If diarrhea and blood stool persist, ulcerative colitis is suspected...More than quadrupled cases in 10 years
Sep 23, 2025
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Recently, the number of patients has been increasing rapidly among young people, so caution is needed.
Professor Lee Won-myung of the Department of Gastroenterology at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital said "Gestational colitis has a different lesion pattern from Crohn's disease, a similar inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn's disease can appear anywhere in the digestive tract, and inflammation spreads not only to the mucous membrane but also to the deep layer of the intestine, resulting in lesions spaced apart. On the other hand, ulcerative colitis is characterized by the continuous appearance of lesions throughout the large intestine".
Although the exact cause of ulcerative colitis is not yet known, genetic factors, immune abnormalities, intestinal bacterial imbalance, and environmental factors are known to act in combination. According to health insurance statistics, the number of domestic patients also increased rapidly, exceeding 40,000 in 2022 and more than quadrupling in a decade.
The main symptoms are frequent diarrhea, persistent bloody stools, mucous stools, abdominal pain, and sometimes fever. Common enteritis improves within a few days, but ulcerative colitis lasts or recurs for several months or more from several weeks. If diarrhea, bloody excrement, and mucous excrement continue, medical treatment is essential.
Diagnosis is distinguished from other bowel diseases by combining colonoscopy, biopsy, blood and stool tests, and imaging tests along with patient symptoms.
Treatment depends on the severity and extent of the disease. First, 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) oral preparations are used, and steroids or immunomodulators are added if the symptoms are severe. In recent years, even patients who did not respond to existing drugs have improved their quality of life significantly as they reach a 'reconsidered' state where normal life is possible through advanced treatments such as biological drugs and small molecule drugs.
Professor Lee Won-myung said "Whilst ulcerative colitis is a rare and intractable disease, it is possible to live close to normal with early treatment and management."The goal of treatment is to maintain quality of life and prevent complications by achieving a state of 'mucosal remission' that suppresses inflammation and relieves symptoms, and furthermore, achieve a state of 'mucosal remission' that does not show inflammation in endoscopy."
If the inflammation becomes uncontrolled and chronic, complications such as colon cancer, intestinal stenosis, and toxic megacolon (an emergency complication that can be life-threatening due to severe enlargement of the colon) can occur. Early treatment is important because surgical treatment such as full colon resection is required if there is no response to drug treatment or serious complications occur.
Dietary and lifestyle management helps control and suppress symptoms. Avoid spicy food, caffeine, and alcohol, and have a balanced diet and plenty of fluids. Smoking and stress are also factors that worsen symptoms, and smoking cessation and proper stress management are required.
Professor Lee explained, "Wet ulcerative colitis often occurs in young people, so frequent outpatient and long-term treatment put a heavy burden on their studies and work life."It is easy to be confused with symptoms of hypersensitive colorectal syndrome, but if diarrhea, bloody excrement, and mucous stools are repeated for more than a few weeks, they must be tested." If you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease in your family, you need to be more careful."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
