COLITIS

inflammation of the large intestine (colon), especially of its mucous membranes. Spastic colitis is commonly nervous, or psychosomatic, in origin and is usually a temporary upset rather than a chronic inflammation; this disorder may account for 50 percent of all digestive-tract illnesses. Its symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea (sometimes alternating with constipation), and erratic frequency of bowel movements. Treatment of this disorder is basically supportive and psychological in approach. In the more severe disorder known as ulcerative colitis, patches of tiny holes (ulcers) develop in the inflamed membranes, and there is diarrhea with blood and mucus. The condition tends to become chronic, with sustained fever and weight loss; complications and death may result. Specific causes, such as amebic or bacillary dysentery, are rarer than unknown or multiple causes. The condition is treated with sulfasalazine or steroids or, in severe cases that cannot be controlled with medication, by surgical removal of part or all of the colon. A mild form of colitis in which the stool contains mucus is known as mucous colitis. Still another type of colitis arises when antibiotic use causes the abnormal proliferation of certain types of bacteria in the colon, leading to inflammation and the typical symptoms of colitis. This disorder is treated by stopping the use of the causal antibiotic.