pain along the colonic frame, the position of the left half of the colon and the two pelvic fossa. The pain occurs in episodes, the pain is repeated many times, sometimes the pain is dull, the pain is relieved when having a bowel movement.
In particular, the patient will feel the abdomen is always distended, tight and very uncomfortable, especially located along the colonic frame.
Abnormal stool
Chronic colitis causes the most obvious manifestation in stool, but also very diverse, mainly loose stools, many times a day, many cases can be constipation, straining, bloody stools, with or without mucus.
There are patients with chronic colitis who have alternating constipation with loose stools, in general, the stool is unstable, making the patient uncomfortable after having a bowel movement.
Body fatigue, weakness
Chronic colitis is a gastrointestinal disease that directly affects the digestion and absorption of nutrients, so the expression of weakness and fatigue is also obvious. Accordingly, patients with Chronic Colitis often experience anorexia, poor appetite, fatigue, abdominal bloating, memory loss, poor sleep, irritability, anxiety,...
There are patients Long-term chronic colitis is also clearly reduced, the body is thin, emaciated, lack of vitality.

2. Prevention and treatment of chronic colitis

2.1. Treatment of Chronic Colitis Chronic colitis means that the disease has progressed to a stage that is very difficult to treat definitively, treatments that can temporarily relieve symptoms but cannot be completely cured should be easy Repeated recurrence, making treatment more difficult.

Therefore, the treatment of chronic colitis should ensure the general principle of combining comprehensive medical treatment, changing the lifestyle, eating and working habits accordingly.
Depending on the condition and condition of the patient, the doctor will give an appropriate treatment, including medical drugs combined with a lifestyle.
Drugs used in the treatment of chronic colitis are usually a combination of drugs to repair damage and drugs to eliminate the cause of the disease as well as the recurrence of the disease such as: antibiotics to fight infections, anti-parasitic drugs, anti-fungal, anti-diarrheal, anti-bacterial, analgesic and antispasmodic,...
2.2. Prevention of chronic colitis Along with treatment, patients should note:
Healthy lifestyle
Control stress, tension, anxiety, because this prolongs depression or reduces bowel movements , ensuring a happy, comfortable and healthy spirit. In addition, increase physical activity and sports to enhance health and resistance, drink a lot of water combined with light massage of the epigastrium to stimulate increased intestinal peristalsis. Ensure a reasonable, healthy diet
Should eat a lot of foods that are good for the colon and recovery such as soy milk, rice, potatoes, fish, increase green vegetables, fruits and vegetables rich in fiber, Banana papaya rich in Potassium,...
Limit eating fresh foods such as spring rolls, blood pudding, raw vegetables, salads of all kinds, pork intestines, ... to avoid intestinal infections.
Limit eating eggs, fried spring rolls, fatty meat, milk, ... with intestinal stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, tobacco, hot fried foods that are difficult to digest. Should eat foods that are easy to digest, divided into many small meals, eat less in the evening to reduce the burden on the intestines.

Although ensuring a healthy diet, treating the disease still requires enough nutritional ingredients, ensuring 1g of protein, 30-35 kcal for every 1kg of weight per day, while reducing fat and increasing water supply. , vitamins and mineral salts.
Chronic colitis has different symptoms of digestive discomfort, and the treatment is as follows:
When suffering from constipation: The diet needs to increase fiber, divide meals into many small meals, reduce fat.
When you have diarrhea: Reduce fiber intake to avoid the intestinal wall, do not eat dried or canned fruit, need to remove the peel of fresh fruit, do not eat raw vegetables, should eat pureed fruit.
Besides, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers such as: Naprosyn, Voltaren, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Feldene, ... can also increase colon damage, you should consult your doctor while you are taking it. use of these drugs.

3. Is chronic colitis dangerous?

3.1. Complications of chronic colitis The older the patient, the longer the disease progresses, the higher the risk of dangerous complications.
Massive bleeding
Chronic colitis, so the damaged colon mucosa has not been restored, it is extremely weak, seriously infected, and the villi are bare. Therefore, after being subjected to stimulants such as using alcohol, eating unhygienic foods or using excessive antibiotics, ... will cause massive bleeding or toxic colon.
Colonic perforation
Chronic colitis after antibiotic treatment causes intestinal bacteria to be destroyed, the villi are bare. Therefore, ulcerative colitis ulcers penetrate deep into the thin wall of the colon, continue to grow and at some point will cause colonic perforation. Colon perforation, if not treated promptly, can be life-threatening.

Acute colonic dilatation
Chronic colitis causes the digestive function of the colon to decline, not only a few lesions but the entire structure is dilated, leading to the risk of dangerous ulcers and perforation. Complications of acute colonic dilatation can cause patients to have severe abdominal pain, coma, and if not treated promptly, the mortality rate is very high.
Colon cancer
An equally dangerous complication of chronic colitis is colon cancer, and the rate of this complication in our country is very large, according to the 2015 statistics of the Ministry of Health, up to 20% .
Chronic colitis is a long-lasting ulcerative ulcerative colitis that causes the mucosal epithelial cells to be at risk of dysplasia, turn to malignant cells, and then develop into colon cancer. , the cumulative development process lasts 7-10 years.
3.2. How to prevent complications of chronic colitis Chronic colitis is a disease that has turned to a very difficult stage to treat, requiring perseverance and strict adherence to a healthy diet and lifestyle. During the course of treatment, through diagnostic tests, the doctor will determine the damage to the colon and from there will use drugs to prevent complications. There are also many drugs and nutritional foods on the market to prevent complications of Chronic Colitis, please consult your doctor before use.
Besides, chronic colitis patients need to ensure a healthy diet and activities:
Nutrition
Recommended foods are: Rice, potatoes, lean meat, non-dairy milk have lactose, fish, green vegetables, fruits...
Foods to be restricted are fried foods, foods that are difficult to digest such as eggs, milk, fatty meat, raw onions... and other stimulants like wine, beer, carbonated soft drinks,...
At the same time, avoid eating foods that can cause bacteria, fungi, ... to invade and cause harm such as raw food, salad, raw vegetables, blood soup, ...
Lifestyle
If the nature of work is too stressful, you can regulate your mood by exercising or applying relaxation techniques.
It is necessary to practice exercise and sports regularly to enhance body health, resistance to better recover from disease, avoid disease-causing agents, in addition, to improve the patient's mood very much. good. Sports recommended for patients with chronic colitis include: walking, swimming, dancing, climbing stairs, yoga, cycling...
Chronic colitis if untreated In time, it can completely lead to unexpected dangerous complications, affecting not only the quality of life but also the life of the patient.
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