Colonic Disease Types, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Irritable bowel syndrome occurs when the muscles in the colon contract abnormally, leading to a few troublesome symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, and alternating between constipation and diarrhea. These abnormal colonic muscular contractions also cause pressure to accumulate in the colon, which leads to bloating, gas, abdominal cramps, and an urge to go to the bathroom.

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  Causes: It can be due to bacterial overgrowth in the gut, stress, and certain foods.
  
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  Treatment: It is best treated with medications to slow down muscular contractions and manage stress, lifestyle changes, and counseling.
  

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  Colitis: Colitis is the inflammation of the colon’s lining caused by a group of conditions like infection or autoimmune disorders.
  

Types of Colitis:

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  Ulcerative Colitis: It results due to consumption of fat-rich foods that causes inflammation or ulcers in the colon’s lining.
  
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  Ischemic Colitis: It results due to reduced blood supply to the colon.
  
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  Infectious Colitis: This occurs as a result of an infection.
  
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  Radiation Colitis: It occurs following radiation therapy for prostate, rectal, or uterine cancer.
  
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  Crohn’s Disease: It is a condition that is present lifelong, and there is no definitive cure for it, but the severity of the symptoms can be reduced. It causes inflammation and irritation to the gut lining.
  

Structural Disorders of the Colon:

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  Diverticular Disease: Diverticula are small sacs or pouch-like projections hanging from the colon’s muscular wall, and the condition is called diverticulosis. And when these sacs are inflamed or infected, then it is called diverticulitis. It is common in older adults above 60 years of age. They do not cause symptoms until one of the sacs is obstructed or infected. In that case, they cause symptoms like left-sided abdominal pain, cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
  
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